curefans.com

QuoteVideo released by Ukrainian Ground Forces on Tuesday showed destroyed Russian vehicles in Sumy region.

QuoteVladimir Putin warned he would cleanse Russia of the "**** and traitors" he accuses of working covertly for the U.S. and its allies. He accused the West of trying to destroy Russia. Putin spoke in a televised video conference from a residence outside Moscow on Wednesday. (Russian with English subtitles, video source is RU-RTR)

QuoteUkrainian soldiers inspected a damaged village on Tuesday in the Kyiv region retaken from Russian forces.

QuoteDeutschland öffentlich zu brüskieren, hilft niemandem. Die Regierung mag zu zögerlich in ihrer Unterstützung sein und das kann man ihr vorwerfen. Aber an der Frage, auf wessen Seite sie in diesem Krieg steht, gibt es keine Zweifel. Die Absage wird es Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz nicht erleichtern, sondern erschweren, mehr Hilfe zu leisten. Wenn er jetzt der Forderung des ukrainischen Botschafters nachkommt, in die Ukraine zu reisen, fällt er damit dem Bundespräsidenten in den Rücken.

Es sollte auch nicht ganz vergessen werden, dass Deutschland nach den USA vor dem Krieg der zweitgrößte Geldgeber für die Ukraine war. Wer Deutschland öffentlich brüskiert, riskiert auch, dass sich die Stimmung in der Bevölkerung wendet. 

Quote from: Alexander Müller (FDP)Everything is secret.

Quote from: MeltingMan on April 13, 2022, 16:39:33The justification given was always that 'we also have to talk to these states'. We now see where this has led. In other words: he should actually take responsibility and give up his office, because he stands for a different time. To say 'we were wrong and just carry on' is grotesque.

QuoteThe 43rd Artillery Brigade demonstrated the work of the 2S7 "Pion" self-propelled artillery.

Quote from: MeltingMan on April 23, 2022, 10:27:25But we don't want to be drawn into the conflict, and I think I can speak for many Germans on that. The opponents have to work this out among themselves.

QuoteMore than half of the M777 howitzer artillery units promised to Ukraine by the Pentagon have been delivered, according to US Defence officials.

QuoteZmiinyi Island, or Snake Island, is where Ukrainian soldiers reportedly told a Russian warship crew to go "f***" themselves early in the war, a story that was commemorated by a postage stamp released in April.

QuoteWorld Embroidery Day, known locally as Vyshyvanka, takes place in Ukraine on 21st May. The holiday promotes the tradition of creating and wearing embroidered Ukrainian clothes known as vyshyvanka.

Quote from: WikipediaThe FH155-1 field howitzer is a wheeled field howitzer with a caliber of 155 mm that was developed in the late 1960s for the armies of various European NATO countries. About 500 pieces were produced in Europe until 1982, and Japan also produced the weapon under license.

QuotePro-Russian forces blast Ukrainian city defences with Hyacinth-B field guns near the city of Avdiivka.

QuoteThe Russian 2S4 Tyulpan 240mm mortar carrier only has a range of about 9.6 km and has to be near the front line.

QuoteThe General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that between 24th February and 22nd July, Russia had lost about 39,000 personnel, 1,704 tanks, 3,920 armoured combat vehicles, 863 artillery units, 251 multiple launch rocket systems, 113 air defence systems, 221 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 713 drones, 167 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 2,781 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 72 units of special equipment.

QuoteThis footage released by the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, a regiment of Belarusian fighters fighting for Ukraine, shows pro-Ukrainian forces firing a 12.7-mm Browning M2 machine gun at Russian positions.

QuoteThe blasts early Monday struck the airbase near the city of Engels, more than 600 kilometers inside Russian territory.

QuoteRussia seems to need allies to invade Ukraine.

QuoteFreddy Versluys has a big warehouse full of second-hand tanks for sale. The German-made Leopard 1 tanks have brought him into the spotlight over the past few days, as he has engaged in a public battle with Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder over the possibility of sending them to Ukraine.

Dedonder has said the government has explored the idea of buying back tanks to send them to Ukraine. But she has blasted the prices quoted as "unreasonable" and "extremely high". Tanks sold for 10-15,000 euros each are being offered for sale at 500,000 euros, despite not being operational, she has said.

