For Those Who Might Be Wondering Why We Might Be In Ukraine

[ChloeTzang]

He also said he would look to provide additional systems to Ukraine. Figers crossed it's not just more yap yap yap. We'll see

 

[Lazaran]

You must be in a good mood today?

Trump has done what no president has been able to ever followed through with. This embarrassing level just might deter the Russians from continuing their onslaught.

Point out any previously successful president demanding increases in defense spending from NATO members. More TDS on steroids. Your response lacks credibility.

The US is not abdicating its leadership role. Delegating areas of responsibilities and sharing the cost of those responsibilities equally is only fair for US taxpayers. NATO even admits to not paying their fair share. Western Europe has a 1 &1/2 time larger GDP than the US, funding doesn’t match up. Trump demanded a fair and equitable distribution of funding resources to make it fair for US taxpayers. AMERICA FIRST! something you wouldn’t know anything about.

Hope that ^helps

ineedhelp1 needs to slurp MOAR orange toadstool.



Here’s a good read on NATO spending and what events have precipitated increases in spending by European members of NATO (Spoiler: The increases in spending by European NATO members were NOT because of DonOld’s strong arming, but because of geopolitical realities - Russia invading Crimea in 2014 & Eastern Ukraine in 2022, the rising threat from China, Iran, North Korea, Cyber attacks, etc):

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/02/13/politics/fact-check-trump-nato





Hope that ^ helps.



ineedhelp1



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[Lazaran]

He also said he would look to provide additional systems to Ukraine. Figers crossed it's not just more yap yap yap. We'll see

View attachment 2550899

Your fingers are going to cramp before DonOld willingly helps Ukraine.



Congress may be another matter. I believe there may be enough will in congress (especially from republicans who know DonOld’s days are numbered) to approve aid & sales of Patriot systems, etc to Ukraine over any opposition from DonOld & the other traitorous MAGAt republicans in congress and in the corrupt, traitorous administration (It should have happened long ago).

Fingers crossed.





We. Told. Them. So.

 

[icanhelp1]

ineedhelp1 needs to slurp MOAR orange toadstool.



Here’s a good read on NATO spending and what events have precipitated increases in spending by European members of NATO (Spoiler: The increases in spending by European NATO members were NOT because of DonOld’s strong arming, but because of geopolitical realities - Russia invading Crimea in 2014 & Eastern Ukraine in 2022, the rising threat from China, Iran, North Korea, Cyber attacks, etc):

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/02/13/politics/fact-check-trump-nato





Hope that ^ helps.



ineedhelp1



We. Told. Them. So.

Are you kidding me? This is CNN’s fact check. NATO members whistling past the graveyard. That fucking attitude that it’s only guidelines has pissed me off for decades. If it doesn’t require NATO members to pay their fair share in their own defense then it’s not a requirement for the US to come to their aid. Fuck them. I totally agree with Trump on this. He’s been threatening NATO since 2017 or thereabouts. This CNN fact check is actually supporting Trump’s claim. Thank God for Poland for setting the example. If the US is attacked by China what’s NATO going to do for us? Other than limited naval power from France and England NOTHING, we’re on our own. The US total National Guard is larger than the whole Canadian military. Canada is supposed to be patrolling the Artic region, they are not doing enough. They like others have not met the 2% for years. That’s part of the reason they can afford free healthcare and we can’t. IMHO

Facts First: All of these Trump claims are false. While a majority of NATO members do not meet the alliance’s target of each member spending a minimum of 2% of gross domestic product on defense, the 2% target is a “guideline” that does not create bills, debts or legal obligations if it is not met. In fact, the guideline doesn’t require payments to NATO or the US at all. Rather, it simply requires each country to spend on their own defense programs.

