Russia on brink of ... NOPE! Russia INVADES Ukraine!

[biostud]

Might be coming up on the first canceled F-35 order.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/f35-blair-trump-1.7484477

Canada reconsidering F-35 purchase amid tensions with Washington, says minister​

In 2024 US exported for $318B military equipment.

U.S. arms exports reach record USD 318.7 billion in fiscal year 2024

In fiscal year 2024, U.S. military equipment sales to foreign governments surged to a record $318.7 billion, marking a 29% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of State.

defence-industry.eu

Over three years they have donated $128-175B depending on which figures you use.

Here’s How Much Aid the United States Has Sent Ukraine

Ten charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

www.cfr.org

But because of how Trump has acted in Ukraine, no one wants to buy US equipment anymore. So now you will have to pay for the development and maintenance cost all by yourself, while Europe will bolster its economy.

Germany has just voted yes, to remove their debt brake and if you pump billions of Euros into German heavy industry I think a economic Golden age for Europe is dawning.

So Trump the great economic genius seems once again to be Penny wise and Pound foolishly.

 

[RnR_au]

That heinous teller of tall tales doesn't mind me much. It's the freak'in idiots (millions of them) who believe those lies of his, who thinks every time Trump exalts himself it's God speaking through him patting him on the head telling him what a good dictator he is. In letters to the editor in our local news rag, there's a constant flow of writers commenting that God has blessed Trump with the skills he needs to lead America the right way and we should all pray to God for having Trump be successful toward making America great again.

This gained momentum after Trump's election along with calls for people to give Trump the time he needs to make things right even as Trump through Elon is dismantling the gov't, destroying hundreds of thousands of people's livelihoods in the process. I mean, having faith in someone is a good thing, but not when it comes to having faith in a convicted felon, known sex offender and a chronic liar whose only purpose in life is to make himself happy no matter who has to die to make it happen.

Trump being seen as a Messiah figure has been there since QAnon days. Its not a new thing.

QAnon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[cytg111]

Unfortunately, plate tectonics is working against the cause. Canada will join Asia before it joins Europe.

Fuck that. EU is an union of ideas not landmasses. You can have fucking Hungary. Deal done.

 

[RnR_au]

They can't. https://www.politico.eu/article/canadians-want-join-european-union-will-never-happen-paula-pinho/

From that article;

Later, in response to a journalist’s question, Pinho confirmed that Article 49 of the Treaty on the European Union states that only European states can apply for EU membership.

Hmm... I did a light skim on exactly they mean by 'European states'. And it turns out that its a bit wishy-washy...

Article 49 (formerly Article O) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU)[4] or Maastricht Treaty states that any European country that respects the principles of the EU may apply to join. Countries' classification as European is "subject to political assessment"[5] by the Commission and, more importantly, the European Council.

In 1987, Morocco applied to join the European Communities (the precursor to the European Union). The application was rejected on the grounds that Morocco was not considered to be a "European country" and hence could not join. The EU has generally taken a broad view of what counts as a European country, having approved the application of Cyprus and has ruled that Armenia,[6] Georgia, and Turkey satisfy the requirements for application.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copenhagen_criteria

To be honest I don't see any reason as to why Canada should not be a member state of the EU, if both parties agreed. But we all know that currently there is someone in the White House that wants a shotgun marriage and to put another star on a flag.

I would assume that Pinho took this firmer position to the journalist as to not offend the USA under the governance of Trump. Canada is firmly in the USA's sphere of influence. Kinda like Russia considers Ukraine... *cough*

Heck I think Australia could have a good chance at becoming part of the EU, except all the Euro farmers hates the Australian farmers and their cheap grain. So zero chance for us

 

[K1052]

In 2024 US exported for $318B military equipment.

U.S. arms exports reach record USD 318.7 billion in fiscal year 2024

In fiscal year 2024, U.S. military equipment sales to foreign governments surged to a record $318.7 billion, marking a 29% increase from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of State.

defence-industry.eu

Over three years they have donated $128-175B depending on which figures you use.

Here’s How Much Aid the United States Has Sent Ukraine

Ten charts illustrate the extraordinary level of support the United States has provided Ukraine in its war against Russian invaders.

www.cfr.org

But because of how Trump has acted in Ukraine, no one wants to buy US equipment anymore. So now you will have to pay for the development and maintenance cost all by yourself, while Europe will bolster its economy.

