Is NATO hoping for war to reset the fact it's major economies are literally at the brink? And do they really think their suffering fractured populace is going to go along? Their governments literally hate them and are doing everything they can to wipe them out. Parents aren't sending their kids to die for an elite that is utterly alien and despised. Remind me again what is Starmer, Macron and Mertz popularity? "democracy"
This seems to me to be the key point. Russia wins by demoralizing the enemy, and the enemy is NATO. Russia walks a fine line so as not to galvanize Western public opinion against them, and so far Russia has been very successful in this regard while keeping Russian and non-aligned public opinion on the Russian side.
Ok … anyone who thinks nato can enter this BS war and not have it escalate to a nuclear exchange is beyond stupid. Any direct attack by the west will end in a world wide catastrophe.
Not for the first time. Remember, NATO bombed Serbia for months to enforce the fake state of Kosovo and continues to enforce it through Bondsteel, the military base there. Russia could or would not do anything. Now Russia is directly involved and if NATO wants to step in, Russia has had its back up for a long time now. NATO is running on hubris and nothing else. This and nuclear weapons makes for a poor combination.
The American people voted for Trump last fall (including many who crossed the isle) because they believed that Trump would improve the quality of their lives here at home (combat inflation, address immigration chaos, etc).
They did not vote for more war, but that appears to be the menu that Trump is serving up for America.
The National Security State can never get enough war. As Randolph Bourne famously said, "War is the Health of the State."
As Ron Paul noted in his weekly column, all Trump had to do was walk away from Biden's war and let the Europeans sort this mess out. LBJ's war in Vietnam became Nixon's war in 1969; Biden's war in now Trump's war. And it continues to get more dangerous.
The only compelling national security interest for the USA is our precious 'reputation' and to avoid a humiliating defeat of the US/NATO. That was the reason we stayed in Vietnam for over a decade, according to a memorandum John McNaughton wrote for Robert McNamara in 1964. McNaughton wrote that 70% of the reason the USA should stay the course in Vietnam was "to avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat (to our reputation as a guarantor)."
Yep, we could have screwed Ukraine...again. Maybe that would have been the right thing to do. Russia would have rolled over Ukraine and would likely be in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and possibly even Finland now. I could be wrong but I think stopping Putin in Ukraine and sapping his strength was the right thing to do.
Yup, another person who has bought into the Domino Theory for the 21st Century. If we don't stop the Russians in Ukraine, they will roll west all the way to Cape Finisterre (look it up on a map).
We had a Domino Theory during the Vietnam War. It was a tool used by the warmongers to sell the war to mom and pop America on Main Street. If we didn't stop the Reds in Vietnam, they would roll on to take over Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the PI, eventually Australia and New Zealand.
Well, we lost that war and none of what I just described came to pass. The irony is that Vietnam is a Communist country and we are thinking about selling them F-16s (part of our strategy of PRC containment). I wonder how any of the 50,000 plus GIs who died in Vietnam would feel about that?
Yup, I believe that is Putin's intent. Otherwise his economy comes crashing to the ground when all those troops return to mother Russia with no hope of finding work. Revolution is right around the corner and that has never ended well for Russian royalty.
Putin is quite consistent from 2007 up to now, his request is that Ukraine never becomes a threat for Russia, remains neutral, and has an army that cannot threaten Russia.
Putin negotiated Minsk 1, Minsk 2, almost achieved Istambul agreement with Ukrainians, all were based on the idea of neutral Ukraine.
Right now, Ukraine is de facto a member of a hostile military coalition, and serves as a launchpad for missile attacks on Russia.
Putin is conscientious and legalist, at the helm of Russia he did try to solve the problem through diplomacy, than through a limited military operation, but I have no doubt that all measures necessary will be taken until Ukraine is transformed into a nonthreatening entity.
I am afraid that in an effort not to lose face, not to accept defeat, US is ready to sacrifice Ukraine,
Enjoy the collapse of your precious western slave state while Russia enjoys decades of growth & improving quality of life, trading & cooperating with the 85% of the world that is not the "west".
Lee Yuan Kew the Prime minister of Singapore during the Vietnam war and a very astute observer responsible for much of the miracle development of Singapore post WW2 said that he believes that had the US not fought in Vietnam the rollup of SE Asia by the commies would have happened. You might want to reconsider your belief.
With all due respect to the late Lee Yuan Kew, he was not all knowing and all seeing.
The Vietnamese war against the French and then the USA was fought to free Vietnam from colonial (in the case of the French) and neocolonial (in the case of the USA) domination. Once the American puppet government in Saigon was removed in 1975, the mission was accomplished. No need to go afield looking for additional dragons to slay.
I stand by my original statement.....the Domino Theory circa 1968 was a propaganda tool used to terrify the 'Silent Majority' into supporting our catastrophic war in SE Asia. And the Domino Theory for the 21st Century is being pitched with exactly the same purpose.
It is ironic that in the first few months of the Russia-Ukraine War, the Russians were portrayed by the MSM as military incompetents who couldn't find their own ass with their two hands. Three years later the Russians now stand twelve feet tall and are going to gobble up all of Europe.
Victoria Nuland running the State Department and had a color revolution that we have recordings of her phone calls, tells us we screwed this for one reason. To stick it to Russia.
Imagine when China and Russia supply the new government of Mexico with weapons to deal with the US handling of immigration or Cartels? Imagine if they setup a base or became sole supplier of weapons to mexico? What if they used Venezula and Cuba?
Russia and China could become members of the free Western World and pretty much eliminate the hate and fear that their isolationism and dictatorship brings. If they choose to go to war because their neighbors see the writing on that wall and jump to join NATO, we will have no choice but to destroy them and Mexico will know better than to join the losing side.
Trump had his chance to blame it on Biden. That chance has passed. No normal, informed, non-partisan person still buys the fiction 'Biden's War'. It's Trumps' Wars.
Trump oversaw the initial weapons deliveries to Ukraine plus the training of troops and the CiA setting up of bases and control of the SBU. Anyone who still believes trumps BS about its Bidens war is mentally challenged at this point.
