It's still possible that the Russian army is driven out of Ukraine while Putin is still alive. He just retreats but then rages about how the West and traitors sabotaged the Russian military.
some enterprising NAFO needs to start painting See Kinburn Spit on the side of every barn in the Donbas.
No one posted rumors of peace talks? Would dampen defense stocks and be a big boost to fighting inflation and strong dollar... https://www.reuters.com/world/us-pr...ia-its-open-talks-washington-post-2022-11-05/ WASHINGTON, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine’s leaders to signal an openness to negotiate with Russia and drop their public refusal to engage in peace talks unless President Vladimir Putin is removed from power, the Washington Post reported on Saturday. The paper quoted unnamed people familiar with the discussions as saying that the request by American officials was not aimed at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but a calculated attempt to ensure Kyiv maintains the support of other nations facing constituencies wary of fueling a war for many years to come. It said the discussions illustrated the complexity of the Biden administration’s position on Ukraine, as U.S. officials publicly vow to support Kyiv with massive sums of aid "for as long as it takes" while hoping for a resolution to the eight-month conflict that has taken a big toll on the world economy and triggered fears of nuclear war. The paper said U.S. officials shared the assessment of their Ukrainian counterparts that Putin is not for now serious about negotiations, but acknowledged that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's ban on talks with him had generated concern in parts of Europe, Africa and Latin America, where the war's effects on costs of food and fuel are felt most sharply. "Ukraine fatigue is a real thing for some of our partners," the Post quoted one unnamed U.S. official as saying. The White House National Security Council had no immediate comment when asked if the report was accurate, while a spokesperson for the State Department responded by saying: "We've said it before and will say it again: Actions speak louder than words. If Russia is ready for negotiation, it should stop its bombs and missiles and withdraw its forces from Ukraine. "The Kremlin continues to escalate this war. The Kremlin has demonstrated its unwillingness to seriously engage in negotiations since even before it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine." The spokesperson also noted remarks by Zelenskiy on Friday, in which he said: "We are ready for peace, for a fair and just peace, the formula of which we have voiced many times." In his nightly address to the Ukrainian people on Friday, Zelenskiy added: "The world knows our position. This is respect for the UN Charter, respect for our territorial integrity, respect for our people." U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said during a visit to Kyiv on Friday that Washington's support for Ukraine would remain "unwavering and unflinching" following next Tuesday's midterm congressional elections. A killer winter would be a good reason for peace talks, if only temporary
Not surprised there are US diplomats talking to Ukraine but about peace talks but there is no appetite for those on the Ukrainian side and I get the feeling even if the US threatened to withdraw aid the Ukrainians aren't interested in peace talks. They are winning on the battlefield and also very angry about war crimes committed by Russians. Pushing rumors of peace talks that are very unlikley to happen isn't going to do much except breed more disinformation and cynicism.
I agree. No reason for the country who is fighting (and winning) on their own soil against an aggressor (one they cannot themselves trespass upon anyway) to be talking about peace. That's a negotiated surrender. The party who should be pressured to seek peace is Russia.
Ukraine put forward unrealistic conditions - Lavrov's horse head What is unrealistic in the demand that Russia withdraw its troops from the occupied territories, Lavrov did not specify Real War
Putin stepping down is probably "unreasonable." Of course, if he just withdraws from Ukraine and takes the L, that'd probably be the end of his leadership too. To preserve his own position, he probably needs to at least walk away with Crimea. And that might not be enough. He's kinda trapped in this war at this point.
Agreed, but the timing of leak for "something standard" is incredibly suspect. You'd think the rag that published the leak was NY Post rather than Washington Post. https://kyivindependent.com/news-feed/zelensky-we-are-ready-for-peace-a-peace-for-all-of-ukraine Zelensky: 'We are ready for peace, a peace for all of Ukraine'
Zelensky isn't contracdicting what I wrote he has no interest in peace other than full Russian withdrawl from all of Ukraine. There is no interest to negotiate from Ukraine on anything less. I don't know what's suspect about the timing of a leak that some US diplomats are discussing possible peace treaties. US diplomats discuss a lot of alternatives with other countries all the time.
If they are firing missiles from Belarus it is shocking that the Ukraine has not invaded Belarus to stop them. DD