Germany has just voted yes, to remove their debt brake and if you pump billions of Euros into German heavy industry I think a economic Golden age for Europe is dawning.

So Trump the great economic genius seems once again to be Penny wise and Pound foolishly.

Yeah Dassault and Eurofighter see the potential to majorly fatten their order books. Both need to expand production and contracts will make that happen. Development of next generation aircraft also going to receive a huge boost. Munitions are an issue but a quite solvable one with money and willpower.

Euro firms will also be winning contracts for export because few, besides a couple gulf states, would be willing to trust a US defense product now. Trump is handing the continent a gigantic opportunity at the perfect time.

 

[kage69]

Ukraine reminds people about that 'disinformation bubble.'

 

[DZero]

Trump being seen as a Messiah figure has been there since QAnon days. Its not a new thing.

QAnon - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

QAnon? I read RUSSIAN-Anus

 

[K1052]

Some rumblings that the Germans have dropped their objection to selling Turkey the 40 Typhoons it wants.

The Turkish government late last year abandoned buying upgrade kits for their F-16s from LM opting for native options. Non-zero chance most of their F-16 Block 70 order disappears too, which was also for 40 frames. Ankara may be interested in getting in on the production game also.

 

[you2]

It occurred to me that Putin saying the Ukraine soldiers could only be spared if they surrender really meant they could be easily shot in the head instead of fighting [to the death if the propaganda was true]. As it has become apparent that for the most part Russia execute prisoners of war....

 

[misuspita]

Not that far off when you picture it like that )

 

[biostud]

View attachment 119970

Not that far off when you picture it like that )

Exactly, they have borders with Greenland/Denmark, but currently Greenland is not member of EU, which I would suggest they join ASAP.

 

[jdubs03]

Yeah Dassault and Eurofighter see the potential to majorly fatten their order books. Both need to expand production and contracts will make that happen. Development of next generation aircraft also going to receive a huge boost. Munitions are an issue but a quite solvable one with money and willpower.

Euro firms will also be winning contracts for export because few, besides a couple gulf states, would be willing to trust a US defense product now. Trump is handing the continent a gigantic opportunity at the perfect time.

Yeah, that was actually what I was thinking of reading some of this. The next generation (6th gen) FCAS that Germany, France, and Spain are working on, should get significant investment and that might push timelines forward for deployment. Will likely help the British, Italian and Japanese GCAP program as well.

There are redesigned German Leopards on the horizon (maybe Leclercs too), and then the German and French initiative after that. So Europe has some big potential for next GEN military equipment.

The one area where I think they’re significantly behind is air defense. The US Pac3 and THAAD systems are top-notch, and I think there is a replacement for the Pac3 in the works.
But with significant amounts of euros going into this initiative, I think they’d be able to gain some ground.

 

[kage69]

We've seen the footage in a lot of cases already; Ukrainians discovering mass graves, torture rooms, other horrible things. But now, officially, a UN investigation confirms Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. To be clear these are against civilians, this is in addition to enlisted AFU having been the targets of war crimes pretty much nonstop since the invasion began in 2014.



"The commission has concluded that Russian authorities committed enforced disappearances and torture as crimes against humanity," the report said. "Both were perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population and pursuant to a coordinated state policy," it added.

"Russia "systematically used torture against certain categories of detainees to extract information, coerce, and intimidate", the inquiry concluded. The most brutal forms were used during interrogations, but Russian authorities had also "systematically used sexual violence as a form of torture against male detainees".

The commission also studied a growing number of incidents concerning Russian troops killing or wounding captured or surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, which constitutes a war crime. "Testimonies of soldiers who deserted from the Russian armed forces indicate that there is a policy not to take prisoners but to kill them instead," the report said.


Compare that to the AFU, who gives POWs beds, food and medical care. No torture, no executions, no comparison.

 

[K1052]

The one area where I think they’re significantly behind is air defense. The US Pac3 and THAAD systems are top-notch, and I think there is a replacement for the Pac3 in the works.
But with significant amounts of euros going into this initiative, I think they’d be able to gain some ground.

The Aster 30 launched by SAMP/T is pretty capable (and Block 2 is in development) but I have read there are some shortcomings with the radar units. Again, solvable problems.