"CiA setting up of bases " Nice try but that was setup under Obama and Victoria Nuland already explained that to the Senate when she had to explain why we care about Russia running about in Ukraine.
"Nuland Confirms Existence of Bio "research" Labs in Ukraine
Victoria Nuland Senate testimony of March 7, 2022 confirms existence of biological laboratories in Ukraine."
Here is one you dont know about. Imagine the VP of the US incharge of relations with Ukraine before the war (Joe Biden for Obama) boasts about how he told the locals what to do if they investigate his son. Son of a bitch... HAHAH
imagine, the most powerful man in the world surrounded by hyenas, with a gun to his head. trump the new apologist puppet of the neocons who suck on the teat of the MIC. our country has been captured, our brightest and best have no desire to step into this mire.
You should really cut back on the Fauxnews and Trump PR conferences.
America is being severely harmed by Trumps trade policies.
For this the whole non-western world is thankful as it has greatly sped up the collapse of the American financial system- which will end the global American warmongering empire.
Not to mention how his threats, sanctions & tariffs have united BRICS even tighter and greatly expanded the countries wanting to join.
How about you tell me specifically what is bad about reciprocal tariffs? You dismiss my position on trade not knowing if I even own a Television? How about you grow a bit and tell me which Marxist training center you taught you this? Tell me which part of NAFTA the pre Trump version did you like? Do you know what that even is?
Dimitry Trenin was right. The West isn't scared of Russia using nuclear weapons. They just don't believe it could happen. Trenin suggests that Russia needs to start testing nuclear weapons and change their doctrine again.
Only if the West fears Russia, which it clearly doesn't, we can avoid a full blown escalation. Unfortunately, everything right now points towards this escalation and before the Russians will see their country collapse, they will use nukes. From their point of view, there will be no other options at one point.
At what price? Sending more cruise missiles or even long range weapons and attacking Russia's energy infrastructure is a clear escalation, don't you think?
This is an escalation- BUT- how far can the west escalate? What does this really do?
These attacks are not seriously harming Russia.
It is PR for the western propaganda machine.
Such attacks can't & aren't going to change the outcome.
Such attacks only stiffen Russian resolve.
My comment related to the original comment that suggested these attacks were seriously harming Russia to the point Russia would go nuclear. Russia has no reason to go nuclear unless it is attacked with nuclear.
Russia is decisively destroying the combined America/NATO/Ukraine military force in Ukraine.
The "west" simply does not have the weapons systems/gear, ammunition, missiles or personnel for a true war against Russia.
You do know that they lucked out that they had a technical jump happen when they went to war. The tank showed up , then the machine gun, then TNT, etc. History is filled with fights during a jump in tech.
That did not happen in Hungry when the Soviets showed up or when 200 divisions of crack NAZI and Wehmarcht German trouble were destroyed by the Russians.
We all know how this will end. In case you haven't noticed we are already in WW3 and Russia will be forced to use nuclear weapons. The West just doesn't want to believe it but Russia will do it, when they think there is no other way.
Really ? After 4+ years the eurocucks are going grow a set and send in the troops. Hilarious.
Doing standup comedy now are we?
And there is ANOTHER wunderwaffen weapon or weapons. Doubtless they will have the same impact as the F-16’s , Himars, German tanks etc, etc- that is to say zilch.
Are Walmart selling missiles now? Must be, as the US govt gave what they could to Israel.
Even if the Green goblin lobs a few into Russia, he is just inviting multiple visits from Oreshniks.
You forgot to mention Trump is a shoe in for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Stephen, your mention of the "Battle of Kiev" strikes me as puzzling, considering your generally reliable reportage. That armored Russian column didn't fire a round, and pulled out (at the time we did not known of the Istanbul peace discussions between Ukraine and Russia) as we learned much later, as a gesture of good will in relation to the peace negotiations. Two days after the mayor of Bucha declared the departure of the Russians, the SBU sent its Safari Unit there do some "cleansing"; a false flag operation blamed on Russia; Bobo Johnson arrives in Kiev to impose the scuttling of peace negotiations; and as aside, Gonzalo Lira seals his grim fate, by going to Bucha and posting online his photographs of the Ukranazi fresh kill.
Regarding the Russian withdrawal from the Kharkiv region, you're right, that was a bad turn, but temporary, once the SMO got rolling and here we are now, with Ukraine, however heroically or not, on the ropes.
Ultimately, the U.S./ NATO funded, encouraged, and badly managed one Slavic people to kill another, and couldn't give a damn how many Ukrainians, Banderite or not, died in a futile effort to bugger Russia; whose butt is aching now?
Comrade, this is a mild article with rather useful information and some micro aggressions, such as "buddies", "defeat" and American Industrial complex promo.
No need to be dramatic like this, although, I am still recovering from the article penned by the author on the subject of taking out Iranian leadership.
Another piece of useful information: it is a chit-chat of military men who are comfy to discuss "easy Russian women" back in the nineties.
"prsmith" is a big fat Ukro troll.
If you want to make a difference in information war, tell them about the Burevestnik military training around Alaska summit and a mass production of Oreshnik, and that Kiev is much larger than Gaza strip and look it is fixing to be 2 years now, with mass starvation and mucho support from the Big Brother - the most moral army in the world IDF achieved 83% civilian casualty rate and need some time "to finish the job" according to the local Goebbels who compared Palestinians with Russians.
I should take it as a compliment under the circumstances.
I stand by what I said. The article is filled with falsehoods from start to finish.
There is no useful information in the article because the entire article is based on falsehoods borne of either wilful dishonesty or blinded by western exceptionalism & mainstream media misinformation.