QuoteTwo Ukrainian brothers turned cannoneers fire German-made howitzers in the Donbas frontline.

QuotePoland has delivered its first Leopard tanks to Ukraine, the country's president and its defence minister told a meeting of the National Security Council on Friday (February 24).

QuoteRussland schickt offenbar Panzer aus der Zeit des Kalten Krieges in den Angriffskrieg gegen die Ukraine. Das legen Beiträge russischer Militärblogger im Messenger-Dienst Telegram nahe, die das Kriegsgerät in Bewegung zeigen.

"Russlands antike BTR-50 Transportpanzer wurden aus den Lagern geholt und auf dem Weg in die Ukraine gesichtet", schreibt der Militärblog "Defence Blog".

QuoteThe President of Ukraine held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

QuoteThe bloc aims to deliver 1 million 155-millimeter artillery shells to Ukraine in the next 12 months as well as replenish EU stocks.

QuoteREPORT: U.S. PROBING SWISS BANKS COMPLIANCE WITH SANCTIONS;

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 30, 2023, 19:55:36Bakhmut is becoming the Verdun of the East.

QuotePutin's defeat to be expected in October - an interview with military expert Keupp

In an interview with ZDFheute live, military expert Keupp paints a disastrous picture of the Russian army. He expects Ukraine to win in October. Is the Russian army in such bad shape that it suffered a defeat in October's war of aggression against Ukraine? Military expert Marcus Keupp assumes this and explains the reasons live in an interview with ZDFheute:

According to estimates by military analysts, Russia will soon have lost 10,000 heavy weapon systems and tanks, according to Keupp. That is a rate of attrition that Russia cannot sustain. "It's actually only a matter of time before they run out of reserves."

QuoteThe state-owned Swiss armaments company RUAG would like to be able to export 96 Leopard 1 main battle tanks. The decision should come soon.

QuoteA huge dam in the Russian-controlled area of southern Ukraine has been destroyed, unleashing a flood of water.

Ukraine's military and Nato have accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia has blamed Ukraine.

Thousands of people are being evacuated from communities in the surrounding areas, with fears that any flooding could be catastrophic.

Quote from: UlrichUkraine's military and Nato have accused Russia of blowing up the dam, while Russia has blamed Ukraine.

Quote from: P. RonzheimerSome questions almost annoyed him [Zelenskyy].

QuoteBugayevka befindet sich in der Region Woronesch. Deren gleichnamige Hauptstadt haben die Wagner-Söldner zumindest teilweise unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht, wobei sie offenkundig auf nicht allzu viel Gegenwehr russischer Soldaten und Sicherheitskräfte gestoßen sind.

Prigoschin: "Wir sind Patrioten"
Anzeichen für eine Attacken der russischen Armee auf die Wagner-Söldner geben bislang lediglich Luftangriffe, etwa auf ein Öl-Depot in Woronesch. Das berichten mehrere Militärblogger und Beobachter der Lage in Russland. Auch ein Wagner-Konvoi nahe der Stadt soll getroffen worden sein, wie ein Reuters-Journalist beobachtete.

Prigoschin und seine Wagner-Truppen proben seit Freitagabend den bewaffneten Aufstand gegen die Militärführung in Moskau. Berichten zufolge haben sie dabei neben Woronesch auch die Stadt Rostow am Don unter ihre Kontrolle gebracht. Inzwischen ziehen die Söldner weiter nach Norden, in Richtung Moskau.

QuoteYevgeny Prigozhin calls it his "March of Justice". Vladimir Putin says it is a "criminal escapade" and an "armed mutiny". One senior Russian commander has called it "a coup".

Whatever you call it, the Wagner chief has gone for broke to try to topple Russia's military leadership.

This had been brewing. For months there has been very public infighting between Wagner and Russia's ministry of defence over how the war in Ukraine has been fought.

QuoteA video has emerged of Prigozhin telling a deputy defence minister and a general in Rostov on Friday that until the two main military figures come and talk to him, his mercenaries will block off the city and head for Moscow.

