Here we go again-Ukraine once again pt2

[Bilge_Rat]

so, according to the latest Harvard-Harris poll, 72% of US voters want Ukraine to negotiate a settlement to end the war, including 80% of Republicans, 73% of Independents and even 61% of Democrats.

60% of voters approve of Trump entering into direct US-Russia negotiations to end the war including 85% of Republicans and 53% of independents. Only Demovrats oppose it 40/60.

https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-con...025_vFinal.pdf

The writing is on the wall, there is broad bipartisan support for what Trump is doing.

[MaDef]

What is it about the Russians that upset Democrats so much? Ever since Hillary gave them a reset button (supposedly to symbolize an attempt at improving relations), they have gone out of their way to muck things up.

[Dargo]

Ukraine has restored half the capacity of power plants destroyed by Russia. Ukrainian Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said this on Monday at a joint meeting of the Ukrainian government and the European Commission. ‘Out of 10 gigawatts, we have put five back into the system,’ Minister Halushchenko said, according to Ukrainian news agency Interfax-Ukraine. This was possible with the help of the energy industry support fund, in which more than 1 billion euros have been invested. https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1050830.html

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

[EU offers Ukraine its own deal on rare earth metals - Politico

The European Commission denies information about the agreement on critical minerals proposed to Ukraine by the European Union, an alternative to the US: this cooperation is already four years old. This was stated in Brussels on Tuesday by representative of the European Commission, Thomas Regnier, commenting at the request of journalists on information disseminated by the media, citing the European Commissioner for Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Sejourné, that he allegedly offered Ukrainian officials a mutually beneficial agreement on critical minerals.

“There is no proposal. Since 2021, the EU has partnership on critical raw materials with Ukraine, formalized through our memorandum of understanding. So, this dates back four years ago. As with all the EU critical raw materials partnerships that we have, this corporation is not only about securing supply chains for the EU, but also about fostering local value creation and capacity building in partner countries ensuring mutual benefits. Now, as you see, this is really here about cooperation with Ukraine and not about any sort of competition with the US,” he explained... https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1050939.html

Originally Posted by Ukrainian deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko

Even in Ukraine, we do not know exactly how much rare earths our soil contains. The estimates we have date back to the Soviet era, when rare earths did not play as important a role in the global economy as they do today. So we will have to re-map all those raw materials.

[Jimbuna]

Revealed: Ukraine's confirmed equipment losses after three years of war PART 1

As of February 24th, 2025, Ukraine has lost 7,887 visually confirmed units of military equipment since the Kremlin launched its invasion on February 22, 2022.

Tanks 1,078

Destroyed: 773

Damaged: 79

Abandoned: 86

Captured: 140

Armored Fighting Vehicles 437

Destroyed: 324

Damaged: 16

Abandoned: 11

Captured: 86

Infantry Fighting Vehicles 1,222

Destroyed: 900

Damaged: 62

Abandoned: 116

Captured: 144

Armored Personnel Carriers 787

Destroyed: 530

Damaged: 36

Abandoned: 94

Captured: 127

Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected 428

Destroyed: 311

Damaged: 38

Abandoned: 36

Captured: 43

Infantry Mobility Vehicles 741

Destroyed: 506

Damaged: 43

Abandoned: 50

Captured: 142

Command Posts And Communications Station 36

Destroyed: 26

Damaged: 0

Abandoned: 5

Captured: 5

Engineering Vehicles And Equipment 207

Destroyed: 142

Damaged: 23

Abandoned: 12

Captured: 30

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Missile Systems 18

Destroyed: 7

Damaged: 0

Abandoned: 1

Captured: 10

Artillery Support Vehicles And Equipment 27

Destroyed: 14

Damaged: 0

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 13

Towed Artillery 233

Destroyed: 137

Damaged: 75

Abandoned: 3

Captured: 18
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...ei=20#image=15

[Jimbuna]