You did say all the right things. Considering what your country men are doing at the frontlines it is the least you can do. If it is any consolation for you we know how the story ends. However, before making any harsh judgments you need to look at the whole body of the text rather than deconstruct not the strongest piece by the author. Also, could you drop slogans - I am very much traumatized by the TV coverage here, I mean I feel your pain about mainstream media, but substack is a different story.
by intent, as they understood they were overextended (Steven is right)
They could have stayed, Kiev has been half encircled, this strategy had some military logic, but in order to proceed Russian army needed another half a million soldiers, just to encircle Kiev, and another half million to cover land east of Dnieper...major mobilisation, politically unprepared population...and still no victory guaranteed.
I'm puzzled at how no one looks at this logically.
Ukraine was shelling Donbas civilians. The operational goal of SMO was to get enough artillery into Donbas to put an end to that threat. The alternative might well have been to evacuate large numbers of Donbas civilians - which would have been seen across the world as a defeat / Ukrainian victory.
So of course the whole SMO was a distraction, a tiny force grabbing land while the artillery pushed into place. That is why the only place Russia committed to any serious attacking was Hostomol airport - significanlty West of Kiev but only 50 miles from Belarus.
The whole Nato gameplan was being able to target Donbas civilians - and the whole Russian distraction was to prevent that.
That explains both why a) Zelensky was ready to quit once Donbas was defendible, and b) Russia was happy to abandon the quick gains it had made
and c) how both sides could see the situation so differently at the very same moment.
The other key point is the CIA warning of a Russian invasion. Taken at face value you have the ludicrous situation of the CIA more or less running the entire Ukrainian army while the Ukrainian army lines up against the internal Donbas border and not the external Russian or Belarus borders.
Simply ridiculous.
So clearly the CIA warnings were actually meant to predict a Donbas false flag event, which would justify a Ukraine attack on Donbas. (No I don't know why US always has to have a false flag to justify a war, but it always does.)
So we have the deliciously ironic outcome of a US/Ukrainian false flag out of Donbas being completely pre-empted by a much bigger real invasion out of Russia. No wonder poor Zelensky was confused.
US prepared a Ukrainian blitz that would have overpowered Donbas militia and required Russian armed forces to enter the fight in a very difficult strategic position. Quite bold, actually.
Oh Good. I thought for 3 years i was the only one who could see the obvious. Of course for Russia not commenting on operations is standard.
But the whole of 2021 was spent with Zelensky threatening to take out Donbas and Crimea militarily, and the whole of 2023 was every Nato country leaders promising the same. Somehow magically, while we were all waiting for the necessary false flag people forgot about it.
War is always madness. Unfortunately, narcissistic politicians inevitably lead us to it and those who must defend themselves never get out of the mess unscathed. Sadly, those who lead us into it never get scratched any longer.
Unfortunately, Steven is right. US/NATO has to try all it's able to do, before accepting defeat. It is natural, nothing personal.
It is difficult to accept defeat. 70% of US soldiers in VietNam died after the US understood war has already been lost, because US government had to save its face.
Trump has to go through the motions, accept all the advice by warmongers, escalate, before he can say, I did all I could, it was Biden's war, and just couldn't be won.
Russia will rattle the nuclear threat, but the main answer will be increased destruction of Ukraine.
There is only one way for Russians to show Americans that escalation is not the right strategy.
An ERAM's speed is approx. 600 km/hr so I have read (subsonic) with a range of 250km range. As I see it there are three problems I see with this.
First is that the Ukranian Airforce has been missing in action for much of the war - except very rare guest appearences, mainly because it has been degraded and its bases targeted (cratering a runway that is then not repaired in exactly in the right way will ground most Western aircraft in the Ukraine arsenal). Ukraine does not have a lot of aircraft to deploy in launching these missions, and it is likely these missions may be one way only.
Secondly, the range of the missile means that the aircraft has to travel well within the target range of Russian anti-air, approx 400 km from previous evidence, and extended beyond that with the use of Mainstay AWACs. The aircraft has to get within that range of the target at maximum range of 250 kms of the target - not the FLET (Front Line Enemy Troops). This means that the missile carrier will be very vulnurable to antiair measures well before they get within range to release their payload.
Lastly, the missile is subsonic and therefore well within Russian capability to intercept - and perhaps nuetralize at a later stage. Western weapons efficacy seems to have a shelf life of at most a few months before the Russians develop effective counter measures. Some ERAMs will get through (nothing is fulproof), but their efficacy will decrease over time.
The other issuewith ERAMs is the ability for the US to produce them in adequate numbers at scale (remember the shell, tank and Patriot production crises - still unresolved) for US use let alone Ukraine. What are the stock piles like and how many are being produced a year?
Furthermore and germaine to the last part of the essay, US concentration on Russia/Ukraine will further distract it from China. ERAMs are not a war winner and Russia will still win by attriting Ukrainian manpower and NATO materiality. The US will find that it, along with its NATO+ allies, will have to commit more money and resources to prop up an ailing Ukraine, all the while failing economically at home (looking at you especially Starmer and Metz). The populations of these countries do not appear to be enthusiastic to 'die for Ukraine' and seeing their nations largess go to Ukraine while the elites fail to fix problems at home will only fuel support for the anti-establishment parties. In the meantime China is sitting in the corner quietly taking notes and preparing for the inevitable conflict (not necessarily war) with the US, while the US is degrading its capability in Ukraine.
I did not say they would not be usable as some would get through - especially at the beginning. What I am saying that they would not be a very effective weapon against the Russian air defence and EW.
Perhaps on reflection of your comment the ERAMs are all/the most that the US can send given the industrial paucity of their war making capacity and stock pile limits.
Further furthermore, they have to be placed somewhere they won't be hit within 2 days by Russian missiles. I don't think Ukraine can do that anymore unless they keep them in Poland
But I am not sure missiles are meant for firing anymore (or indeed if US weapons were ever meant for use rather than extracting budget expenditure and recycling it back to Washington.
They are really just tools in the conversations between US and Europe about how long both can go on denying the massive defeat in Ukraine.
Trumps main goals - avoid being accused of letting down Ukraine, and avoid being accused of paying for Ukraine.
This speaks to a comment I made on an earlier post regarding Trump negotiating with Putin.
