Trump is in talks with Russia to end the war

[Anna]

Not only you have no clue, if someone hints on it, you call it russian propaganda. 

And here's the pot calling the kettle black. Nope sir, it's YOU having no clue. You have no idea about the Eastern European politics. The Russian Federation has always used the Russian minorities inhabiting the former USSR republics to stir up s**t. They were doing it in Ukraine but earlier they were doing the same in Georgia, to a lesser extent in the Baltic countries and they are still doing it in the Transnistria (Moldova). It's the old Soviet method of subversion in order to gain control by sowing discord. This is how Russia wages and has always waged hybrid wars.

You can pontificate all you want to the contrary but it's as detached from the reality as the pontifications of creationists and flat-earthers. It's your imagination vs the facts. The Russia you're imagining vs the real Russia.

[Oldcarpy2]

BBC News - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c62e2158mkpt
Ukraine latest: Zelensky says Trump 'living in disinformation space' created by Russia - BBC News

"During his press conference on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump claimed claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky’s popularity was extremely low, saying: “He's down at 4% approval rating.”

It's unclear what the source of the claim is. We have asked the White House to clarify this.

Official polling is limited in Ukraine and it is extremely difficult to carry out accurate surveys during a time of war.

However, a survey conducted this month found that 57% of Ukrainians said they trusted the president, according to the Ukraine-based Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, external."

4%? Where the Hell did he get that from? Putin?

[sahgwa]

It doesn't matter how many Ukrainians trust Zelensky. I wrote it a hundred times already on ATS. I will write it one more time, maybe I will get through... to the wall.

According to the Ukrainian constitution (and it's like this in many other European countries) if the country is invaded, the martial law is declared. The martial law automatically postpones the elections. Any elections. You cannot organize elections during the martial law. It's not up to a debate. It's unconstitutional. It's illegal. Any elections organized during the martial law are not legally binding.

Since you're obviously biased regarding Ukraine, I will explain it further using the example of my country. We have a similar constitution. It forbids organizing the elections during the martial law. The presidential elections are planned in May. If (God forbid but I'm talking theoretically only) Russia attacked Poland let's say in March or April, the martial law would be declared and the elections planned for May would be postponed until 90 days after lifting the martial law. The current president would stay in office till that time, the same goes for the parliament and the local authorities.

And it wouldn't matter how many Poles, if any, would support the current president or parliament. It's irrelevant. The president's personal whims would be irrelevant too. The martial law means no elections here. Point. There remains nothing to discuss here. This is why Ukraine needs at least a ceasefire to organize elections.

Hi Anna,

Thank you for your post.
I fully understand how martial law and suspension of elections work.  I am merely expressing that perhaps this should be lifted, as life in the capital has gone on largely as normal, as can be managed, at any rate.  My contact in the Army there even had a concert in Kiev over Christmas.  
I am also not biased against Ukraine, nor Pro Russia. I am a third party who is not rooting for either side, to be honest. I merely enjoy poking and forcing people to think , how things are not as black and white as either side's media machine would have you to believe, despite screaming on here to the contrary.

[Oldcarpy2]

Unfortunately, outside of the capital things are far from normal, what with a War going on.

And, it's "Kyiv".

[sahgwa]

Unfortunately, outside of the capital things are far from normal, what with a War going on.

And, it's "Kyiv".

Either spellings are acceptable, seeing as it's a romanisation of a Cyrillic name.
When I was in Kiev no one complained about my spelling
Here, have some street scenes, from a Ukrainian who spells it the same way as me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77KCRzY7jJ0

And , "you're welcome."

[Oldcarpy2]

Meanwhile, Trump's own approval rating slips to 44%:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/tr...ngNewsSerp

[Oldcarpy2]

Either spellings are acceptable, seeing as it's a romanisation of a Cyrillic name.
When I was in Kiev no one complained about my spelling
Here, have some street scenes, from a Ukrainian who spells it the same way as me:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77KCRzY7jJ0

And , "you're welcome."

You wrote:

"You are extremely irritating.
And it's spelt disingenuous"

[IdeomotorPrisoner]

I feel bad for Zelenskyy.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Relations between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump deteriorated rapidly Wednesday as Zelenskyy said Trump was living in a Russian-made “disinformation space” and Trump called Zelenskyy “a dictator without elections” in comments that were sure to complicate efforts to end the war.

The disinformation is strong. I read others in this thread like Anna with a more first-hand experience of Russias bullshit trying in vain to explain the martial law is a standard constitutional element in most of Europe, but personality cults have a tendency to be extremely shortsighted. If Trump tweets he's an unelected dictator, then it must be gospel. And the worst thing is the leader of America's personality cult is in Vladamir Putin's personality cult. And for the worst of aspiring Machievellian Prince reasons.

And as ON POINT as Zelenskyy is, he just turned the Trump Cult against him and lost his war. This is all that was needed for American policy to lick Russian boot and assure Ukraine installs the correct Russia aligned puppet government, and ceases all NATO aspirations. And we ALL know Trump NEVER lies, believes really stupid things, or lives in a wacky world of Russia Today delusion.

It's sad to see the words of the ACTUAL dictator Vladamir Putin turning the narrative of our leader. It's now a world where an authoritative mass murderer can start a war of false information and turn the once fairly elected president into the dictator to blame.

How much of a Russian puppet does Trump come off calling the wrong Vladamir a dictator?

[Rigel4]

Here here !

[putnam6]

JD Vance succinctly and deeply states the Trump administration's position on Ukraine and Russia.

It's not hard to understand 
 

 
 
[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/181...bigger.jpg]
JD Vance

This is moralistic garbage, which is unfortunately the rhetorical currency of the globalists because they have nothing else to say.

For three years, President Trump and I have made two simple arguments: first, the war wouldn't have started if President Trump was in office; second, that neither Europe, nor the Biden administration, nor the Ukrainians had any pathway to victory.

This was true three years ago, it was true two years ago, it was true last year, and it is true today. And for three years, the concerns of people who were obviously right were ignored.

What is Niall's actual plan for Ukraine? Another aid package? Is he aware of the reality on the ground, of the numerical advantage of the Russians, of the depleted stock of the Europeans or their even more depleted industrial base?

Instead, he quotes from a book about George HW Bush from a different historical period and a different conflict. That's another currency of these people: reliance on irrelevant history.

President Trump is dealing with reality, which means dealing with facts. And here are some facts:

Number one, while our Western European allies' security has benefitted greatly from the generosity of the United States, they pursue domestic policies (on migration and censorship) that offend the sensibilities of most Americans and defense policies that assume continued over-reliance.

Number two, Russians have a massive numerical advantage in manpower and weapons in Ukraine, and that advantage will persist regardless of further Western aid packages. Again, the aid is *currently* flowing.

Number three, the United States retains substantial leverage over both parties to the conflict. Number four, ending the conflict requires talking to the people involved in starting it and maintaining it.

Number five, the conflict has placed--and continues to place--stress on tools of American statecraft, from military stockpiles to sanctions (and so much else). We believe the continued conflict is bad for Russia, bad for Ukraine, and bad for Europe. But most importantly, it is bad for the United States.

Given the above facts, we must pursue peace, and we must pursue it now. President Trump ran on this, he won on this, and he is right about this. It is lazy, ahistorical nonsense to attack as "appeasement" every acknowledgment that America's interest must account for the realities of the conflict. That interest--not moralisms or historical illiteracy--will guide President Trump's policy in the weeks to come. And thank God for that.

Quote
[Image: https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/136...normal.jpg]
Niall Ferguson

7h
"This will not stand. This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait."--George H.W. Bush on August 5, 1990.