There are reports of a military helicopter being shot down and of a Wagner convoy heading north up the M4 motorway in the Voronezh region north of Rostov.

Prigozhin's quarrel is not with Russian soldiers in Ukraine, but with the "clowns" leading them, he argues. Several generals have appealed for him to calm down, but that seems too late.

QuoteYevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary group, is to leave Russia for Belarus after calling off his troops' rebellion

Quote from: WELT-NachrichtenHARD CRITICISM OF NATO: "A cheek to say Ukraine should be more grateful"

Quote from: WikipediaThe Mod 56 has a number of unique characteristics for a weapon of its caliber, including the ability for its crew to manhandle the gun (due to its light weight), and the capability of being used in the direct fire role. Being a pack howitzer, it is designed to be broken down into 12 parts, each of which can be transported easily.

Quote from: Stuttgarter ZeitungAccording to a media report, the armaments group Rheinmetall is preparing another export of Leopard main battle tanks to Ukraine.

The company has acquired around 50 older Leopard 1 tanks from the Belgian company OIP Land Systems, the newspaper Handelsblatt reported, citing industry circles.

The "Handelsblatt" reported that the tanks should now be re-equipped at the German locations of the Düsseldorf Rheinmetall Group for use in the Ukraine.

Ultimately, around 30 of the remanufactured tanks could be delivered.

QuoteThe video shows an exercise of 3 fighter tanks Leopard 1 in a sharp shot on the Klietz military training area. Between the practice phases, Lieutenant General Andreas Marlow explains a lot about the elements of the exercise and their participants.

QuoteMilitary reconnaissance personnel of the West group of troops in the Kupyansk direction identified fortified strongholds in which manpower and military equipment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were hiding. After receiving the command to destroy the detected targets, the crew of the Tyulpan self-propelled mortar immediately moved to an unprepared firing position. At the same time, the drone operators indicated a safe route for the mortarmen, and air defense crews covered them from attacks by Ukrainian MLRS and attack drones.

Quote from: WELT nachrichtenUKRAINE WAR: Large mobilization! Ukrainian army wants to draft an additional 500,000 men

Quote from: Deutschlandfunk, 02.01.2024As the Green politician Schäfer announced, the 18 Leopard-2 fighting tanks delivered in March last year are very few. On one hand, there are no spare parts, on the other hand, there were mistakes in Ukraine during repair attempts. In a letter to the armaments companies Rheinmetall and Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, Schäfer called for quick remedy. Above all, the missing spare parts would have to be procured. Before Christmas, the green politician had visited a repair workshop in Lithuania together with Defense Minister Pistorius.

Quote from: WikipediaOne of the Leopard 1A5 tank crews interviewed by French news AFP in November 2023 indicated they had already seen combat, having been able to hit Russian targets from 3.5-5km distance and inflict casualties without the Russians being able to strike back.[77]

QuoteCommander Roman and his crew are deployed at the front with a Leopard 2 tank. During a battle they come under heavy fire and are massively damaged. The German-made tank still brings them to safety. The soldiers show ntv exclusively their mistreated military equipment.

Quote from: France 24 EnglishVolodymyr Zelensky has named Oleksandr Syrsky as the new commander in chief of Ukraine's armed forces. Syrsky was the commander of the ground forces and one of the two men tipped to suceed Valery Zaluzhny in the months of speculation about the possibility that Zaluzhny would be dismissed.

QuoteUS talk show host Tucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with a rambling half-hour lecture on the history of Russia and Ukraine.

Historians say the litany of claims made by Mr Putin are nonsense - representing nothing more than a selective abuse of history to justify the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Regardless of the historical realities, none of Putin's assertions would form a legal justification for his invasion.

QuoteTucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin began with a rambling half-hour lecture on the history of Russia and Ukraine.

QuoteClergy in Russia who speak out against the invasion of Ukraine risk losing their freedom. The Russian Orthodox Church officially supports what the Kremlin describes as a "special military operation."

QuoteOver twenty years ago, the former secretary general of Nato, George Robertson, visited Moscow and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

QuoteIn an interview that has so far only been partly in public, Pope Francis comments on the continuing war in Ukraine. Without calling the country, he calls Ukraine to "Courage to the White Flag" and negotiations. The full interview will be broadcast on March 20.

