U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said a peace agreement between Ukraine and Russia must include security guarantees for Ukraine, but that they "should not be provided through NATO membership, but must instead be backed by capable European and non-European troops."
The defense chief spoke not long before President Trump announced in a social media post that he had agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, during a phone call with the Russian leader on Wednesday. He said he would be calling Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy immediately "to inform him of the conversation."
In remarks delivered ahead of a closed-door meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group to discuss further aid for Ukraine, Hegseth called Ukraine's goal of returning to its pre-2014 borders — before Russian forces first invaded and started seizing ground, annexing the Crimean Peninsula — an "unrealistic objective."
No puppet. You a puppet.
Of course he doesn't even have the energy to be confused anymore. He just quietly is told what to do at his desk and then tweets his what he dreams strength looks like from behind his wall while he waits for a chance to cheat at golf.
My friend in Kiev, Maia, has been writing and updating every day of the war.
This isn't the first time I've seen this particular nonsense brought up, but I thought this might be worth sharing. Rest of this post is her words.
1091st day.
The Telegraph published a draft of the “partnership” agreement that the United States offered to Ukraine. No wonder, even not knowing all the details that become known now, we all felt that our country was being violated for the second time on the day when the US Minister of Finance arrived in Ukraine with an ultimatum that Ukraine had to sign off 500 billion worth of resources as repayment for American help that didn’t really help to protect us from ruzzian military aggression.
And before we launch into discussions under this post about the ungratefulness of Ukrainians and why Americans should help us in any way at all, I will remind again about the Budapest memorandum when Ukraine gave up the third largest in the world nuclear arsenal in 1994 in exchange of guarantee of our borders by USA, UK and ruzzia.
Answering the question of why Americans should be helping to defeat putin we could also point out parallels between Hitler and putin and the events and agreements/concessions that led to WWII. Ruzzia is your enemy, too.
And one more thing: “Trump said the US had spent $300bn on the war so far, adding that it would be “stupid” to hand over any more. In fact the five packages agreed by Congress total $175bn, of which $70bn was spent in the US on weapons production. Some of it is in the form of humanitarian grants, but much of it is lend-lease money that must be repaid.”
I will post a link to the The Telegraph article in the first comment. But here is the short summary of the proposed “partnership” agreement that sounds more like economic colonization.
In addition to rare earth minerals, Ukraine would have to transfer ports, infrastructure, and most resources, including oil and gas, to US control.
The United States would receive 50% of Ukraine's revenue from extracting its own resources and 50% of the value of “all new licenses issued to third parties.”
The two countries would create a joint investment fund to ensure that “hostile parties to the conflict do not benefit from Ukraine's recovery.”
The fund would have the right to set the terms, conditions, timing, and selection criteria for all future projects involving Ukrainian resources.
Such an agreement would give the United States almost complete control over Ukraine's commodity economy.
The newspaper writes that if Ukraine agreed to these terms, they would be greater than the reparations imposed on Germany under the Treaty of Versailles. In fact, Trump would like to receive $500 billion worth of resources from Ukraine.
The Telegraph article says, “Ukraine cannot possibly meet his $500bn demand in any meaningful timeframe, leaving aside the larger matter of whether it is honourable to treat a victim nation in this fashion after it has held the battle line for the liberal democracies at enormous sacrifice for three years. Who really has a debt to whom, may one ask?”
As I read more about Trump parroting the Kremlin’s talking points I think that talk of Canada or Greenland being the “51st state” should really be talk of America being the newest oblast of the Russian Federation.
"Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?"
-Michelle Obama 2024 Democratic Convention
Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
Max Peck wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2025 2:42 pm
I suspect that none of it was ever intended to be possible. Trump's Putin-endorsed master plan is likely:
Make Ukraine an outrageous offer that they can't not refuse.
Ukraine nopes out, because they aren't idiots.
Trump does everything he can to cripple Ukraine's ability to continue to resist Russia.
...
Profit!
You forgot the step where "US removes all sanctions against Russia for being the cooperative partner in their "Peace Deal"."