Trump is trying to run with the hares, in offering himself as an 'honest' negotiating broker, and hunting with the hounds, as in supporting one side of the war as a proxy combatant. The Russians will communicate with him but they do not trust him. The Russians understand his nature and will use it where it advantages them and oppose him where they need to. After all there are other matters that the Russians want to discuss with Trump other than Ukraine (The Arctic, the Baltic, Kaliningrad, Nuclear Arms treaties, the Black Sea, Transnitstia for example). Trump is unreliable and the Russians know it.
As if this wasn't bad enough, Trump's 50% tariffs on India will push our best possible ally in a fight with China into the open arms of China and Russia. We're going to need some SPF 200,000 sun screen before this is over.
India is going to have to pick a side. I'm betting they side with NATO. Some cheap oil from Russia (if they can continue to get any) cannot make up for the financial losses they would incur from soured relations with the West.
Yep, that's because of the cheap oil they need to power their society. For that reason, they want to remain neutral. I don't think that's going to work if this war expands. They can't afford tariffs which would wipe out any savings from buying cheap Russian oil. I don't think you're going to see Indian troops fighting against NATO troops.
Money is just a surrogate for things one wants to buy. People (and states) want money because they can buy desired things with money. The point is Russia and China can supply more or less all the raw materials plus the whole consumer experience, so the West is running out of unique selling points - except for real Gucci handbags and Champagne. Oh, and Disney films. But they are increasingly woke, so lose audience in more "authoritarian" countries.
India is not exporting everything to the US - it is an important export destination, but not the only one. Cheap Russian oil offsets a lot. On the other hand, the US loses potential to diversify supply out of China.
India runs American IT and Tech Bro companies now. Nice try.
The VP of the US from Kentucky names his sone Vivek.
Who is the head of the FBI? Patel?
Know any Indians that ran for President of the united states? Did his name start with Vivek?
India has now emerged as the largest contributor to America's immigrant billionaire community, according to the Forbes 2025 List of America's Richest Immigrants
What a clever way to seriously escalate the war. So far, Russia has been reserved concerning NATO forces using intelligence gathering aircraft and satellites against them. This will stop if NATO actually physically enters the war directly. Trump has betrayed us. He has proven to be gullible and naive and turned out to be too clever by half. Zelensky and NATO openly defeated his attempts at a peaceful resolution of the war. Now Trump is boxed in and a much larger war is highly, nay, probably imminent. More will die than ever before.
These are precisely te kind of stories I would expect to hear I Europe was failing in its attempts to drag US back into a war. In such a scenario the bit they would struggle with is to make any suggestion that Nato members might commit troops as well sound credible.
Theory A: Europe is keen to get directly involved
vs Theory B: Europe only wants to discourage Trump from a peace deal
Napoleon and Hitler had the same mania as the current parrot commando in the West, they both dreamed that they would be able to defeat the Russians and of course as a bonus, the enormous amount of natural treasure that they had been coveting for centuries would fall into their laps ! Wouldn't it be wonderful if the stolen wealth could be used to pay off the bankrupt West ? :) As is known, the bodies of Napoleon and Hitler's soldiers fertilized the Russian Motherland, and in my opinion, this will also be the case for the soldiers sent to the East by the insane and traitorous Western leaders serving the dark powers ! It would be time to find a new flag as a symbol for this new occasion, I would suggest using the Blackrock emblem !
Sad that there are still dinosaurs of a cult ideology lodged in a colonial stew of ignorance! NATO is run by military profiteers! Soon will be consigned to the dustbin of failed western facism.
The security of Ukraine is of great importance to NATO and its member states. The Alliance fully supports Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, and its right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future is in NATO.
Is NATO hoping for war to reset the fact it's major economies are literally at the brink? And do they really think their suffering fractured populace is going to go along? Their governments literally hate them and are doing everything they can to wipe them out. Parents aren't sending their kids to die for an elite that is utterly alien and despised. Remind me again what is Starmer, Macron and Mertz popularity? "democracy"
This seems to me to be the key point. Russia wins by demoralizing the enemy, and the enemy is NATO. Russia walks a fine line so as not to galvanize Western public opinion against them, and so far Russia has been very successful in this regard while keeping Russian and non-aligned public opinion on the Russian side.
"non-aligned public opinion on the Russian side."
Correction, not against them
Ok … anyone who thinks nato can enter this BS war and not have it escalate to a nuclear exchange is beyond stupid. Any direct attack by the west will end in a world wide catastrophe.
Not for the first time. Remember, NATO bombed Serbia for months to enforce the fake state of Kosovo and continues to enforce it through Bondsteel, the military base there. Russia could or would not do anything. Now Russia is directly involved and if NATO wants to step in, Russia has had its back up for a long time now. NATO is running on hubris and nothing else. This and nuclear weapons makes for a poor combination.
Apparently Trump made North Macedonia a NATO country as part of Melania’s prenup renegotiation to remain First Lady….she hates Putin.
The American people voted for Trump last fall (including many who crossed the isle) because they believed that Trump would improve the quality of their lives here at home (combat inflation, address immigration chaos, etc).
They did not vote for more war, but that appears to be the menu that Trump is serving up for America.
The National Security State can never get enough war. As Randolph Bourne famously said, "War is the Health of the State."
And The People can go to Hell!
Trump isn't perfect but he cannot be blamed for Biden's war.
As Ron Paul noted in his weekly column, all Trump had to do was walk away from Biden's war and let the Europeans sort this mess out. LBJ's war in Vietnam became Nixon's war in 1969; Biden's war in now Trump's war. And it continues to get more dangerous.
