re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The next Ramstein meeting starts tomorrow, only this one isn't actually at Ramstein, because tomorrow and Wednesday is the annual meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

The last Ramstein meeting featured a lot of drama, as Germany played the part of a diva. I don't expect that this time, but I do expect the discussion to sort out NATO's future aviation donations to Ukraine, even if big announcements are unlikely tomorrow.

With the anniversary of the invasion just ten days in the future, I think that a lot of nations may hold off on the actual announcements until then. With President Biden heading to Poland for the anniversary (presumably to meet with Zelensky), I am sure that the US will wait to announce anything (though details may leak).

The one-year anniversary of the invasion will cause a number of retrospective pieces in the news media, as people look back at tragedies such as Bucha and victories such as the sinking of the Moskva.

I feel sure that NATO in general, and Biden in particular, are going to want to make a big statement -- to tell both Ukraine and Russia that our support is not wavering, and our resolve has not weakened. When Zelensky came to Washington, the result was the donation of the Patriot missile battery, and this meeting will also result in a "splashy" donation. As I said in another post, I think that there are three options to do that:

1) ATACMS
2) F-16s
3) A lot of heavy armor (e.g. 200 more Bradleys)

I'm curious if y'all have any predictions.