I wouldn't even be surprised if the US puts sanctions on Ukraine since they haven't agreed to pay back the $500bn Trump asked for and since they won't agree to end the war.
We have officially joined the "Axis of Evil" along with Russia, China and North Korea.
Holman wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 7:15 pm
I am ashamed of America.
Me two.
--------------------------------------------
I am Dyslexic of Borg, prepare to have your ass laminated.
I guess Ray Butts has ate his last pancake. http://steamcommunity.com/id/daehawk
"Has high IQ. Refuses to apply it"
When in doubt, skewer it out...I don't know.
Max Peck wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2025 2:42 pm
I suspect that none of it was ever intended to be possible. Trump's Putin-endorsed master plan is likely:
Make Ukraine an outrageous offer that they can't not refuse.
Ukraine nopes out, because they aren't idiots.
Trump does everything he can to cripple Ukraine's ability to continue to resist Russia.
...
Profit!
Given the breakdown in relations, this is looking more and more like the plan. We're deliberately sabotaging Ukraine, and doing so in a way that Trump can claim that Zelensky refused his help. People who keep track of the news will know better, but most of us don't, and many will take him at his word.
Ordinarily I wouldn't click a Daily Mail link, but this story looks legit. We don't have enough info to know if this is just straight-up extortion or a strategic and economic motive for the US to keep Ukraine out of Putin's hands. Mump wouldn't back it unless there was something tangible in it for them.
Malcolm Nance has revised his opinion on Trump based on what's happening with Ukraine
I will tell you a secret.
I was wrong about Donald Trump.
I assessed him as a Russian “witting “asset in my three New York Times bestsellers. This meant that he knew Russia was working to his benefit and accepted it but without a direct financial connection or receiving direction from Moscow. However, I no longer believe that’s the case.
After years of sitting on MSNBC and saying there was no evidence that Donald Trump worked for Moscow based on blackmail or money, the events that have occurred this week convinced me that he is a Russian agent.
Kraken wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:20 pm
Ordinarily I wouldn't click a Daily Mail link, but this story looks legit. We don't have enough info to know if this is just straight-up extortion or a strategic and economic motive for the US to keep Ukraine out of Putin's hands. Mump wouldn't back it unless there was something tangible in it for them.
I'm hoping what really happened is that retired Gen Kellogg told Zelensky to just follow Trump's playbook: promise everything and then slow walk it for the next 4 years or just leave it to Trump to try to find companies willing to extract the minerals. From the article itself "Many companies slowed or ceased operations at the start of the war, and restarting industry in a war-torn country will present a mammoth challenge for any companies willing to take the risk." So all Zelensky has to do is get Trump to find someone to mine the minerals (good luck with that) and slow walk it for 4 years until someone else is President.
Kraken wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2025 10:20 pm
Ordinarily I wouldn't click a Daily Mail link, but this story looks legit. We don't have enough info to know if this is just straight-up extortion or a strategic and economic motive for the US to keep Ukraine out of Putin's hands. Mump wouldn't back it unless there was something tangible in it for them.
He fucking hates Zelensky due to Z's refusal to collaborate against Biden during Trump 1.0. He'd love to see him go down, and that means Ukraine with him.
The deal he's offering is one that no sane leader could accept, so Zelensky will refuse. This then allows Trump to say "we offered him a great deal and he refused" and walk away from any further support.
If that is true, Putin not only have a pee tape, but also have evidence that "Krasnov" worked for KGB. No wonder Russia has full control on "Krasnov". Ukraine is screwed.
I of course don't know how much of that is true, but trump is undeniably a traitor to the US and an ally of Putin. I can readily believe the charges they've laid out.
I doubt that claim is true. But I don’t doubt that Trump either has financial interests in Russia or that he just plain idolizes Putin. He’s definitely doing what Putin wants.
It's well-known that any Western businessman with an interest in partnerships in the USSR (this was legal, even during the Cold War) was subjected to KGB investigation but also manipulation and attempts to make the connections personal. Ideally, this would result in kompromat (such as proof of bribes or secretly filmed sexual encounters), but at the very least it involved in the target in webs of familiarity and connection that could be exploited later.