The only compelling national security interest for the USA is our precious 'reputation' and to avoid a humiliating defeat of the US/NATO. That was the reason we stayed in Vietnam for over a decade, according to a memorandum John McNaughton wrote for Robert McNamara in 1964. McNaughton wrote that 70% of the reason the USA should stay the course in Vietnam was "to avoid a humiliating U.S. defeat (to our reputation as a guarantor)."
http://www.ronpaullibertyreport.com/archives/president-trump-should-return-to-an-america-first-foreign-policy
Source for McNaughton quote: Neil Sheehan, 1971, The Pentagon Papers as published by the NYT, Bantam Books, page 432
Yep, we could have screwed Ukraine...again. Maybe that would have been the right thing to do. Russia would have rolled over Ukraine and would likely be in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and possibly even Finland now. I could be wrong but I think stopping Putin in Ukraine and sapping his strength was the right thing to do.
Yup, another person who has bought into the Domino Theory for the 21st Century. If we don't stop the Russians in Ukraine, they will roll west all the way to Cape Finisterre (look it up on a map).
We had a Domino Theory during the Vietnam War. It was a tool used by the warmongers to sell the war to mom and pop America on Main Street. If we didn't stop the Reds in Vietnam, they would roll on to take over Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, the PI, eventually Australia and New Zealand.
Well, we lost that war and none of what I just described came to pass. The irony is that Vietnam is a Communist country and we are thinking about selling them F-16s (part of our strategy of PRC containment). I wonder how any of the 50,000 plus GIs who died in Vietnam would feel about that?
Yup, I believe that is Putin's intent. Otherwise his economy comes crashing to the ground when all those troops return to mother Russia with no hope of finding work. Revolution is right around the corner and that has never ended well for Russian royalty.
There is zero evidence that is Putin's intent.
Putin is quite consistent from 2007 up to now, his request is that Ukraine never becomes a threat for Russia, remains neutral, and has an army that cannot threaten Russia.
Putin negotiated Minsk 1, Minsk 2, almost achieved Istambul agreement with Ukrainians, all were based on the idea of neutral Ukraine.
Right now, Ukraine is de facto a member of a hostile military coalition, and serves as a launchpad for missile attacks on Russia.
Putin is conscientious and legalist, at the helm of Russia he did try to solve the problem through diplomacy, than through a limited military operation, but I have no doubt that all measures necessary will be taken until Ukraine is transformed into a nonthreatening entity.
I am afraid that in an effort not to lose face, not to accept defeat, US is ready to sacrifice Ukraine,
Your brainwashed retardation is showing.
Enjoy the collapse of your precious western slave state while Russia enjoys decades of growth & improving quality of life, trading & cooperating with the 85% of the world that is not the "west".
Lee Yuan Kew the Prime minister of Singapore during the Vietnam war and a very astute observer responsible for much of the miracle development of Singapore post WW2 said that he believes that had the US not fought in Vietnam the rollup of SE Asia by the commies would have happened. You might want to reconsider your belief.
With all due respect to the late Lee Yuan Kew, he was not all knowing and all seeing.
The Vietnamese war against the French and then the USA was fought to free Vietnam from colonial (in the case of the French) and neocolonial (in the case of the USA) domination. Once the American puppet government in Saigon was removed in 1975, the mission was accomplished. No need to go afield looking for additional dragons to slay.
I stand by my original statement.....the Domino Theory circa 1968 was a propaganda tool used to terrify the 'Silent Majority' into supporting our catastrophic war in SE Asia. And the Domino Theory for the 21st Century is being pitched with exactly the same purpose.
It is ironic that in the first few months of the Russia-Ukraine War, the Russians were portrayed by the MSM as military incompetents who couldn't find their own ass with their two hands. Three years later the Russians now stand twelve feet tall and are going to gobble up all of Europe.
What nonsense!!!
Russia is not communist.
Victoria Nuland running the State Department and had a color revolution that we have recordings of her phone calls, tells us we screwed this for one reason. To stick it to Russia.
Imagine when China and Russia supply the new government of Mexico with weapons to deal with the US handling of immigration or Cartels? Imagine if they setup a base or became sole supplier of weapons to mexico? What if they used Venezula and Cuba?
Russia and China could become members of the free Western World and pretty much eliminate the hate and fear that their isolationism and dictatorship brings. If they choose to go to war because their neighbors see the writing on that wall and jump to join NATO, we will have no choice but to destroy them and Mexico will know better than to join the losing side.
In other news
"Brawl erupts in Mexico’s senate after debate over US military intervention to fight drug cartels
Alejandro ‘Alito’ Moreno and Gerardo Fernández Noroña grabbed and shouted at each other"
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/28/mexico-senate-fight-us-military-intervention-cartels
Trump had his chance to blame it on Biden. That chance has passed. No normal, informed, non-partisan person still buys the fiction 'Biden's War'. It's Trumps' Wars.
Was it on day 10 for day 100 that the line was crossed?
Trump oversaw the initial weapons deliveries to Ukraine plus the training of troops and the CiA setting up of bases and control of the SBU. Anyone who still believes trumps BS about its Bidens war is mentally challenged at this point.
"CiA setting up of bases " Nice try but that was setup under Obama and Victoria Nuland already explained that to the Senate when she had to explain why we care about Russia running about in Ukraine.
"Nuland Confirms Existence of Bio "research" Labs in Ukraine
Victoria Nuland Senate testimony of March 7, 2022 confirms existence of biological laboratories in Ukraine."
https://www.c-span.org/clip/senate-committee/user-clip-nuland-confirms-existence-of-bio-research-labs-in-ukraine/5005368
Here is one you dont know about. Imagine the VP of the US incharge of relations with Ukraine before the war (Joe Biden for Obama) boasts about how he told the locals what to do if they investigate his son. Son of a bitch... HAHAH
Show me one of these for Trump. I dare you.
https://youtu.be/sh_lvwCOczo?si=Tm8FPo4HiV8lurxU
Thanks for proving my point, as I said the MAGAtards simp so hard for trump they have lost their cognitive abilities.
HAHAHAHA your a bot, you almost had me
Dum boomers are so predictable with their “everybody I don’t like is a bot” bozo responses
imagine, the most powerful man in the world surrounded by hyenas, with a gun to his head. trump the new apologist puppet of the neocons who suck on the teat of the MIC. our country has been captured, our brightest and best have no desire to step into this mire.
lets see, he has done well on the trade stuff that everyone said was a lost cause. I am for change and trying anything new at this point.
