Trump is in talks with Russia to end the war

[sahgwa]

Do you not get the feeling it's all political theatre?

Zelensky was told by the Democrats not to agree.
Then he was spanked and now he agrees (to the 'deal')
He is so flip floppy its like hes a puppet on a string.
Definitely puppet theatre.
Who is running the puppets? 
Oh, I know. Big corporations and orgs like the WEF, EU and NATO who want more money and a raison d'etre
There's a BRICS production too.
Behind the scenes its all a rich boys club.
They get along if they are all having dirt on eachother and can all flash cash.

[Darkorange]

I don't see how he would accomplish that in the current climate...but at least it would be a leader elected by the people...not one who's been holding onto power like a tin pot dictator would. I don't doubt Russia would like to install another friendly government there, but I think that ship has sailed forever...at least for the part of Ukraine that is still Ukraine. We should have never gotten involved in Ukraine backing and probably funding/planning their color revolution in the first place...it appears to have been an extremely expensive experiment that is failing in slow motion.

just something to keep in mind. in 2014th elections in ukraine, Donetsk and luhansk regions were excluded from voting. There was a globalist fear that poroshenko, the next appointed stooge, will never make it despite him promising to end the shelling of said regions. right after the shellings of civilians were intensified in attempt to submit via terror.

[putnam6]

just something to keep in mind. in 2014th elections in ukraine, Donetsk and luhansk regions were excluded from voting. There was a globalist fear that poroshenko, the next appointed stooge, will never make it despite him promising to end the shelling of said regions. right after the shellings of civilians were intensified in attempt to submit via terror.

Certain American politicians and appointees wanted thier particular flavor of the Ukrainian government and they made it happen. It's obvious in the Nuland phone calls and the McCain-Graham etc visits

It didn't warrant invasion  on its own, no doubt the Russian assets were active in Ukraine and yes there were Nazi elements in Ukraine, with the US monkeying around

[putnam6]

Until, it happens?

3 years ago it was Putin is going to conquer Europe...

[quintessentone]

What concessions do you think he will get? 

Im holding out hope they get some territory back but after Friday Russia is in a complete position of strength, they know that Trump was about to bail, and the EU isn't ready to step up to the plate with all of its members. 

REALITY

The members are giving F-16s with complete aid packages just to name only one type of military aid, plus training just as a start.

We all know what measures he has already asked for, whether or not those change, well, we will have to wait to see what transpires when those F-16s are in the air.

[putnam6]

The members are giving F-16s with complete aid packages just to name only one type of military aid, plus training just as a start.

We all know what measures he has already asked for, whether or not those change, well, we will have to wait to see what transpires when those F-16s are in the air.

I meant concessions from Putin, FWIW

Everything is on pause I think this includes F-16s, even shipments from Belgium are being delayed till late 2025 regardless it's not likely to turn the tide of the war.

Im not sure what's left on the table they might just get a fraction of the 65 or so F-16s promise



 

Given the comprehensive nature of the aid pause, it’s reasonable to infer that ongoing U.S. contributions to the F-16 program—such as training, maintenance, and approval for further transfers—are likely affected. For instance, the BBC notes that without U.S. support, maintaining U.S.-supplied equipment like F-16s could become challenging, as it requires engineers and spares that the U.S. facilitates. European allies could theoretically compensate with increased funding, but they still need U.S. approval for transfers, which could be stalled under the pause. Posts on X from late February and early March 2025 reflect sentiment that the U.S. might restrict F-16-related support, though these are not conclusive.
However, the F-16s already delivered to Ukraine (e.g., the initial batch in August 2024) are not directly "paused" since they are physically in Ukraine’s possession and operated by Ukrainian forces. The pause would more likely impact future deliveries, training, and sustainment rather than retracting existing jets. Without an explicit statement from the Trump administration specifying F-16s, this remains an educated assumption based on the aid pause’s scope.

[quintessentone]

[Image: https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/...ipo=images]

I meant concessions from Putin, FWIW

Everything is on pause I think this includes F-16s, even shipments from Belgium are being delayed till late 2025 regardless it's not likely to turn the tide of the war.

Im not sure what's left on the table they might just get a fraction of the 65 or so F-16s promise



 

The F-16s are coming from members, not the U.S. and they are not disclosing the timeline of the shipments so Putin won't be prepared for it.

[putnam6]

The F-16s are coming from members, not the U.S. and they are not disclosing the timeline of the shipments so Putin won't be prepared for it.