The Russians haven't controlled Trump as an agent. They've controlled him through flattery, bribery, and special access to secret deals. There's no one on Earth more susceptible.
IF that article is true and the main leverage they have is a weird sex tape if Trump I doubt releasing it would have any negative impact and may actually boost his ratings in the cult.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he was “ready” to resign as leader if it meant it would bring peace to his country, suggesting he could swap it for NATO membership - while also pushing back against US demands for Ukraine’s critical minerals and other natural resources as part of negotiations to end the war.
Asked at a press conference Sunday if he was ready to quit if it ensures peace for Ukraine, Zelensky said: “If (it guarantees) peace for Ukraine, if you really need me to resign, I am ready. I can exchange it for NATO.”
The US has officially sided with Russia and will vote against a UN resolution condemning Russia for the Ukraine war. I don’t know if the damage is irreparable but I definitely think for the foreseeable future we are not a reliable ally for anything. Unless you’re a totalitarian state on Trump’s Rolodex.
And maybe it is irreparable. Other countries know how to read polls and if American foreign policy is going to be at the whim of a populace who doesn’t give a shit about things outside their town then it’s time to have some meetings to wean themselves away from the newest Russian republic.
"Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?"
-Michelle Obama 2024 Democratic Convention
Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
$iljanus wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 1:17 pm
And maybe it is irreparable.
Nothing is irreparable. Ask Germany and Japan. Once we stop what we're doing and start acting like humans, we should become globally respectable again after a couple of generations.
$iljanus wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 1:17 pm
And maybe it is irreparable.
Nothing is irreparable. Ask Germany and Japan. Once we stop what we're doing and start acting like humans, we should become globally respectable again after a couple of generations.
LOL I was hoping for something more optimistic within my lifetime. But hey, you don’t get the Federation without a little Eugenics War.
"Who's going to tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those Black jobs?"
-Michelle Obama 2024 Democratic Convention
Wise words of warning from Smoove B: Oh, how you all laughed when I warned you about the semen. Well, who's laughing now?
Kraken wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 12:24 am
I of course don't know how much of that is true, but trump is undeniably a traitor to the US and an ally of Putin. I can readily believe the charges they've laid out.
Sane here. I find all of this to be very plausible and likely accurate. His zeal for turning on Ukraine and helping Russia finally convinced me that he is not simply accepting Russian help with a wink and a nod but is actively working for them in some respect.
I find it difficult to believe that our allies are not aware that Russia has heavily put a thumb on the scale of our politics and handed two close elections to Trump. I can't fathom that if we end up (God willing) with a Democratic President in 2028, that our allies are going to be like, "NOPE, can't trust ya! Sorry!" Biden built an unprecedented global coalition against Russia the very first term post-Trump. Our allies will get behind new leadership.
I'm not saying a new leader won't have a lot of rebuilding to repair the damage done, or that relations will be the exact same as they were pre-Trump. But I think the idea that decades-long allies are going to abandon us entirely due to one bad election cycle is not giving them a heck of a lot of credit.
YellowKing wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 5:05 pm
But I think the idea that decades-long allies are going to abandon us entirely due to one bad election cycle is not giving them a heck of a lot of credit.
They didn't abandon us due to one bad election cycle.
Then, after seeing that it was a bad election cycle, we did exactly the same thing again four years later.
The reason that they are abandoning us (and doing so openly) is because, even if we elect a visionary and impactful Democratic President in 2028, they can't trust us not to have another bad election cycle in 2032. They are responsible for the welfare of their citizens, including their economy, their national security, their health networks, and the international threats to their existence toward which we've always been the 'big stick' that allowed them to walk softly.
They simply can't trust us when we've spent the last eight years being intermittently unreliable and unstable. They can't take a risk that we'll just flip-flop again, and next time it might be just as Russia is breathing down their necks, or just as they're facing internal economic problems that we could make dramatically worse with yet another election and another set of tariffs.