He has done well on the trade stuff?
You should really cut back on the Fauxnews and Trump PR conferences.
America is being severely harmed by Trumps trade policies.
For this the whole non-western world is thankful as it has greatly sped up the collapse of the American financial system- which will end the global American warmongering empire.
Not to mention how his threats, sanctions & tariffs have united BRICS even tighter and greatly expanded the countries wanting to join.
How about you tell me specifically what is bad about reciprocal tariffs? You dismiss my position on trade not knowing if I even own a Television? How about you grow a bit and tell me which Marxist training center you taught you this? Tell me which part of NAFTA the pre Trump version did you like? Do you know what that even is?
Dimitry Trenin was right. The West isn't scared of Russia using nuclear weapons. They just don't believe it could happen. Trenin suggests that Russia needs to start testing nuclear weapons and change their doctrine again.
Only if the West fears Russia, which it clearly doesn't, we can avoid a full blown escalation. Unfortunately, everything right now points towards this escalation and before the Russians will see their country collapse, they will use nukes. From their point of view, there will be no other options at one point.
Agree! I recently discovered that the use of nukes has been US policy since Korea!! With these crazies in the White House, it seems inevitable.
Full blown escalation? With what? With who?
Keep on swallowing that western propaganda.
By the way, are you up to date on your vax's?
At what price? Sending more cruise missiles or even long range weapons and attacking Russia's energy infrastructure is a clear escalation, don't you think?
This is an escalation- BUT- how far can the west escalate? What does this really do?
These attacks are not seriously harming Russia.
It is PR for the western propaganda machine.
Such attacks can't & aren't going to change the outcome.
Such attacks only stiffen Russian resolve.
My comment related to the original comment that suggested these attacks were seriously harming Russia to the point Russia would go nuclear. Russia has no reason to go nuclear unless it is attacked with nuclear.
Russia is decisively destroying the combined America/NATO/Ukraine military force in Ukraine.
The "west" simply does not have the weapons systems/gear, ammunition, missiles or personnel for a true war against Russia.
Ukraine doesn't have the manpower.
That remains to be seen. They've done a remarkably good job against what should have been a 3 day conquest.
PR Smith. You shouldn't take what General Milley said seriously.
You do know that they lucked out that they had a technical jump happen when they went to war. The tank showed up , then the machine gun, then TNT, etc. History is filled with fights during a jump in tech.
That did not happen in Hungry when the Soviets showed up or when 200 divisions of crack NAZI and Wehmarcht German trouble were destroyed by the Russians.
We all know how this will end. In case you haven't noticed we are already in WW3 and Russia will be forced to use nuclear weapons. The West just doesn't want to believe it but Russia will do it, when they think there is no other way.
Russia has no need to use nukes unless nukes are launched against it.
Russia is decisively defeating America, NATO & Ukraine in Ukraine.
And there is not a damn thing America or NATO can do about it.
This article is filled with nonsense from start to finish.
Believe it to your detriment.
Really ? After 4+ years the eurocucks are going grow a set and send in the troops. Hilarious.
Doing standup comedy now are we?
And there is ANOTHER wunderwaffen weapon or weapons. Doubtless they will have the same impact as the F-16’s , Himars, German tanks etc, etc- that is to say zilch.
Are Walmart selling missiles now? Must be, as the US govt gave what they could to Israel.
Even if the Green goblin lobs a few into Russia, he is just inviting multiple visits from Oreshniks.
You forgot to mention Trump is a shoe in for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Stephen, your mention of the "Battle of Kiev" strikes me as puzzling, considering your generally reliable reportage. That armored Russian column didn't fire a round, and pulled out (at the time we did not known of the Istanbul peace discussions between Ukraine and Russia) as we learned much later, as a gesture of good will in relation to the peace negotiations. Two days after the mayor of Bucha declared the departure of the Russians, the SBU sent its Safari Unit there do some "cleansing"; a false flag operation blamed on Russia; Bobo Johnson arrives in Kiev to impose the scuttling of peace negotiations; and as aside, Gonzalo Lira seals his grim fate, by going to Bucha and posting online his photographs of the Ukranazi fresh kill.
Regarding the Russian withdrawal from the Kharkiv region, you're right, that was a bad turn, but temporary, once the SMO got rolling and here we are now, with Ukraine, however heroically or not, on the ropes.
Ultimately, the U.S./ NATO funded, encouraged, and badly managed one Slavic people to kill another, and couldn't give a damn how many Ukrainians, Banderite or not, died in a futile effort to bugger Russia; whose butt is aching now?
M.B. Nelson
The Russians were overextended and beat a hasty retreat from Kiev.
This is BS.
Russia withdrew from the Kiev region as a show of good faith in support of the negotiated settlement they had reached in Istanbul in March 2022.
I read a couple of your articles in 2022 or 2023, but stopped as they were not accurate.
I only returned to read this article because Larry Johnson mentioned it in an article he wrote.
I will not return again after reading this article that is filled with western exceptionalist narratives & fantasyland projection.
I have nothing against you, but everything against western exceptionalist falsehoods.
I understand this comment will likely be deleted.
Comrade, this is a mild article with rather useful information and some micro aggressions, such as "buddies", "defeat" and American Industrial complex promo.
No need to be dramatic like this, although, I am still recovering from the article penned by the author on the subject of taking out Iranian leadership.
Another piece of useful information: it is a chit-chat of military men who are comfy to discuss "easy Russian women" back in the nineties.
"prsmith" is a big fat Ukro troll.
If you want to make a difference in information war, tell them about the Burevestnik military training around Alaska summit and a mass production of Oreshnik, and that Kiev is much larger than Gaza strip and look it is fixing to be 2 years now, with mass starvation and mucho support from the Big Brother - the most moral army in the world IDF achieved 83% civilian casualty rate and need some time "to finish the job" according to the local Goebbels who compared Palestinians with Russians.
I should take it as a compliment under the circumstances.