 

[Lazaran]

Are you kidding me? This is CNN’s fact check. NATO members whistling past the graveyard. That fucking attitude that it’s only guidelines has pissed me off for decades. If it doesn’t require NATO members to pay their fair share in their own defense then it’s not a requirement for the US to come to their aid. Fuck them. I totally agree with Trump on this. He’s been threatening NATO since 2017 or thereabouts. This CNN fact check is actually supporting Trump’s claim. Thank God for Poland for setting the example. If the US is attacked by China what’s NATO going to do for us? Other than limited naval power from France and England NOTHING, we’re on our own. The US total National Guard is larger than the whole Canadian military. Canada is supposed to be patrolling the Artic region, they are not doing enough. They like others have not met the 2% for years. That’s part of the reason they can afford free healthcare and we can’t. IMHO

Facts First: All of these Trump claims are false. While a majority of NATO members do not meet the alliance’s target of each member spending a minimum of 2% of gross domestic product on defense, the 2% target is a “guideline” that does not create bills, debts or legal obligations if it is not met. In fact, the guideline doesn’t require payments to NATO or the US at all. Rather, it simply requires each country to spend on their own defense programs.

ineedhelp1 obviously feels compelled to publicly exhibit their ignorance & stupidity here on the PB (they must have been laughed out of their local townie dive bar).

ineedhelp1 should carry on with their compulsion…it’s good for a few laughs…



ineedhelp1



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Seems Ukraine is FINALLY gettimg around to train attacks......

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

The accolades President Trump received today represents a dramatic contrast from last year’s NATO Summit where Dementia Joe could barely stay awake.

As Lazaran has noted many times, the one-term former president was so exhausted from the summit and a brief stop in California, that even after a full week of rest and recovery, he was still so weak that he was incoherent in his debate with Trump. It literally marked the end of his presidency.

Hope you’ve recovered from last year’s trip Joe. What a difference a year makes!

 

[icanhelp1]

Seems Ukraine is FINALLY gettimg around to train attacks......

View attachment 2550905

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tru...t-missiles-after-zelenskyy/story?id=123199009

Following his closed-door meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit on Wednesday, President Donald Trump didn't rule out sending Ukrainemonetary and defense aid as he voiced frustrations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During his press conference at the conclusion of his trip to The Hague, Netherlands, Trump signaled a willingness to provide Ukraine with additional aid and sell or send Patriot air-defense missiles to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia.

"They do want to have the anti-missile, missiles," Trump said of Ukraine. "As they call them the Patriots, and we're going to see if we can make some available."

 

[Lazaran]

The accolades President Trump received today represents a dramatic contrast from last year’s NATO Summit where Dementia Joe could barely stay awake.

As Lazaran has noted many times, the one-term former president was so exhausted from the summit and a brief stop in California, that even after a full week of rest and recovery, he was still so weak that he was incoherent in his debate with Trump. It literally marked the end of his presidency.

Hope you’ve recovered from last year’s trip Joe. What a difference a year makes!

Rutte was slathering the flattery so thick on DonOld’s prodigious orange ass that it became a topic of discussion around the world
(even DonOld seemed to slump inward upon himself while Rutte was laying on the clearly obsequious praise).



Everybody that isn’t a MAGAt cultist sees what Rutte AND Pakistan are doing by praising DonOld like one would a petulant, repugnant, underachieving rich child that wields some power due to their position.



DonOld is such a good boy.

DonOld is very special.



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[BabyBoomer50s]

Rutte was slathering the flattery so thick on DonOld

You got that right! Called him Daddy. I also tip my hat to you for nailing it when you said Dementia Joe’s debate faceplant was because he was still wiped out a full week after his NATO Summit and CA trip.

 

[Lazaran]

You got that right! Called him Daddy. I also tip my hat to you for nailing it when you said Dementia Joe’s debate faceplant was because he was still wiped out a full week after his NATO Summit and CA trip.

Rutte was slathering the flattery so thick on DonOld’s prodigious orange ass that it became a topic of discussion around the world
(even DonOld seemed to slump inward upon himself while Rutte was laying on the clearly obsequious praise).