PART 2

Self-Propelled Artillery 471

Destroyed: 374

Damaged: 73

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 24

Multiple Rocket Launchers 81

Destroyed: 55

Damaged: 17

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 9

Anti-Aircraft Guns 4

Destroyed: 0

Damaged: 0

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 4

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns 35

Destroyed: 25

Damaged: 5

Abandoned: 1

Captured: 4

Surface-To-Air Missile Systems 166

Destroyed: 140

Damaged: 19

Abandoned: 1

Captured: 6

Radars And Communications Equipment 136

Destroyed: 100

Damaged: 21

Abandoned: 1

Captured: 14

Jammers And Deception Systems 8

Destroyed: 5

Damaged: 2

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 1

Aircraft 103

Destroyed: 98

Damaged: 4

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 1

Helicopters 52

Destroyed: 46

Damaged: 3

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 3

Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles 29

Destroyed: 28

Damaged: 0

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 1

Reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles 468

Destroyed: 303

Damaged: 1

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 164

Trucks, Vehicles, and Jeeps 1,078

Destroyed: 835

Damaged: 31

Abandoned: 16

Captured: 196

Naval Ships 41

Destroyed: 14

Damaged: 8

Abandoned: 0

Captured: 19

It is important to note that Oryx points out on its website that "the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded" since it only counts what can be proven with photo and video evidence. So Ukraine's equipment losses are likely far higher than what Oryx has reported

[Dargo]

Starlink is fully committed to providing service to Ukraine. Any rumors to the contrary are categorically false. https://x.com/Starlink/status/1894104343348940828

OTD in 1921 the Red Army completed its occupation of Georgia after invading a few weeks before. We signed a treaty less than a year earlier saying we would never invade. Imagine, more than 100 years later, us still doing that to our neighbors... https://x.com/DarthPutinKGB/status/1894365871490908621

[Jimbuna]

Putin offers Russian and Ukrainian rare minerals to US

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he is open to offering the US access to rare minerals, including from Russian-occupied Ukraine.

This comes after US President Donald Trump has repeatedly pushed for Ukraine to give up some of its minerals in exchange for support, in a deal which is currently being finalised, according to a Ukrainian minister.

In a state TV interview on Monday, Putin said he was ready to "offer" resources to American partners in joint projects, including mining in Russia's "new territories" - a reference to parts of eastern Ukraine that Russia has occupied since launching a full-scale invasion three years ago.

The proposal could also see the two countries collaborating on aluminium extraction and supply to the US to stabilise prices, he added.

In his televised interview, Putin countered Trump's push to access Ukraine's mineral deposits, saying they were ready to work with "foreign partners" including companies on mining minerals.

Putin said a potential US-Ukraine deal on rare minerals was not a concern and that Russia "undoubtedly have, I want to emphasise, significantly more resources of this kind than Ukraine".

"As for the new territories, it's the same. We are ready to attract foreign partners to the so-called new, to our historical territories, which have returned to the Russian Federation," he added.

He also suggested that Russia and the US could collaborate on aluminium production in Krasnoyarsk, in Siberia, where one Russian aluminium maker, Rusal, has its largest smelters.

The televised comments followed a cabinet meeting on Russia's natural resources.

On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists the proposal opened up "quite broad prospects", adding that the US needed rare earth minerals and Russia had "a lot of them".

Offering the US access to minerals is an eye-catching move by Putin, given how much pride the Kremlin has taken in keeping Russia's natural wealth in Russian hands. In 2023 Putin accused the West, particularly the US, of trying to "dismember" Russia to gain access to its natural resources.

Putin's intervention comes as Ukraine has been facing growing pressure from the Trump administration to sign a deal for access to its mineral deposits.

Kyiv estimates that about 5% of the world's critical raw materials are in Ukraine. However, some of the mineral deposits have been seized by Russia in the three years since its invasion of Ukraine.

Trump said earlier this month that the US military and economic aid to Ukraine amounted to about $500bn (£396bn), and he wants the US to have access to Ukrainian minerals of that value.

Zelenzky has disputed that figure and is also said to want any deal to include security guarantees.

On Monday Ukraine's deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration, Olga Stefanishyna, said negotiations on such a deal "have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalised".

Similarly - albeit in a different approach to the US - the European Union has also proposed a partnership with Ukraine that would give it access to minerals in what the the European Commissioner for industrial strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, called a "win-win".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gdx7488g5o

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Starlink is fully committed to providing service to Ukraine. Any rumors to the contrary are categorically false. https://x.com/Starlink/status/1894104343348940828

Yes, when Musk'S own X says so, then it must be true.