I stand by what I said. The article is filled with falsehoods from start to finish.
There is no useful information in the article because the entire article is based on falsehoods borne of either wilful dishonesty or blinded by western exceptionalism & mainstream media misinformation.
You did say all the right things. Considering what your country men are doing at the frontlines it is the least you can do. If it is any consolation for you we know how the story ends. However, before making any harsh judgments you need to look at the whole body of the text rather than deconstruct not the strongest piece by the author. Also, could you drop slogans - I am very much traumatized by the TV coverage here, I mean I feel your pain about mainstream media, but substack is a different story.
They withdrew without battle (Michael is right)
by intent, as they understood they were overextended (Steven is right)
They could have stayed, Kiev has been half encircled, this strategy had some military logic, but in order to proceed Russian army needed another half a million soldiers, just to encircle Kiev, and another half million to cover land east of Dnieper...major mobilisation, politically unprepared population...and still no victory guaranteed.
I'm puzzled at how no one looks at this logically.
Ukraine was shelling Donbas civilians. The operational goal of SMO was to get enough artillery into Donbas to put an end to that threat. The alternative might well have been to evacuate large numbers of Donbas civilians - which would have been seen across the world as a defeat / Ukrainian victory.
So of course the whole SMO was a distraction, a tiny force grabbing land while the artillery pushed into place. That is why the only place Russia committed to any serious attacking was Hostomol airport - significanlty West of Kiev but only 50 miles from Belarus.
The whole Nato gameplan was being able to target Donbas civilians - and the whole Russian distraction was to prevent that.
That explains both why a) Zelensky was ready to quit once Donbas was defendible, and b) Russia was happy to abandon the quick gains it had made
and c) how both sides could see the situation so differently at the very same moment.
The other key point is the CIA warning of a Russian invasion. Taken at face value you have the ludicrous situation of the CIA more or less running the entire Ukrainian army while the Ukrainian army lines up against the internal Donbas border and not the external Russian or Belarus borders.
Simply ridiculous.
So clearly the CIA warnings were actually meant to predict a Donbas false flag event, which would justify a Ukraine attack on Donbas. (No I don't know why US always has to have a false flag to justify a war, but it always does.)
So we have the deliciously ironic outcome of a US/Ukrainian false flag out of Donbas being completely pre-empted by a much bigger real invasion out of Russia. No wonder poor Zelensky was confused.
Quite correct.
US prepared a Ukrainian blitz that would have overpowered Donbas militia and required Russian armed forces to enter the fight in a very difficult strategic position. Quite bold, actually.
SMO was a strategic answer. Very bold.
Oh Good. I thought for 3 years i was the only one who could see the obvious. Of course for Russia not commenting on operations is standard.
But the whole of 2021 was spent with Zelensky threatening to take out Donbas and Crimea militarily, and the whole of 2023 was every Nato country leaders promising the same. Somehow magically, while we were all waiting for the necessary false flag people forgot about it.
I will dance about wearing skin tight leather and heels thinkking about that.
https://youtu.be/9FNDKdptBRY?si=LCm0kRhR911xD5p4
War on.
Madness
War is always madness. Unfortunately, narcissistic politicians inevitably lead us to it and those who must defend themselves never get out of the mess unscathed. Sadly, those who lead us into it never get scratched any longer.
Unfortunately, Steven is right. US/NATO has to try all it's able to do, before accepting defeat. It is natural, nothing personal.
It is difficult to accept defeat. 70% of US soldiers in VietNam died after the US understood war has already been lost, because US government had to save its face.
Trump has to go through the motions, accept all the advice by warmongers, escalate, before he can say, I did all I could, it was Biden's war, and just couldn't be won.
Russia will rattle the nuclear threat, but the main answer will be increased destruction of Ukraine.
There is only one way for Russians to show Americans that escalation is not the right strategy.
That's about the best thing that can be said about it.
An ERAM's speed is approx. 600 km/hr so I have read (subsonic) with a range of 250km range. As I see it there are three problems I see with this.
First is that the Ukranian Airforce has been missing in action for much of the war - except very rare guest appearences, mainly because it has been degraded and its bases targeted (cratering a runway that is then not repaired in exactly in the right way will ground most Western aircraft in the Ukraine arsenal). Ukraine does not have a lot of aircraft to deploy in launching these missions, and it is likely these missions may be one way only.
Secondly, the range of the missile means that the aircraft has to travel well within the target range of Russian anti-air, approx 400 km from previous evidence, and extended beyond that with the use of Mainstay AWACs. The aircraft has to get within that range of the target at maximum range of 250 kms of the target - not the FLET (Front Line Enemy Troops). This means that the missile carrier will be very vulnurable to antiair measures well before they get within range to release their payload.
Lastly, the missile is subsonic and therefore well within Russian capability to intercept - and perhaps nuetralize at a later stage. Western weapons efficacy seems to have a shelf life of at most a few months before the Russians develop effective counter measures. Some ERAMs will get through (nothing is fulproof), but their efficacy will decrease over time.
The other issuewith ERAMs is the ability for the US to produce them in adequate numbers at scale (remember the shell, tank and Patriot production crises - still unresolved) for US use let alone Ukraine. What are the stock piles like and how many are being produced a year?
Furthermore and germaine to the last part of the essay, US concentration on Russia/Ukraine will further distract it from China. ERAMs are not a war winner and Russia will still win by attriting Ukrainian manpower and NATO materiality. The US will find that it, along with its NATO+ allies, will have to commit more money and resources to prop up an ailing Ukraine, all the while failing economically at home (looking at you especially Starmer and Metz). The populations of these countries do not appear to be enthusiastic to 'die for Ukraine' and seeing their nations largess go to Ukraine while the elites fail to fix problems at home will only fuel support for the anti-establishment parties. In the meantime China is sitting in the corner quietly taking notes and preparing for the inevitable conflict (not necessarily war) with the US, while the US is degrading its capability in Ukraine.
The US is sending a lot of ERAMs if they are not usable.
