I did not want to divert, this was a long but excellent take on the situation.
Thanks for posting :up:

You are very welcome Sir. Prerun has quite a few equally thought out videos on various aspects of this war. I post them here whenever a new one comes out.

What a load of crap.
China has its own interests, and Russia now is only a junior partner, if at all.
Xi's interest is to preserve Russia as an antagonist to the west, so he will support Russia with a bit of weapons to capture the Donbass region, but only that far.
This is a meeting to discuss business. Xi has an interest to see Russia and Nato fight a new cold war, and peace is not an option for both dictators.

Russia has an interest to trade with its only left trade partner, the question is whether this will ballance the loss of the european and rest of the western market. After all China will never pay as much as the west for oil or gas or other resources.
Xi went to visit a war criminal, and while he will be trying to support Putin secretly to a certain degree, he will not want to be called out, or caught red-handed.
Intersting to see those two potentates performing their dance of "friendship" and pseudo-sympathy.
And maybe Vladivostok will soon be chinese again for an exchange. Who knows ..

“wagner has gone from "we will capture bakhmut in 48 hrs, to we are about to be cut off and all killed and captured soon... like everything else in russia wagner is collapsing”

https://i.postimg.cc/Y0kW5w18/91492-...D296924-A8.jpg

Translated by Google
https://i.postimg.cc/C1H1fP2Q/1677-D...7-C187-B55.jpg

The Chinese plan is to freeeze the conflict and make the Russian gains in conquered land a lasting fact. I think that is obvious.


The quesiton to what degree the West will fall for this plot and say "Peace! Peace! They offer peace, lets stop delivering supplies and weapons, but talk!" - or not.

Listening to Secretary of State Antony Blinkin it doesn’t seem something the U.S. is interested in falling for. Personally I think Xi’s visit had more to do with him being able to see with own his eyes what the heck is going on with the Kremlin and Putin rather than offering any meaningful support.

Wait and see what happens between the two dictators and continue looking for armament transfer from China.

Anything of a negative nature from China should be met by maximum trade sanctions and I believe Xi will come to his senses sooner rather than later.

'Wishful thinking' on my behalf.

Ukraine needs this ammunition now....right now.

The US plans to dleiver Abrams tanks "sooner" than previously planned - already in 8-10 months. I wonder - what in that timetable is "sooner" than previously planned?

To make this possible, not the M1A2 should be delivered (they would need to be equipped with new downgraded armour, and for some time there even was talk of even more modern versions), but instead the M1A1. Officials get quoted with saying the earlier version were easier to maintain and easier to operate.

From the perspective of SBP which includes both versions I must say I would not dare to list the operational differences for at least gunner and commander as so significant that there is a real difficulty jump between the two. But that is my opinion based on just SBP's depiction of the two, so I will not offer the final word on this thing. But I think its a strawman argument to wrap the decison for older tanks in some candy floss to make it look more acceptable.

In SBP I would prefer the Leopard over the Abrams anyway, if it is only about easy operation. The Leopard was designed with conscripts in mind, so handling and maintenance were even greater priorities than in the design of the Abrams.

Putin is now just doing whatever Xi wants CCP officials said months ago that Moscow would lose and emerge as a "minor power" from its catastrophic fiasco of an invasion. The relationship between Russia and China has become very skewed. Many raw materials, such as oil products, gas, wood, coal and metals, Russia can no longer dispose of in the West and is trying to sell them partly to China. While it is less crucial for China. But China takes advantage of it, can negotiate its own price, but also, for instance, source oil from elsewhere. This increased dependence has two dimensions, as China is now also increasingly important to Russia for imports of high-end technology, consumer goods and, for example, car parts.

If china helps russia in any way regarding the russian invasion of ukraine then the same sanctions should apply to china .

AUKUS = FREEDOM .

Another wondering.

Do we in the West have the means to sanction China or even impose embargo against them ?

USA may have the means to do so. How about the European countries ?

Markus

China provides the lion's share of critical ressources and rare earths needed in Europe. There is a reason why rare earths are called rare earths. We could damage them with sanctions, but we would also damage ourselves there, and maybe even more than with sanctions on gas and oil for Russia. Note that the Russian nuclear industry is practically not being sanctioned at all! France sends it nculear rods to Russia for refurbishing (the Russians can do that better than anyone else, simply a fact), thats why, and the Eastern European nuclear plants until today get their rods for Rosatom. Now, with all these jaw-dropping hihg flying plans of the EU for energy transfiguration and green deals and the need to buy solar panels and windmill parts from china since the damn Germans nuked their global leadership in solar panels ten years ago and without need, considering all these many plans that are so unimaginably costly and will need more ressources than even are available on the market , such a trade war with China will be costly. For China - and at least as much if not even more so for Europe.

I would not rule out that it would damage us even more than the fallout from our sanctions against Russia. In fatc I think that is even likely the case.

And then consider that we are already seriously hurt, economically, and financially. Europe staggers. Our situation is not half as lovely as they try to make us believe. The lie to us.

The Americans have it easier. But get lied to as well. But still, they have it easier.

Over here when it comes to real pertinent information we’re treated much like mushrooms. Always fed crap and kept in the dark.