US threatens to shut off Starlink if Ukraine won't sign minerals deal

[happycamper]

On 2/27/2025 at 5:16 PM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

We will see.  The "security" comes from heavy US presence and 350 billion to arm and rebuild them.  Beats the fuck out of Europe just twiddling their thumbs and not able to agree on anything.

More positive momentum.  Looks like the meeting with Starmer went really well.  

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/trump-starmer-meeting

And call it what you want, it beats the ever living fuck out of the Biden admin wanting for pressure/force them to open the draft to 18-24 year olds.  

Peace seems inevitable at this point.  Lasting peace seems more likely than at any point during the war.

Things are progressing.

 

Is it? Halfman this is zero agreement with Russia. Russia has not backed down on any of their demands of territory they have been unable to take. There are no "security guarantees" at stake, at all at this point. 

Trump unilaterally dropped a requirement that Russia retreat to 2014 or 2021 borders. That's the biggest bargaining chip we had had, gone. Russia's position that they can't end the war without all of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts is impossible. It has about a million civilian Ukrainians, the most built-up defenses in Ukraine, and gives Russia territory on the west bank of the Dneipr. 

Without American boots in Ukraine, that position fatally weakens Ukraine.  

Halfman. Use your eyes

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 12:11 AM, The San Diegan said:

Honestly, Russia doesn't deserve a win. They don't deserve jack fucking shit other than a regime change.

Ok.  But without them being able to claim a win...there is no peace.  

I value the end to the loss of life...right now....more

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 5:42 AM, happycamper said:

Is it? Halfman this is zero agreement with Russia. Russia has not backed down on any of their demands of territory they have been unable to take. There are no "security guarantees" at stake, at all at this point. 

Trump unilaterally dropped a requirement that Russia retreat to 2014 or 2021 borders. That's the biggest bargaining chip we had had, gone. Russia's position that they can't end the war without all of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson oblasts is impossible. It has about a million civilian Ukrainians, the most built-up defenses in Ukraine, and gives Russia territory on the west bank of the Dneipr. 

Without American boots in Ukraine, that position fatally weakens Ukraine.  

Halfman. Use your eyes

We dropped a requirement that we could never ever ever ever enforce.

That requirements is one of a never ending war.

 

[happycamper]

On 2/28/2025 at 7:45 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

We dropped a requirement that we could never ever ever ever enforce.

That requirements is one of a never ending war.

 

What the fuck are you talking about

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 5:50 AM, happycamper said:

What the fuck are you talking about

Return to pressure 2014 borders that the Biden administration required to end the war.  Keep up homie

[halfmanhalfbronco]

I mean how hard is this to understand.

Trumps idea is to buy peace.  And it seems he has gotten it to the point that It is palatable TO ALL PARTIESS.  At least right now.  On the surface.

Biden only had one plan.  Never ending war and pressuring Ukraine to make a huge sacrifice instead of a huge check.

Don't let your hatred of Trump blind you.

This is fucking remarkable that it looks like the war is winding down

 

[happycamper]

On 2/28/2025 at 7:52 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Return to pressure 2014 borders that the Biden administration required to end the war.  Keep up homie

Halfman, lay off the sauce, or whatever it is you can take now.

Neither the Trump nor the Biden administration have "requirements to end the war". We do not have the power to end the war. Period. Only Russia does. 

We gave arms to Ukraine while Russia's demands for peace, then, now, and always, have been impossible. Russia has NEVER had a stance that has allowed for peace.

My man. You're often smart. But in this, you're being either extremely stupid, or are choosing to be disingenuous. It has always been Russia's agresison that caused this war. It has been Russia's insane demands for talks - half of Ukraine, demilitarization of Ukraine, loss of Ukrainian sovereignty, millions of Ukrainian citizens they have not been able to capture, thousands of square miles of Ukrainian land leaving them vulnerable to a new invasion - that have been the sticking points.

It has never mattered if the US has had ANY requirements to "end the war". The entire time the war has been going on, Russia has been unwilling to end the war. What the US wants or demands didn't matter then, and guess what? It doesn't really matter now. 

[happycamper]

On 2/28/2025 at 8:03 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

I mean how hard is this to understand.

Trumps idea is to buy peace.  And it seems he has gotten it to the point that It is palatable TO ALL PARTIESS.  At least right now.  On the surface.

Biden only had one plan.  Never ending war and pressuring Ukraine to make a huge sacrifice instead of a huge check.

Don't let your hatred of Trump blind you.

This is fucking remarkable that it looks like the war is winding down

 

Haflman, we've gone in circles on this.

I have linked over and over Russian unwillingness to negotiate. I've linked Zelensky's softening rhetoric. I've linked analyses that point to the Russian manpower shortage, DIB, and economic crisis becoming catastrophic in the near term, allowing for a true armistice. Russia's whole game, since the early blitz didn't work, was to outlast the west's assistance. They know they can't sustain operations in Ukraine indefinitely. 

To this, you have brought lies, bullshit, and what you want to be true because it would be convenient for special little halfman to be smarter than everyone else. 

You're not. You're deluding yourself. Good day. 

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:05 AM, happycamper said:

Halfman, lay off the sauce, or whatever it is you can take now.

Neither the Trump nor the Biden administration have "requirements to end the war". We do not have the power to end the war. Period. Only Russia does. 

We gave arms to Ukraine while Russia's demands for peace, then, now, and always, have been impossible. Russia has NEVER had a stance that has allowed for peace.