Hi Stephen,
I did not say they would not be usable as some would get through - especially at the beginning. What I am saying that they would not be a very effective weapon against the Russian air defence and EW.
Perhaps on reflection of your comment the ERAMs are all/the most that the US can send given the industrial paucity of their war making capacity and stock pile limits.
Passed their Use By date at Walmart
Further furthermore, they have to be placed somewhere they won't be hit within 2 days by Russian missiles. I don't think Ukraine can do that anymore unless they keep them in Poland
But I am not sure missiles are meant for firing anymore (or indeed if US weapons were ever meant for use rather than extracting budget expenditure and recycling it back to Washington.
They are really just tools in the conversations between US and Europe about how long both can go on denying the massive defeat in Ukraine.
Trumps main goals - avoid being accused of letting down Ukraine, and avoid being accused of paying for Ukraine.
Trump has to do something.
And since being Trump, what he does, and how he does it has to be greatest ever....
This is actually a minor move, in Trump's plans, but could be misunderstood.
This speaks to a comment I made on an earlier post regarding Trump negotiating with Putin.
Trump is trying to run with the hares, in offering himself as an 'honest' negotiating broker, and hunting with the hounds, as in supporting one side of the war as a proxy combatant. The Russians will communicate with him but they do not trust him. The Russians understand his nature and will use it where it advantages them and oppose him where they need to. After all there are other matters that the Russians want to discuss with Trump other than Ukraine (The Arctic, the Baltic, Kaliningrad, Nuclear Arms treaties, the Black Sea, Transnitstia for example). Trump is unreliable and the Russians know it.
Does not sound like he has to do anything. Trump said: "everyone posturing, its all bullshit"
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WUPu2wq73e8
As if this wasn't bad enough, Trump's 50% tariffs on India will push our best possible ally in a fight with China into the open arms of China and Russia. We're going to need some SPF 200,000 sun screen before this is over.
India has picked the side, already. It is India outside the blocks, non-aligned. Or India with friends and allies as in BRICS.
Have you ever asked how is this horrible war India is fighting against mortal Chinese enemy in Himalayas being fought?
With sticks.
A few years ago, in a major escalation, worst recorded in decades, 20 Indian soldiers were killed.
Anybody thinks this can be turned into a major proxy war? To serve US interests?
India and China will ruin their future by fighting a proxy war that serves US ?
Tariffs are a punishment. For being wise.
Unlike Ukrainians, who will be rewarded, for refusing to accept neutrality.
How exactly is this reward going to look like?
Escalation, more weapons,
but no soldiers.
India is going to have to pick a side. I'm betting they side with NATO. Some cheap oil from Russia (if they can continue to get any) cannot make up for the financial losses they would incur from soured relations with the West.
India has been closer to Russia than the US for a long time. It's only recently they've been moving closer to us. I suspect this is because of China.
Yep, that's because of the cheap oil they need to power their society. For that reason, they want to remain neutral. I don't think that's going to work if this war expands. They can't afford tariffs which would wipe out any savings from buying cheap Russian oil. I don't think you're going to see Indian troops fighting against NATO troops.
Money is just a surrogate for things one wants to buy. People (and states) want money because they can buy desired things with money. The point is Russia and China can supply more or less all the raw materials plus the whole consumer experience, so the West is running out of unique selling points - except for real Gucci handbags and Champagne. Oh, and Disney films. But they are increasingly woke, so lose audience in more "authoritarian" countries.
India is not exporting everything to the US - it is an important export destination, but not the only one. Cheap Russian oil offsets a lot. On the other hand, the US loses potential to diversify supply out of China.
The same goes for Brazil.
India runs American IT and Tech Bro companies now. Nice try.
The VP of the US from Kentucky names his sone Vivek.
Who is the head of the FBI? Patel?
Know any Indians that ran for President of the united states? Did his name start with Vivek?
India has now emerged as the largest contributor to America's immigrant billionaire community, according to the Forbes 2025 List of America's Richest Immigrants
https://gulfnews.com/special-reports/meet-the-top-10-richest-indian-origin-billionaires-in-the-us-1.1684771292175
What a clever way to seriously escalate the war. So far, Russia has been reserved concerning NATO forces using intelligence gathering aircraft and satellites against them. This will stop if NATO actually physically enters the war directly. Trump has betrayed us. He has proven to be gullible and naive and turned out to be too clever by half. Zelensky and NATO openly defeated his attempts at a peaceful resolution of the war. Now Trump is boxed in and a much larger war is highly, nay, probably imminent. More will die than ever before.
These are precisely te kind of stories I would expect to hear I Europe was failing in its attempts to drag US back into a war. In such a scenario the bit they would struggle with is to make any suggestion that Nato members might commit troops as well sound credible.
Theory A: Europe is keen to get directly involved
vs Theory B: Europe only wants to discourage Trump from a peace deal
The evidence backs theory B for me.
The blob once again gets what it (thinks it) wants. Ugh.
Napoleon and Hitler had the same mania as the current parrot commando in the West, they both dreamed that they would be able to defeat the Russians and of course as a bonus, the enormous amount of natural treasure that they had been coveting for centuries would fall into their laps ! Wouldn't it be wonderful if the stolen wealth could be used to pay off the bankrupt West ? :) As is known, the bodies of Napoleon and Hitler's soldiers fertilized the Russian Motherland, and in my opinion, this will also be the case for the soldiers sent to the East by the insane and traitorous Western leaders serving the dark powers ! It would be time to find a new flag as a symbol for this new occasion, I would suggest using the Blackrock emblem !
Glad to see many see this appraisal for what it is! Wishful thinking from NATO and people still wedded to colonial bullshit!
Sad that there are still dinosaurs of a cult ideology lodged in a colonial stew of ignorance! NATO is run by military profiteers! Soon will be consigned to the dustbin of failed western facism.
From NATO:
NATO - Topic: Relations with Ukraine
The security of Ukraine is of great importance to NATO and its member states. The Alliance fully supports Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, and its right to choose its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future is in NATO.