Everybody that isn’t a MAGAt cultist sees what Rutte AND Pakistan are doing by praising DonOld like one would a petulant, repugnant, underachieving rich child that wields some power due to their position.



DonOld is such a good boy.

DonOld is very special.



BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

BabyBoobs



We. Told. Them. So.

 

[ChloeTzang]

Rutte was slathering the flattery so thick on DonOld’s prodigious orange ass that it became a topic of discussion around the world. Everybody that isn’t a MAGAt cultist sees what Rutte AND Pakistan are doing by praising DonOld ......

Let's all keep our fingers crossed and hope it works. Gotta give Rutte credit for taking one for the team.

 

[ChloeTzang]

And the Norwegians are going all in on financing drones for Ukraine., and "putchased from Ukrainian manufacturers" too, so they are directly funimg Ukraine production, which is nowhere near fully utilized as yet. The Drone Wall is coming faster and faster

 

[Politruk]

Isn't it stupid to key defense spending to GDP? A country's ability to pay has no connection to how much defense is needed by that country or its allies.

Bears repeating.

 

[ChloeTzang]

As long as it produces actual deliveries of weapons systems and ammo to Ukraine, alomg with funds to the Ukrainian defence industry...

The problem is when it's all talk-talk and no deliveries.....

 

[ChloeTzang]

Oooooooh, this is nasty. For the Russians.

Ukraine’s Air Force has publicly released footage showing the combat use of a domestically produced precision-guided aerial bomb launched from a Su-24 frontline bomber. The guided bomb is equipped with a targeting and guidance module with operational range reaches up to 60 km. Ukraine has large stockpiles of unguided Soviet-era 500kg bombs, a hangover from the old Soviet Union days— most of which have remained unused during the war — and given Ukraine's scientific-technical base combined with access to Western precision-guidance systems, this is a very serious development. In practical terms, Ukraine is now employing its own domestically produced precision-guided aerial bombs, which are comparable to American JDAMs, French AASM-250s, and Russian UMPKs. And the numbers now available dwarf anything the US and France are providing them with.

This also gives Ukraine even more independance from foreign supplies - which is all to the good. No more reliance in American JDAMS in particular.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937871389429555671

 

[ChloeTzang]

 

[ChloeTzang]

NATO suggests that Russia can sustain the war at its current pace until 2027. Of course, I may be accused of being sympathetic to Ukraine and having a biased opinion, but let’s look at the facts—what’s wrong with this statement? The Russian war machine currently relies on Soviet-era equipment reserves, a large number of soldiers, and the National Wealth Fund. Let’s start with the first point. Soviet equipment reserves are almost completely depleted. The offensive on Sumy is carried out mainly through infantry assaults, and the amount of destroyed Russian equipment in recent weeks is two to three times lower than during the same period in previous years. If Russia continues the war at the same pace, by 2027 almost all of its equipment will be gone—perhaps even the few donkeys they have.

As for soldiers, it may seem like Russia has an endless supply, but that’s not the case. Recruitment is driven by huge payouts—sums of money most Russians have never seen in their lives. But most of those who were willing to go to war are either lying dead in Ukrainian fields or have returned home as cripples, and even those are being scooped back into the army and sent to the front. The potential for voluntary mobilization is already exhausted. The incentives are losing effectiveness, and fear of the front is growing. In Russia, news spreads about scams with payments and the real conditions of service, which drastically reduces the number of volunteers. Military enlistment offices are once again rounding up alcoholics, the elderly, and undocumented migrants—anyone they can pack onto a bus and send as cannon fodder. All exchanged Russian POWs are sent back to the front straight from the bus, which says a lot.