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 11, 2024, 11:18:47[ and negotiations.

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 12, 2024, 12:41:45As far as I know, Turkey has signaled that it will act as a mediator. A greater gift cannot be given to Mr. Erdogan, who will not run again. 

QuoteTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose NATO-member country has sought to balance its close relations with both Ukraine and Russia, offered during a visit on Friday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to host a peace summit between the two countries.

Erdogan, who has repeatedly discussed brokering a peace deal, said at a news conference in Istanbul following his meeting with Zelenskyy that he hoped Russia would be on board with Turkey's offer.

"Since the beginning, we have contributed as much as we could toward ending the war through negotiations," Erdogan said. "We are also ready to host a peace summit in which Russia will also be included."

QuoteWhy are there no negotiations with Putin? This question is not as simple as it may appear. Nevertheless, there are two main reasons.

The first reason, the "image of the war," is obvious, but Putin does not understand it, and no one can explain it to him.

The second reason, which is much more significant, is structural: Putin lacks the ability to take on binding commitments. In reality, it's precisely this structural reason that impedes negotiations.

The difficulty lies in the fact that negotiations with Putin are currently pointless because he cannot make any meaningful commitments. He can make promises in words, but in reality, these promises are worthless. Over his 20-year rule, he has promised practically everything — his signature is on the border treaty with Ukraine, for example. And he violated all of it. Over the past two years, he has broken almost every promise he made. Again, Putin himself may not even know about this. I suspect it would be a terrible risk for his subordinates to remind him of what he said a month, a year, or even a week ago. But everyone else knows that he breaks all of his promises. No matter how pragmatic and cynical a negotiator might be, what is the point of such negotiations?

Quotewhat is the point of such negotiations?

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 14, 2024, 11:07:46The most Ukraine can do is prolong the war. Who wants that anyway?

Quote from: UlrichAnd imho, especially in Germany, we do know how important it can be not to trust a powermad dictator...)

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 19, 2024, 18:49:17... I am of the opinion that we should refrain from using terms like "right and left of center" as long as the conflict lasts and spreads.

Quote from: UlrichWhy? I certainly won't go voting for extreme right because of any conflict anywhere. Plus, my comment was not about "left vs. right", it was about the term "leading left-wing party", which is just wrong (on the verge of "fake news" almost)!

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 21, 2024, 10:43:14The coming elections will show it.  :1f636:

Quote from: WikipediaAt the hostage-taking in the Moscow Dubrowka Theater on October 23, 2002, 40 to 50 armed people, who even attributed themselves to the separatist movement of Chechnya, made 850 people into their violence and asked for the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Chechnya.

After the hostage-taking in Moscow had already lasted two and a half days, special units of the Russian domestic intelligence company FSB pumped a gas mix of Carfentanyl and Remifentanil [1] into the ventilation system of the theater and stormed the building minutes later. The anesthetized terrorists were killed by the special units by head shots. 130 hostages died, 5 by the hostage-takers, 125 due to inadequate medical treatment from the consequences of gas use. [2] [3]

Quotetagesschau.de: Bei den geopolitischen Fragen ging es zwischen Scholz und Xi unter anderem um Chinas Position im Krieg gegen die Ukraine. Hier sagte der chinesische Präsident gegenüber Scholz, China sei keine Partei in diesem Kontext. Ist das nicht eine reichlich beschönigende Darstellung?

Shi-Kupfer: In der chinesischen Übersetzung hieß es, China sei keine direkt involvierte Partei. Aber in der Tat beschönigt das die Unterstützung Russlands durch China, sei es durch die Ausweitung des Handels mit Russland, sei es durch Lieferung von zum Beispiel Drohnen, Flugzeugmotoren oder anderen Maschinenteilen, die für Kriegsgerät wie Raketen verwenden werden, was Russland dabei hilft, in diesem Konflikt durchzuhalten und so dazustehen, wie es jetzt dasteht. Das vertuscht China mit dieser Formulierung und ist etwas, worüber die chinesische Regierung nicht offen spricht.

tagesschau.de: Welche Strategie verfolgt China in diesem Krieg?

