The article raises questions about possible developments in 2025.
Of course, a new US President brings new changes. But Russia and Ukraine have their own interests and agendas. It’s unlikely there will be any quick solution.
Of course if his choices are reduced to
- Accept a negotiated peace with flimsy guarantees while the West is still paying some attention to Ukraine’s plight.
OR - Hold out for better and simply be defeated on the battlefield as the West walks away (or is led away by Putin’s stooges, trump to the fore).
then Deal #1 might start looking pretty attractive.
As always in the raw part of human affairs, you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you have the power to get/take.
I wouldn’t be surprised if our new President cancels some Russian sanctions.
As a twisted incentive to kick start peace talks.
AFAIK the President has that power?
I think it’s a bad idea, but I’m not making those decisions.
I’ve probably mentioned this before in this or another Ukraine-related thread, but the Dopers here in this thread would probably enjoy the blog I posted about here:
Ukraine has captured 2 N Koreans. It’s been difficult because they’re killed by their own forces to avoid capture.
Does anyone know if Lockheed Martin has upped the production of HIMARS and ATACMS missiles?
According to this source, production of HIMARS was “on track” to have doubled from 48 launcher trucks to 96 (per year) just recently. Not sure whether Lockheed actually did reach that target goal though.
This link below says that ATACMS production has increased too.
The PrSM is in low rate production. ATACMS is still a viable weapon. Production continues for both US and Foreign Military Sales.
“The Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) is replacing the MGM-140 ATACMS missile in the U.S. Army. The PrSM is a short-range ballistic missile that’s faster, slimmer, and has a longer range than the ATACMS.”
It’s not really regional, but not really war news, so I guess this story belongs here. It’s not unexpected, but still disturbing that Russia would whitewash their past.
Probably a real accident. The Russians nearly got in their lifeboats.
I wonder if they had a way to scuttle the ship? Keep what’s on board out of NATO’s hands? Unfortunately we’ll never know.
I know the US didn’t take similar action with the USS Pueblo in 1968. N. Korea embarrassed the US with photos.
Denmark is now spending much more heavily on defense.
The problem is the production side.
You can show up with the money, but end up behind many others in a long waiting list that is many years long. Especially the " cutting edge " stuff. Even a lot of the basic stuff is backed up by slow production. Or having to restart production. And it is a mostly for profit system. So if there are a lot of buyers with limited production, prices go up.
Countries need to strike a balance of free enterprise and solid production systems. Maybe just put out the development contracts. Once the profit motivated folks have come up with the thing you want, they get a good payday. But then the state takes over to produce the thing. Pay a royalty back per unit. Probably pay for the designers to keep up a service contract. Build flexible production facilities that can be changed quickly to make different items. Robots, computers, modular assembly lines.
A few things are state produced. But not enough. Also keep it in country. Put your money back into your industry as much as you can.
Building up a military to e.g. double its current capability is the work of a decade or two. Not a year or two. Getting a bunch of new rifle-toters is easy enough. Getting them enough trucks and rifle ammunition is harder. Getting the whole country all the rest of what it takes to be an effective army / navy / air force, not just an mostly-effective vandalizing force like Russia has, is a far larger order.
Looks like Zelensky didn’t properly kowtow to Trump.
I’m sure Trump was just looking for an excuse to stop supporting Ukraine.
I wonder if China will try and become the peace maker now? It would be a power move for the ages.
They already have Russia on a leash. And the U.S. is the weakest it’s been since before WWII.
I think the words that fit better there are “terms dictator”.
China will not be being nice to be nice. They will be pursuing a solution advantageous to them and ideally disadvantageous to everyone else. And doing so in a manner with Chinese characteristics.
Of course, but their prize is to replace the US as the leaders of the free world
What odds the Chinese offer to fund and equip Ukraine in place of the USA? Just imagine how that could shake up and realign the world.