It's like a spouse of many decades forgiving you for cheating. It's reasonable. If you turn around and cheat again a few years later, though, it doesn't matter that you've been a sweetheart for four years. They simply can't see you as trustworthy anymore. Even if they don't kick you out right away, they're going to start looking for ways to protect themselves from you in the future.
YellowKing wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 5:05 pm
But I think the idea that decades-long allies are going to abandon us entirely due to one bad election cycle is not giving them a heck of a lot of credit.
They didn't abandon us due to one bad election cycle.
Then, after seeing that it was a bad election cycle, we did exactly the same thing again four years later.
The reason that they are abandoning us (and doing so openly) is because, even if we elect a visionary and impactful Democratic President in 2028, they can't trust us not to have another bad election cycle in 2032. They are responsible for the welfare of their citizens, including their economy, their national security, their health networks, and the international threats to their existence toward which we've always been the 'big stick' that allowed them to walk softly.
They simply can't trust us when we've spent the last eight years being intermittently unreliable and unstable. They can't take a risk that we'll just flip-flop again, and next time it might be just as Russia is breathing down their necks, or just as they're facing internal economic problems that we could make dramatically worse with yet another election and another set of tariffs.
It's like a spouse of many decades forgiving you for cheating. It's reasonable. If you turn around and cheat again a few years later, though, it doesn't matter that you've been a sweetheart for four years. They simply can't see you as trustworthy anymore. Even if they don't kick you out right away, they're going to start looking for ways to protect themselves from you in the future.
Yeah. I mean, I think our allies would happily work with a President Buttigieg or what have you from 2029 to 2033. But everything that's happened in the U.S. from 2016 - 2029 obviously has to impact their medium to long-term planning. And that's going to impact their willingness to sign up for various long-term partnerships with the U.S.
YellowKing wrote: Mon Feb 24, 2025 5:05 pm
But I think the idea that decades-long allies are going to abandon us entirely due to one bad election cycle is not giving them a heck of a lot of credit.
They didn't abandon us due to one bad election cycle.
Then, after seeing that it was a bad election cycle, we did exactly the same thing again four years later.
The reason that they are abandoning us (and doing so openly) is because, even if we elect a visionary and impactful Democratic President in 2028, they can't trust us not to have another bad election cycle in 2032. They are responsible for the welfare of their citizens, including their economy, their national security, their health networks, and the international threats to their existence toward which we've always been the 'big stick' that allowed them to walk softly.
They simply can't trust us when we've spent the last eight years being intermittently unreliable and unstable. They can't take a risk that we'll just flip-flop again, and next time it might be just as Russia is breathing down their necks, or just as they're facing internal economic problems that we could make dramatically worse with yet another election and another set of tariffs.
It's like a spouse of many decades forgiving you for cheating. It's reasonable. If you turn around and cheat again a few years later, though, it doesn't matter that you've been a sweetheart for four years. They simply can't see you as trustworthy anymore. Even if they don't kick you out right away, they're going to start looking for ways to protect themselves from you in the future.
Yeah. I mean, I think our allies would happily work with a President Buttigieg or what have you from 2029 to 2033. But everything that's happened in the U.S. from 2016 - 2029 obviously has to impact their medium to long-term planning. And that's going to impact their willingness to sign up for various long-term partnerships with the U.S.
Fool me once, shame on me.... We've given them no choice but to keep us at arm's length for the foreseeable future.
Eight years doesn't undo generations of friendship. Leaders come and go all the time, in all countries. Our friendships have endured decades of changing leadership from both sides of the political spectrum. They'll endure Trump.
I doubt it, but none of us are prophets (except maybe Isgrimnur.) Only time will tell.
For now, I'm basing on what foreign nations are actively doing. They're adjusting strategic plans to not account for us. They're looking for alternatives to the US for trade. These things aren't supposition - they're actual positions that world leaders are taking, and actual actions they've begun. They're starting to see us as a danger, and they're starting to take steps to insulate themselves from us, and to become less reliant on us making good decisions.