Shi-Kupfer: Der Krieg verläuft aus Sicht der chinesischen Regierung in ihrem Interesse. Ein anhaltender, nicht eskalierender Konflikt bindet die US-amerikanische und die europäischen Regierungen und beschränkt ihre Möglichkeiten, sich mit der spannungsgeladenen Lage im Südchinesischen Meer zu beschäftigen - mit den Ansprüchen, die China zudem auf Taiwan und weitere Regionen erhebt.Wenn der Ukraine-Krieg weiter eskalieren und die Sanktionen gegen Russland noch härter würden, könnte China wegen seiner Unterstützung für Russland noch stärker ins Visier geraten. Ich möchte zwar der chinesischen Regierung nicht absprechen, dass sie auch an einem Friedensschluss interessiert ist. Aber unter geopolitischen Gesichtspunkten missfällt der anhaltende Konflikt China sicher nicht.

Quote from: WELT, 30.04.2024Weapons like Taurus can only be delivered if you keep control over everything that is done with it, said [Chancellor] Scholz in a 'citizens dialogue' in Lüneburg. This weapon is so effective and precise over long distances, "we can go to a living room directly," he pointed out. Therefore, in the event of a delivery, Germany must "keep control of target control. But we must not do that because if we did it, we would be involved in the war," said the Chancellor.

Quote from: BildSpectacular recordings from the southeast of Ukraine show the targeted destruction of the most modern Russian anti-aircraft system through a previously retired US rocket from the 1990s. Although the Russian S-400 launches six rockets onto the approaching ballistic US rocket, none hits the target. Seconds later, the Russian "high -tech" is destroyed.

Quote from: WELTSurprise! Chancellor Scholz allows German weapons to be used against targets in Russia.

According to the Federal Government, Ukraine may also defend itself against shelling from the Russian border area with weapons delivered from Germany. "In the past few weeks, Russia has prepared, coordinated and executed attacks, especially in the Kharkiv area, of positions from the immediately adjacent Russian border area," explains government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit by press release. "Together we are convinced that Ukraine has the right to defend itself against these attacks." The spokesman does not say which weapons from Germany could be used for this. The PzH 2000 and the rocket launcher Mars-II would come into question due to their range.

Quote from: MeltingMan on June 02, 2024, 09:49:50Do we want to put the problem on future generations?! Russia is already preparing the next war ... in twenty, thirty years.

Quote from: dsanchez on July 22, 2024, 13:39:18Finally people talking about ending the war

Quote from: Ulrich on July 29, 2024, 13:19:32he threatens there will be WW III if he won't win

Quote from: dsanchez on July 30, 2024, 15:48:01which, by looking at the current events, this is probably true

Quote from: dsanchez on December 20, 2024, 11:09:07... thousands more died as a result for no reason.

Quote from: Ulrich on December 20, 2024, 13:06:10

Quote from: dsanchez on December 20, 2024, 11:09:07... thousands more died as a result for no reason.

That depends. Those who died before the proposed ceasefire died for a reason then?  :1f636:
I don't think so. The poor guys who are forced to attack another country, are the ones who die without reason...

QuoteA senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia

QuoteBut for example, getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary. Right now, 18- to 25-year olds are not in the fight

Quote from: Ulrich on January 04, 2025, 14:01:09We needn't worry, do we? The guy who promised to end this war within a few days, is president soon...
Then he can prove whether he's a "man of his word" or maybe just a "narcisstic a***", who am I to know? :1f636:

Quote from: dsanchez on January 06, 2025, 18:45:27the neutrality of Ukraine (i.e. Ukraine not joining NATO) will be the key topic. Trump's advisors propose a 20-years freeze on Ukraine's NATO bid, but Russia won't accept that.

Quote from: Ulrich on January 06, 2025, 20:01:48Any reasons why?

Quote from: Ulrich on January 06, 2025, 20:01:48P.S.: So Tronald Dump won't bring peace? That is disappointing, but no surprise...