 

[you2]

We've seen the footage in a lot of cases already; Ukrainians discovering mass graves, torture rooms, other horrible things. But now, officially, a UN investigation confirms Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. To be clear these are against civilians, this is in addition to enlisted AFU having been the targets of war crimes pretty much nonstop since the invasion began in 2014.



"The commission has concluded that Russian authorities committed enforced disappearances and torture as crimes against humanity," the report said. "Both were perpetrated as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population and pursuant to a coordinated state policy," it added.

"Russia "systematically used torture against certain categories of detainees to extract information, coerce, and intimidate", the inquiry concluded. The most brutal forms were used during interrogations, but Russian authorities had also "systematically used sexual violence as a form of torture against male detainees".

The commission also studied a growing number of incidents concerning Russian troops killing or wounding captured or surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, which constitutes a war crime. "Testimonies of soldiers who deserted from the Russian armed forces indicate that there is a policy not to take prisoners but to kill them instead," the report said.


Compare that to the AFU, who gives POWs beds, food and medical care. No torture, no executions, no comparison.

So it is natural that these are the folks Trump like after all he would love to do the same thing to his enemies.

 

[DZero]

So it is natural that these are the folks Trump like after all he would love to do the same thing to his enemies.

Enemies? Trump has not even allies too!

 

[biostud]

Are Trump's Tariffs some elaborate scheme to crash the global economy, which will crash oil prices and thereby hurt Russia? :O

 

[RnR_au]

Are Trump's Tariffs some elaborate scheme to crash the global economy, which will crash oil prices and thereby hurt Russia? :O

If both America and Europe catches a sniffle, its more likely to crash the export oriented Chinese economy. And they are already in large amounts of trouble with their debt levels.

 

[cytg111]

Are Trump's Tariffs some elaborate scheme to crash the global economy, which will crash oil prices and thereby hurt Russia? :O

Sure..................................................................................................................

 

[DZero]

Are Trump's Tariffs some elaborate scheme to crash the global economy, which will crash oil prices and thereby hurt Russia? :O

Hardly, Trump wants to return to Gold Standard, hoping to crash China in the proccess and moving the gold to Russia to be allmighty.

The issue? Russia is an easy target for China.
And China is hoarding enough gold to resist the crash along Europe.

 

[kage69]

Feels like the carnage got cranked up a notch, so many Russians getting tossed into the chipper. Putin wants Kursk back pronto, while Zelenskyy wants more 'active pressure' on Putin to get him to leave. I guess it figures. The drone hell Ukraine is keeping them in is nothing short of amazing though. I almost feel bad for them.

AFU took out a valuable bridge across the Konka yesterday, occupied Kherson. Sorry Yuri. Good luck talking the guys happy to beat and "nullify" you into drone deliveries.

Now do that to the Kerch. Always a great time for Russia to catch another logistical and psychological nutshot.

 

[K1052]

Short term Greece has a couple dozen that they want to sell (cheaply). Long term other nations (Egypt, Peru, UAE, etc) looking to upgrade or buy more Rafale would be willing to give theirs up back to France for a good price on new planes. Dassault's best salesman is on the case.

 

[DZero]

Short term Greece has a couple dozen that they want to sell (cheaply). Long term other nations (Egypt, Peru, UAE, etc) looking to upgrade or buy more Rafale would be willing to give theirs up back to France for a good price on new planes. Dassault's best salesman is on the case.


View attachment 120064

Funny story Peru has the issue of Chancay's port, Egypt the conflict with Israel and even UAE with Iran's situation. So sending out the US behind for France is interesting.

 

[mikeymikec]

I don't know if this has been discussed already but I read a BBC headline this morning which included this line:

""We're already talking about that, dividing up certain assets," [Trump] says"

From:

Fresh Ukraine talks to begin 'immediately', White House says after Trump-Putin call

Zelensky says he supports the energy truce but claims Russia isn't "ready" to end the war.

www.bbc.co.uk

I'm wondering if Trump and Putin are executing a Mafia style scam along the lines that one group threatens a country (e.g. Ukraine), the other group comes along and says "we'll protect you, but at a cost", then the two groups share the spoils.

 

[biostud]

Here you can track donations to Ukraine by country:

Ukraine Support Tracker - A Database of Military, Financial and Humanitarian Aid to Ukraine

The Ukraine Support Tracker lists and quantifies military, financial and humanitarian aid promised by governments to Ukraine.

www.ifw-kiel.de

And France might talk a lot but, they don't put their money where their mouth is.