My man. You're often smart. But in this, you're being either extremely stupid, or are choosing to be disingenuous. It has always been Russia's agresison that caused this war. It has been Russia's insane demands for talks - half of Ukraine, demilitarization of Ukraine, loss of Ukrainian sovereignty, millions of Ukrainian citizens they have not been able to capture, thousands of square miles of Ukrainian land leaving them vulnerable to a new invasion - that have been the sticking points.

It has never mattered if the US has had ANY requirements to "end the war". The entire time the war has been going on, Russia has been unwilling to end the war. What the US wants or demands didn't matter then, and guess what? It doesn't really matter now. 

Happy, lay off the personal insults when you start a response.  It makes you look small.

And yes.  The Biden administration in their published God damn statements said the restoration of pre 2014 borders is a requirement.

What matters is what is happening RIGHT NOW.  And right now the consensus is the war is at BY FAR the closest it has ever been to winding down.

And guess what, it DOES MATTER WHAT THE US WANTS.  Fact.

 

.   

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:07 AM, happycamper said:

Haflman, we've gone in circles on this.

I have linked over and over Russian unwillingness to negotiate. I've linked Zelensky's softening rhetoric. I've linked analyses that point to the Russian manpower shortage, DIB, and economic crisis becoming catastrophic in the near term, allowing for a true armistice. Russia's whole game, since the early blitz didn't work, was to outlast the west's assistance. They know they can't sustain operations in Ukraine indefinitely. 

To this, you have brought lies, bullshit, and what you want to be true because it would be convenient for special little halfman to be smarter than everyone else. 

You're not. You're deluding yourself. Good day. 

Keep up or shut up, happy.  You are so full of shit.

I have posted links over and over showing how wrong you are.

What was it that got you to flip from your previous statements on this thread?  My criticism of Biden?

[azgreg]

On 2/28/2025 at 5:10 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Happy, lay off the personal insults when you start a response.  It makes you look small.  

 

On 2/28/2025 at 5:11 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

Keep up or shut up, happy.  You are so full of shit.

 

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:17 AM, azgreg said:

 

 

One is not like the other

[azgreg]

On 2/28/2025 at 5:18 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

One is not like the other

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:18 AM, azgreg said:

No, implying to start a a dialogue that one's posts are the result of one's past he has shared is BS.

And nothing like saying to keep up on the news.

It was a direct attempt to deligitimize my dialog by bringing up a hard part of my past because he is losing a debate

[halfmanhalfbronco]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:24 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

No, implying to start a a dialogue that one's posts are the result of one's past he has shared is BS.

And nothing like saying to keep up on the news.

It was a direct attempt to deligitimize my dialog by bringing up a hard part of my past because he is losing a debate

I won't have my dialogue deligitamzed based on my shared past.  My shared past has helped saved posters here.  I have written letters to judges for posters here, I have spent hours on the phone.  I have gotten a poster into rehab. I have stayed on the phone with multiple posters when they needed a voice.

I shared my story to save lives. And it has.  I will not tolerate that being used as a cudgel to deligitamze my arguments.

It only gets brought up when the opposing poster is losing an argument.

 

[halfmanhalfbronco]

@happycamper's only response to getting his ass handed to him was to go petty  and while going petty directly contractided his prior statements.

if you can't beat em, go low. Right?

American boots on the ground...lmao

[bornontheblue]

On 2/28/2025 at 6:50 AM, halfmanhalfbronco said:

American boots on the ground...lmao

Was he fn serious? 
 

Trump must not do something good so American troops must die to prevent it . 
 

Stage 10 TDS. 
 

 

[AlpineSummer]

I won't give away the conclusion/preference of the author, high level adviser in the NSC for the Biden Admin., but it's a free article and fleshes out options. 

https://www.foreignaffairs.com/russia/ukraine-war-strategy-negotiations-thomas-wright

There isn't any analysis of Trump's decision-making.  So, the shiny fake objects deal-making (rare earth minerals, etc.) of recent news aren't much of a thing.  There is a brief reference to this, but that's all.  

[AlpineSummer]

On 2/27/2025 at 7:36 PM, The San Diegan said:

In the end, if a deal is tabled that Ukrainian leadership is willing to sign off on, that is all that matters.

When asked for how long Ukraine should keep fighting, I have always maintained they should keep fighting as long as they want to. The converse is certainly true as well.

That being said, nothing is done until it is inked. The impulsive and transactional nature of 47 can be both a blessing and impediment in this regard.

I think the notion that Trump's psychological make up might prove a blessing is pretty much just hopeful.  I mean, it could factor positively, but some blind squirrels have two nuts. 

Zelensky in D.C. right now.  News will be of interest, and Trump will wave more shiny objects.  I suppose if oil, gas, pipelines, ports, etc. are part of a deal that may be positive. The rare earths appear a snipe hunt.

Wire flash as I post -- LNG terminals mentioned.  I expect more. 
 

 

[InnZoneU]

On 2/28/2025 at 8:55 AM, AlpineSummer said:

I think the notion that Trump's psychological make up might prove a blessing is pretty much just hopeful.  I mean, it could factor positively, but some blind squirrels have two nuts. 

Zelensky in D.C. right now.  News will be of interest, and Trump will wave more shiny objects.  I suppose if oil, gas, pipelines, ports, etc. are part of a deal that may be positive. The rare earths appear a snipe hunt.

Wire flash as I post -- LNG terminals mentioned.  I expect more. 
 

 

Sounds like the meeting today between Fat Hitler and Z and Maybeline was absolute fire.

Going well, lol.