Quote from: dsanchez on January 07, 2025, 16:09:23Mearsheimer explains it pretty well:

QuotePresident-elect Donald Trump is showing no sign of letting up in his desire for the US to acquire Greenland and the Panama Canal, calling both critical to American national security.

Asked if he would rule out using military or economic force in order to take over the autonomous Danish territory or the Canal, he responded: "No, I can't assure you on either of those two.

Quote from: Ulrich on January 04, 2025, 14:01:09The guy who promised to end this war within a few days, is president soon...

QuoteOn Wednesday morning, Trump on Truth Social threatened "high levels of taxes, tariffs and sanctions" if Russian President Vladimir Putin did not end the war. It's not clear what more Trump would impose on the heavily-sanctioned Russia, but we're waiting to see how Putin responds to the pressure.

Quote from: MeltingMan on February 14, 2025, 17:59:59What the Trump administration is now proposing ...

QuoteIt had been expected that Vance would use his speech at the Munich Security Conference to address possible talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Instead, he spent the majority accusing European governments ...

Quote from: Ulrichthreats of sanctions, (yeah these worked so well...)

Quote from: WikipediaOn January 10, 2025, a few days before the end of its term, the US administration under Joe Biden imposed further sanctions against Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, against 183 ships, often classified as part of the shadow fleet, and against dozens of oil traders, oilfield service providers, insurance companies and officials in the energy sector.[167]

QuoteThe Kremlin wants the Russian public and the international community to see that Western efforts to isolate Russia over the war in Ukraine have failed.

Russian media are welcoming the prospect of warmer ties with Washington and pouring scorn on European leaders and Kyiv.

"Trump knows he will have to make concessions [to Russia] because he is negotiating with the side that's winning in Ukraine," writes pro-Kremlin tabloid Moskovsky Komsomolets. "He will make concessions. Not at America's expense, but at the expense of Europe and Ukraine.

QuoteUS officials have detailed how Donald Trump bowed down to Vladimir Putin over Ukraine in 2016-2017, enabling the Russian leader to pursue his "hybrid war" to break up the neighboring country.
The discussions followed Russia's support of Trump's campaign for the Presidency but predated his 2019 blackmail of Ukraine, freezing military aid because the Zelenskiy Government would not publicly spread disinformation about Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The officials describe a key moment at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany in July 2017, with the first face-to-face meeting between the two men.

Putin had summoned Trump from the summit dinner for a private conversation. Only interpreters were present. After the encounter, Trump took his translator's notes and told him not to discuss the meeting with anyone.

But US officials learned that Putin had disparaged Ukraine as a corrupt, fabricated country. He said Russia, which had seized Crimea in 2014 and supported the efforts of separatists to split the country, had every right to exert its influence.

Quote from: Ulrich on January 06, 2025, 20:01:48P.S.: So Tronald Dump won't bring peace? That is disappointing, but no surprise...

Quote from: dsanchez on February 20, 2025, 13:09:28Seems he will.

Quote from: Ulrich on February 22, 2025, 10:35:21This (German) article is revealing... it's all about "rare earth metals" and $$$$ (of course):

QuoteA political strategy to gain or retain power by cultivating disunity among potential opponents, often by co-opting some individuals and groups while excluding others.

Quote from: MeltingMan on March 01, 2025, 15:25:19the Vice President and DT should have noticed ...

Quote from: Ulrichthe whole thing was "staged"

QuoteSicherheitsexpertin Major analysierte: "Die USA möchten einen Deal, sie möchten ein schnelles Ende und militärisch aus Europa raus. Selenskyj möchte eine Überlebensgarantie. Trump ist de facto an Putin gescheitert – er hat es nicht geschafft, diesen Krieg innerhalb von 48 Stunden zu beenden. Das Bauernopfer, was dafür herhalten muss, ist Selenskyj."

Quote from: dsanchez on March 04, 2025, 14:09:13Hope negotiations will start ASAP.

QuoteDonald Trump says Ukraine is ready to begin peace negotiations "as soon as possible", with strong signals Russia is also ready for a deal

During an address to Congress, the US president read aloud a letter he said he'd received from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was similar to a message posted on X earlier in the day


"I appreciate that he sent this letter," Trump said

Quote from: dsanchez on March 04, 2025, 14:09:13it looks like Europe wants to prolong the war

Quote from: Matti on March 06, 2025, 20:55:45... wants to help Ukraine defend themselves (and, eventually, Europe itself) against Putin.