Russia is also experiencing a labor shortage, which is severely hurting the economy. This brings us to the key issue—the economy. The National Wealth Fund is one of the main sources of war financing and social spending, especially with declining oil and gas revenues. It has been actively spent since 2022. Over three years of war, two-thirds of it has been depleted, and the 2025 state budget is facing a record deficit due to falling oil prices and record military spending. The budget was planned based on $85 per barrel, but since summer 2024 the average price of Urals oil has been around $60–65. There was a brief rise due to the war in Iran, but prices dropped again this week. At the recent SPIEF, Russian officials—who usually fear delivering bad news to Putin—openly spoke of an impending recession. Yes, there was some illusion of growth in the economy due to stimulation of military production, but Russian enterprises have started going bankrupt. The Ministry of Defense often delays payments for state contracts, companies can't pay back loans, and high interest rates prevent new borrowing. In many cases, defense contracts are structured in a way that companies incur losses by fulfilling them.

Russia’s only LED manufacturing plant just went bankrupt and shut down—it had been operating at a loss for a year, fulfilling a defense contract. More such closures are coming. On top of that, Ukrainian drone attacks are increasingly successful. Russia is losing domestic manufacturers. Sanctions are also having an impact—it's hard to service equipment, source materials, and acquire components. Russia produces almost nothing itself and relies heavily on imports that bypass sanctions. But even in that, Russia is losing partners—Iran is no longer helpful, Kazakhstan is reorienting toward the West, and China is not rushing to save Russia either, as it likely has its own plans for Russia’s resources once the country collapses. The real estate market in Russia has slowed down, with a nearly 30% decline in new developments compared to last year.

And this is just the visible part of the iceberg. The most important point is that economic experts—both within and outside Russia—are now openly discussing an imminent recession. Of course, such talk has been ongoing for three years and often remains speculative, but the snowball of economic problems that has been growing over this period has reached massive proportions, and there are many indirect signs that the Russian economy is in much worse shape than it is portrayed. The fact that Russian officials are now openly talking about it is serious—fear of inevitable collapse has outweighed their fear of falling out of favor with the Tsar. Yes, Russia might last until 2027, but definitely not at the pace it is sustaining now.

But the Russian threat is permanent. The Bolsheviks sought to restore the borders of the Tsarist Empire, and modern Russia wants to restore the borders of the Soviet Union. Russia represents a constant and structural threat to its neighbors—a country whose identity and geopolitical ambitions are built on imperial revisionism.

No matter who is in power.

 

[ChloeTzang]

'50,000 Russian troops pinned down' — Ukraine halts advance in Sumy Oblast, summer offensive 'faltering,' Syrskyi says​

Ukraine has halted Russia's advance in Sumy Oblast, stabilizing the front line and blunting the momentum of Moscow's summer offensive, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on June 26. "Based on the results of May and June, we can say that this year's wave of the enemy's summer offensive from Russian territory is faltering," Syrskyi said, reporting that Russian troops in the northeastern border region had been stopped.
In Sumy Oblast, however, the line of contact has stabilized. Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops are not only defending but also reclaiming ground using active defense tactics. "In certain areas, our units are liberating Ukrainian territory," he said.

Moscow launched its new summer campaign in May, aiming to push deeper into Ukraine's northeast and eastern regions, disregarding Kyiv's calls for an unconditional ceasefire. Russian forces had made modest gains, occupying around 449 square kilometers (173 square miles) in May, the highest monthly total in 2025, according to the open-source intelligence group DeepState.

Syrskyi said Ukrainian operations in Russia's Glushkovsky district had forced Moscow to shift elite units, including Airborne Forces and Marine Corps brigades, into defensive positions, undermining their offensive capabilities in Sumy. "In the North Slobozhansky and Kursk directions, we have once again pinned down about 50,000 Russian Armed Forces personnel," Syrskyi said. He provided no further details about how Ukraine had achieved this.