Not sure how many Ukraine received in the first batch, but it doesn't sound like the rest are anywhere close to being shipped everything I see so far says late 2025, unless you have other sources.

Not to mention other countries can't sell American F-16s without tacit approval from the US, it remains to be seen if the Trump administration will give even that approval.

Common logic suggests Ukraine will have to look to other EU options in the near term


https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/02/ukra...e-dilemma/

Article Summary: Belgium’s promised delivery of 30 F-16 fighter planes to Ukraine has been delayed until at least late 2025 due to setbacks in F-35 production.
-With Belgium receiving only one F-35 so far instead of the expected fleet, it cannot yet part with its aging F-16s.
 
Key Point #1 – Additionally, Ukraine faces a shortage of trained pilots, raising concerns about the effectiveness of adding more aircraft. Spare parts for Belgium’s aging F-16s are scarce, further complicating the transfer.
Key Point #2 – As a result, Ukraine is increasingly focusing on integrating U.S. weapons onto its existing MiG-29s and Su-27s, offering a more immediate and viable combat solution.

 
Belgian F-16 Fighters for Ukraine Delayed Due to F-35 Late DeliveriesOn February 20, Belgium Air Force Chief of Staff General Frederik Vansina gave an interview to the Belgian daily Le Soir, informing that the 30 Belgique F-16s that were promised to Ukraine have now been delayed until at least the end of 2025.
“We now hope to start delivering the first aircraft [to Kyiv] by the end of this year,” Vansina said.
The reason given is that the inability of Brussels to part with the F-16s is a domino-like effect from the serial delays in the production schedule for the F-35A aircraft.

 
“The presence of combat aircraft makes no sense if there’s a shortage of pilots.”
Former NATO-nation pilots who spoke with 19FortyFive agreed that “more aircraft are nice to have, but not if they are sitting around collecting dust.” 
They also note that maintenance issues still exist even if the aircraft are not flown regularly. These problems develop and can add significant expense to keeping them in operation.
One of the pilots who briefed the issue of F-16s for Ukraine last year explained that “the [F-16] aircraft is extremely capable and it can perform all number of missions. But in order for a pilot to be proficient in its operation creates a serious training burden that many nations find difficult to bear.”
This training issue raises part of the argument that a less complicated aircraft like the Swedish JAS-39C/D version of the Gripen is more straightforward to train pilots for and better answers the basic mission requirements that Ukraine currently needs.
“The Gripen is a quartet, but the F-16 is a symphony,” explained one European defense analyst based in London – using the analogy to explain the difference in the two aircraft. “The symphony contains of course every kind of instrument you can imagine, but how often do you need to use some of them in order to perform very basic compositions of music.” 

[quintessentone]

Not sure how many Ukraine received in the first batch, but it doesn't sound like the rest are anywhere close to being shipped everything I see so far says late 2025, unless you have other sources.

Not to mention other countries can't sell American F-16s without tacit approval from the US, it remains to be seen if the Trump administration will give even that approval.

Common logic suggests Ukraine will have to look to other EU options in the near term


https://www.19fortyfive.com/2025/02/ukra...e-dilemma/

Belgium wasn't mentioned as a member country where the fighters will be coming from, just saying. The U.S. wasn't mentioned at all, so it appears the U.S. has no say in the matter.

Edit to add:

France is the only nuclear power in the European Union. The United Kingdom, which is no longer an EU member but is working on restoring closer ties with the 27-nation bloc and belongs to NATO, also has nuclear weapons.
 
In the wake of Trump’s push for Europe to carry the defense burden, German election winner Friedrich Merz recently called for a discussion on “nuclear sharing” with France.
 
EU leaders are set to address the issue during a special summit in Brussels on Thursday, focusing on support for Ukraine and European defense. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer won’t be attending the summit. The only non-EU guest is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

https://financialpost.com/pmn/macron-to-...e-strategy

More to come after Thursday's special summit in Brussels.

[putnam6]

Belgium wasn't mentioned as a member country where the fighters will be coming from, just saying. The U.S. wasn't mentioned at all, so it appears the U.S. has no say in the matter.

From my earlier quote... Google Can Europe transfer F-16s without American consent

Hell, they had to wait for Biden to approve the first shipments...

Im rarely 100% SURE,

but so far all evidence points to they can't acquire F-16s without US approval. If have something to the contrary include a link

European allies could theoretically compensate with increased funding, but they still need U.S. approval for transfers, which could be stalled under the pause

https://turdef.com/article/transfer-of-f...s-approval
It is not possible to transfer F-16 fighter jets by user countries to Ukraine without permission from the United States.