Similar claims initiially were maide whe they switched off Starlink while Ukraine prepared a strike against the Black Sea Fleet in I think it sitll was year one, and could not carry it out for this reason. Musk later said that he had a bad feeling about allowing that strike, so he took it upon him to prevent it.



Ukraine's dependency on Starlink is a Damocles sword over their heads. They must find a way to remain effective in combat without it. Just in case, whenever that case becomes true. I think its very urgent. Musk cannot be trusted.

[Dargo]

[Catfish]

^^ re Skybird Agreed, Musk cannot be trusted. High time for EU's Iris program. Galileo is already up and running, already with high precision.

re Musk https://www.reuters.com/world/us/aft...ts-2025-02-25/
A loonie with a chainsaw. I guess I do NOT want the drugs he's on.

[Dargo]

Putin is Unlikely to Demobilize in the Event of a Ceasefire Because He is Afraid of His Veterans

The Kremlin likely fears that it will face even worse political instability than what the Soviet Union experienced after its withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1988-1989 because of Russia’s failure to militarize and mobilize Russian society for a protracted war. Russian Presidential Administration First Deputy Head Sergei Kiriyenko allegedly stated in a closed meeting in July 2024 that Russian war veterans "adapt poorly" to civilian life after returning from Ukraine and that many convict recruits commit violent crimes after returning home.[5] Kiriyenko reportedly said that there will be "quite a lot" of veterans returning from the war in Ukraine and that increased crime committed by veterans could cause discontent, fear, or aggression towards veterans among Russian citizens. Kiriyenko observed that the demobilization of Russian veterans in Ukraine would be very different from the return of Soviet veterans after the Afghan War or World War II because Soviet society was deeply mobilized and overall better conditioned to support if not to wage conflict. Kiriyenko reportedly characterized contemporary Russian society as being unprepared to "understand and accept" veterans in the event of their demobilization. The Kremlin inadvertently created conditions in late February 2022 that ostracized Russian veterans by portraying Russia's full-scale invasion as a small war that only involved professional forces and did not impact most Russians.[6] This rhetoric aimed to shield broader Russian society from the implications of Russia's war against Ukraine, but in turn, inadvertently created a divide between Russians impacted by the full-scale invasion and those who were not or had the privilege of ignoring the war. https://understandingwar.org/backgro...d-his-veterans

[Dargo]

Ukraine agrees US minerals deal after Washington drops toughest demands

Kyiv has agreed terms with Washington on a minerals deal that Ukrainian officials hope will improve relations with the Trump administration and pave the way for a long-term US security commitment. Ukrainian officials say Kyiv is now ready to sign the agreement on jointly developing its mineral resources, including oil and gas, after the US dropped demands for a right to $500bn in potential revenue from exploiting the resources. The officials argued that they had negotiated far more favourable terms and depicted the deal as a way of broadening the relationship with the US to shore up Ukraine’s prospects after three years of war.
...
The final version of the agreement, dated February 24 and seen by the FT, would establish a fund into which Ukraine would contribute 50 per cent of proceeds from the “future monetisation” of state-owned mineral resources, including oil and gas, and associated logistics. The fund would invest in projects in Ukraine. It excludes mineral resources that already contribute to Ukrainian government coffers, meaning it would not cover the existing activities of Naftogaz or Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest gas and oil producers.
Financial Times

[Catfish]

^ so, Russia gets the other 50 percent for its war efforts ?
Who will pay for the rebuilding of Ukraine, if Putin really stops the war (what I doubt) ?
They should demand all this money, and the US and EU war efforts from Russia. WTF is up with the US?

Originally Posted by Bilge_Rat

so, according to the latest Harvard-Harris poll, 72% of US voters want Ukraine to negotiate a settlement to end the war, including 80% of Republicans, 73% of Independents and even 61% of Democrats.

Small misunderstanding. They want the end of the war, but not on russian terms.

The writing is on the wall, there is broad bipartisan support for what Trump is doing.

I guess the writing is on the wall for Trump like it was for Belshazar

[mapuc]

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