egg

2 Palestinian kids shot in the back by Israeli military today. No excuses. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/22/two-children-killed-in-occupied-west-bank-as-israel-steps-up-sweeping-raids

Different formation I reckon. 4231.

Shandy

He certainly has. Makes you wonder what he could have done for us. Hey ho.

Assuming there's a bona fide case for asylum, where do you say they should be booted out to? The place where they were originally fleeing from?

Bill

Disgraceful Disgraceful I'm still amazed that people refuse to acknowledge that the behaviour of both sides is appalling. They don't have to be equally bad to do that. That said, Hamas behaviour today was a disgrace, but there's no denying that watching the bombing of Gaza as if it's a spectator sport is appalling. Nobody should be celebrating the deaths of innocent people.

Absolutely this. It must be collective though, all of Europe, Australia, NZ, and other sensible democracies. I think the next week or so is going to be very interesting though, and I think we'll see some unexpected alliances.

The answer was in SoG's link. Donny's rating is well below Zelensky's. His ego will be all bruised by that and Zelensky telling the world what we all know.

I'd love to know Donny's popularity rating in the US now. I'd hazard a guess it's lower than Zelensky's.

I think it's more of a Trump/Putin relationship, and a shared support of authoritarianism and push back against democracy. Zelensky rightly hit back against Trump, and he's reacted with both barrels. What matters now is the reactions of leaders of civilised democracies, but I think there will be some very interesting alignments coming up.

Will we be seeing BRICSUSA+ anytime soon?

Jesus fecking Christ. The bloke has lost it. If he ever had it. "Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left," US President Donald Trump says in a post on Truth Social. Labelling Zelensky "a dictator", Trump writes: "I love Ukraine, but Zelensky has done a terrible job, his country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died." Trump has also taken a swipe at Europe, saying the war in Ukraine is "far more important to Europe than it is to us". "We have a big, beautiful ocean as a separation," he says. He adds that Europe has "failed to bring peace" in the region.

People are in love with the notion that we're stronger than we are, and that stronger nations are weaker than they are. Realism has been lost on many.

Cap in hand. Behave. They have a supply line that Ukraine don't. If he need the goods, and get them, it doesn't matter whether anyone else respects your dealer.

Exactly. People on here are not playing the tape forward with realism. People point to North Korean arms support as a negative, but the reality is that they supply more than us and Europe. Throw Iranian and Chinese supply on top and we're massively out produced.

I think you're overlooking the inevitably for Ukraine. They are losing with US support, and will lose without it. Despite your optimism, Europe cannot arm Ukraine, and if they try to do so, they'll be left with next to nothing. European support without the US for an ongoing war just won't happen imo. The harsh choice for Ukraine is concede on the least unfavourable terms or fight on and lose more. Europe will be boxed into an uncomfortable corner - back a concession or fund and potentially man a fight. This will end the way it was always going to, albeit in a manner nobody expected courtesy of mad Donny.

Morally they shouldn't, but in reality they will. If they fight on without US support they'll lose a hell of a lot. If the rest of Europe support them they'll struggle, and the rest of the Europe will be left so depleted doing so that they'll be vulnerable. They'll do a deal that involves the ceding of some land as the lesser of two evils.

There is no doubt they're weaker, but I'm not persuaded they're weaker (at least personnel wise) than Europe. There's also no doubt that Europe are significantly weaker hardware wise, and that Russia have been able to replenish moreso than Europe. We can't get away from the fact that we've been told that we need to boost European military big time to out muscle Russia. The US hold the aces here, and sadly they have a leader willing to shaft everyone else to get what he wants.

You've said similar throughout. I'm not sure that even our military leaders share your confidence.

To an extent, yes, but Trump wants a bit of Ukraine and to get that he needs Russia out of the way, thus it seems to be a chat to see what Russia will take to get out and stay out. I think it's more a mutual nest feathering exercise than PR.

That's all assumption. Unless and until we're told what principles were discussed today, we won't know current positions and whether any concessions were given or indicated as a possibility. That said, I'm convinced that Ukraine will get absolutely shafted in this, and will retain 'sovereignty' but at enormous financial expense. The latter will come with security guarantees of sorts assuming it gives US financial guarantees. Russia get land, US get to to rape and pillage Ukraine, and Ukraine remains but will be about as free as a caged canary.

Unusually we agree. The fact is that NaTo have not been a threat to Russia. Nor have Ukraine. The two combined wouldn't be, unless Russia attacked and NATO Ukraine came to it's rescue.

How do you know their demands before today, and now? That said, i think today was probably little more than a surface scratching exercise anyway.

Alas, yes.