Quote from: dsanchezHope negotiations will start ASAP.

QuoteWe've also heard from Yehor Cherniev - Ukrainian MP and chairman of the Nato Ukrainian Delegation - who says Ukraine is "ready for peace, but not just for any price".

Speaking to the BBC, he says: "We should never forget who is the aggressor and who is the victim, it's unfair to expect the victim to surrender and give up."

On Trump's assertion that Russia holds the cards in the war, Cherniev responds: "We have been fighting for three years against a huge country - and, so, we have some cards. We can protect ourselves."

He adds that the US is Ukraine's strategic partner and his country is working to build the relationship, to reach a peace deal.

Quote from: Viktor O.Angela M. would have prevented the war.

QuoteFollowing the collision, the Russian national captain of the Solong was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter following reports of a missing crew member.

Quote from: UlrichUn soit qui mal y pense...

Quote from: Matti on March 06, 2025, 20:55:45

Quoteit looks like Europe wants to prolong the war

Let's get this straight: this is simply not true. Europe wants to help Ukraine defend themselves (and, eventually, Europe itself) against Putin.

QuoteWestern leaders, including U.S. President Joe Biden, have frequently framed the invasion of Ukraine as the first step in a Russian plan of broader European conquest. However, a close examination of Russian intent and military capabilities shows this view is dangerously mistaken. Russia likely has neither the capability nor the intent to launch a war of aggression against NATO members — but the ongoing brinkmanship between Russia and the West still poses serious risks of military escalation that can only be defused by supplementing military deterrence with a diplomatic effort to address tensions.

Quote from: dsanchez on March 13, 2025, 12:02:05There's no evidence Russia plans to attack or conquer Europe.

QuoteRussia is ready for a halt in fighting, says Vladimir Putin, but "there are nuances". Those nuances that he laid out ahead of talks with US envoys at the Kremlin are so key to his thinking they could scupper any hope of a 30-day ceasefire.

They are demands that he has had throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, and before. And for Ukraine and its Western partners, many of them are going to prove unacceptable or impossible to fulfil.

QuoteIn the run up to today's call, Donald Trump made a big deal of his conversation with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

But the results look like there's little to shout about.

The Russian president has given the US leader just enough to claim that he made progress towards peace in Ukraine, without making it look like he was played by the Kremlin.

Trump can point to Putin's pledge to halt attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure for 30 days. If that actually happens, it will bring some relief to civilians.


But it's nowhere near the full and unconditional ceasefire that the US wanted from Russia.

The "very horrible war" Trump has insisted he can stop is still raging.

And Putin, a man indicted as a suspected war criminal by the ICC, has been given a leg-up back to the top tier of global politics.

Russian state media report that the two presidents' phone call lasted more than two hours. The Kremlin readout – its account of the call – is also long at 500 words.

It presents the conversation as chatty: they apparently discussed ice hockey, the kind of detail an audience back in Russia will lap up.

...

Both countries' accounts suggest nothing has changed.

Russia repeats that it wants peace. But instead of grounding its drones and silencing its guns, it's quibbling over how a still non-existent ceasefire might be monitored.

Meanwhile, it's adding even more conditions aimed at crippling Kyiv's ability to resist.

QuoteRussia and Ukraine have agreed to a naval ceasefire in the Black Sea in separate deals with the US, after three days of peace talks in Saudi Arabia.

Washington said all parties would continue working toward a "durable and lasting peace" in statements announcing the agreements, which would reopen an important trade route.

They have also committed to "develop measures" to implement a previously agreed ban on attacking each other's energy infrastructure, the White House said.

But Russia said the naval ceasefire would only come into force after a number of sanctions against its food and fertiliser trade were lifted.

US officials have been separately meeting negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv in Riyadh with the aim of brokering a truce between the two sides. The Russian and Ukrainian delegations have not met directly.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the deal to halt strikes in the Black Sea was a step in the right direction.