Ukraine launched a cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk Oblast in August 2024, initially capturing 1,300 square kilometers before losing most of that territory in a Russian counterattack earlier this year. Russian officials declared complete control over the region on April 26, though the claim was later disputed by Kyiv and contradicted by Russia's own local authorities. Russia's broader offensive aims to seize the remaining administrative borders of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and carve out a buffer zone along the Sumy and Kharkiv frontiers. Sumy Oblast, which borders Russia to the east, remains a strategic region. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it has faced near-daily attacks.

https://kyivindependent.com/ukraine...skyi-says-summer-offensive-faltering-06-2025/

 

[ll74]

NATO chief at the Trump Summit delivers praise and gratitude for the president’s leadership.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1937851462358638884

People give 47 praise because dear.leader only reacts to praise

 

[HisArpy]

NATO suggests that Russia can sustain the war at its current pace until 2027. Of course, I may be accused of being sympathetic to Ukraine and having a biased opinion, but let’s look at the facts—what’s wrong with this statement? The Russian war machine currently relies on Soviet-era equipment reserves, a large number of soldiers, and the National Wealth Fund...

The unfortunate part in this is that you don't understand war at all. As Russia depletes its internal resources, it will seek to supplement them from outside Russia. They will turn to China and North Korea and form a war alliance in which both of those countries will send massive amounts of equipment and personnel into Russia and then onto Ukraine. Not the dribble NK has invested as a test, but two entire armies fully invested in "the cause."

This will resupply Russia with fresh troops and equipment, as well as continue to further pound Ukraine into submission as these soldiers gain battle experience and their tofu based equipment improves to combat quality instead of only showmanship.

Ukraine hasn't seen nothing yet. And, unless NATO gets boots on the ground, Ukraine is toast.

 

[LeahWill]

The unfortunate part in this is that you don't understand war at all. As Russia depletes its internal resources, it will seek to supplement them from outside Russia. They will turn to China and North Korea and form a war alliance in which both of those countries will send massive amounts of equipment and personnel into Russia and then onto Ukraine. Not the dribble NK has invested as a test, but two entire armies fully invested in "the cause."

This will resupply Russia with fresh troops and equipment, as well as continue to further pound Ukraine into submission as these soldiers gain battle experience and their tofu based equipment improves to combat quality instead of only showmanship.

Ukraine hasn't seen nothing yet. And, unless NATO gets boots on the ground, Ukraine is toast.

"The unfortunate part in this is that you don't understand war at all."

Whilst you of course, alongside being a fake lawyer, published author and full time fantasist, have now lost count of the number of wars you have been responsible for and run, so giving you an extraordinary bank of experience to draw your conclusions from.

Given your exceptional strategic knowledge of the inner workings of not only the North Korean, but also the Chinese and Russian governments I am at a loss to understand why you waste your time with such trivialities as a forum on LitErotica when you are far more suited to dominating the world of transcontinental diplomacy?

Oh...but then again it is probably down to the fantasist bit. Ignore all of the above, I get it now.

 

[Rightguide]

I don't listen to propaganda nor do I admire autocratic dictators.

If you're listening to the legacy media, you're listening to propaganda.

 

[Rightguide]

Trump didn't go there to make friends and he's respected for it. Almost everyone is on board with 5%, no other president had the intestinal fortitude to lay the law down. Canada had better take notice. IMHO

Except the Spanish, they will be made to pay in other ways.

 

[ChloeTzang]

The unfortunate part in this is that you don't understand war at all.....

I don't, but I listen to my Colonels and Lt-Colonels LOL who have various opinions - and I will say, one of them agrees with you. And my Military guy who was in Ukraine. I will say, Literotica has some fascinating readers who know their stuff. That said, the ZSU is still to eradicate the old Soviet-trained officers in many cases, and that IS hurting them, as is their slow reorg, but they are getting there and the drones are having an effct.

China won't intervene too openly - and the Norks are supplying old stuff that can be targeted and taken out easily enough. Once the Ukrainian missiles get groing seriously, it won't mayter too much. My money is on Ukraine for the long haul.