"It is too early to say that it will work, but these were the right meetings, the right decisions, the right steps," he told a press conference in Kyiv.

"No-one can accuse Ukraine of not moving towards sustainable peace after this," he added, after US President Donald Trump had previously accused him of blocking a peace deal.
...

After this week's talks, both countries have also agreed to "develop measures" to implement a ban on attacking energy infrastructure on each other's territory.

Quote from: WELTCrimea is lost!

Quote from: Sönke N.The last summer of peace.

QuoteShort ceasefires are becoming quite the Kremlin thing.

First, Vladimir Putin declared a 30-hour cessation of hostilities over Easter, portraying it as a "humanitarian" gesture.

Now the Kremlin leader has announced a three-day unilateral truce for early May. It will run from 8 May to 10 May to coincide with events marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

In response to the proposal, Ukraine questioned why Russia could not commit to a ceasefire immediately and called for one to be implemented for at least 30 days.
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said, adding: "Why wait until May 8th?"

So, from the Russian president who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, is this a sincere effort to end the fighting?
Or simply a public relations exercise by the Kremlin to impress Donald Trump?
Kremlin critics will suspect PR.

In a post on his Truth Social platform at the weekend, Trump wrote that "there was no reason" for Putin "to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns [in Ukraine], over the last few days".

"It makes me think," he added, "that maybe he doesn't want to stop the war, he's just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through 'Banking' or 'Secondary Sanctions?' Too many people are dying!!!"

QuoteIt's the question we've been asking all week ever since Vladimir Putin called for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul - would the Kremlin leader travel to Turkey to take part, or would he stay home?

Late last night we finally got the answer: "No" - or might that be "not yet"?

The Russian delegation for today's talks features no President Putin and no Russian minister. It will be headed by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky: a former culture minister and now chairman of the Russian Union of Writers.

Medinsky led the Russian delegation last time Moscow and Kyiv held face-to-face talks in 2022.

Joining him is a deputy defence minister, a deputy foreign minister and a military intelligence chief.

Based on the make-up of Moscow's negotiating team, Kremlin critics have accused Russia of not being serious about peace.

Yet if they go ahead later today, these will be the first face-to-face peace talks between Russia and Ukraine for more than three years. That, in itself, feels like an important moment.

QuoteThe talks lasted less than two hours and sharp divisions soon emerged. The Kremlin made "new and unacceptable demands", according to a Ukrainian official. That included insisting Kyiv withdraw its troops from large parts of its own territory, he said, in exchange for a ceasefire.

While there was no breakthrough on the crucial issue of a truce – as expected - there is news of one tangible result.

Each side will return 1,000 prisoners of war to the other.

QuoteUnited States President Donald Trump has said, after a more-than-two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Moscow and Kyiv "will immediately start negotiations" towards a ceasefire and an end to their war, now in its fourth bloody year.

Putin said that efforts to end the conflict seemed "on the right track" and that Moscow was ready to work with Ukraine on a memorandum about a future peace accord.

QuoteThe Kremlin claimed Donald Trump was showing signs of "emotional overload" after he called Vladimir Putin "absolutely crazy" following Moscow's largest aerial assault on Ukraine.

The US president said on Truth Social on Sunday that "something has happened" to Putin, after Russia killed 13 in Ukraine with 367 drones and missiles. "He has gone absolutely crazy," Trump said. "Needlessly killing a lot of people."

QuoteAs dozens of attack drones swarmed the Russian capital, brave Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky revealed he wants direct crunch talks with Donald Trump and "crazy" Vladimir Putin.

QuoteUkraine's security service said 'Operation Spider's Web' took one and a half years to organise and was personally overseen by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Quote from: M. RutteBut you better learn to speak Russian.

Quote from: sanderdeboer6034Mark Rutte is the last person on this planet to complain about defense spending. During his disastrous time as PM in which he destroyed the housing market, did nothing about PFAS and the impact on the environment by our bizarrely large agricultural industry, he also did huge cutbacks on defense spending.

Even though MH17 should have been the ultimate warning. Plus I still don't understand why he hasn't done anything about his horrible level of English.