re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Over two-thirds of Ukrainians trust Zelenskyy – survey

Iryna Balachuk — Thursday, 27 March 2025, 11:16

As of March, the level of trust in President Volodymyr Zelenskyy remains quite high, with 69% of Ukrainians expressing confidence in Zelenskyy.

Source: a survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS), conducted from 12 to 22 March

Quote from KIIS: "As of the second half of March 2025, 69% of Ukrainians trust President Zelenskyy, do not trust – 28%. The balance of trust-distrust is +41%."



Ukrainska Pravda

Leaders from 31 countries gather for Paris summit to strengthen support for Ukraine, discuss peace

by Tim Zadorozhnyy March 27, 2025 2:12 PM

Leaders from 31 countries gathered in Paris on March 27 to coordinate military aid for Ukraine and discuss steps toward a just and lasting peace, the Ukrainian presidential office reported.

The summit, co-led by French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, follows Starmer's March 2 proposal to form a "coalition of the willing" to support Ukraine.

Discussions will reportedly center on sustaining military aid, strengthening Ukraine's defense industry, and negotiating potential ceasefire mechanisms.

The leaders will also discuss the possibility of deploying a peacekeeping force to Ukraine with U.S. support as part of a future peace agreement. Starmer previously stressed that the coalition would need "strong U.S. backing" to succeed.

The coalition aims to form a "reassurance force" as a key security guarantee for Ukraine. Members who are reluctant to send their own troops to Ukraine can instead deploy soldiers to neighboring countries or provide ships, aircraft, intelligence, tanks, or other support.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on Feb. 24 that Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a settlement. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly rejected the idea.

The Kyiv Independent

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Russia is the invader, obviously they are to blame for plenty themselves

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“Plenty”?????

How about just about everything.

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to what end?

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Their resistance and sacrifice and performance on the battlefield has improved their position at the negotiating table.

The terms being discussed currently are an order of magnitude better than what Russia was willing to accept 3 years ago. Essentially Ukraine has guaranteed its own sovereignty through 3 years of war.

That was literally the point all along. Seems to me they've done very well at that.

The secondary benefit -- for all of Ukraine's allies -- is that Ukraine is now the most technologically savy army in the world. They have made incredible advnaces in drone warfare, counter electronic warfare, data integration, etc.

Once this war is over -- or at least paused -- Ukraine will be essentially immune to further Russian agression. And all of western Europe is no rearming itself to begin taking care of their own defenses. Which is a huge positive for the US.

So I think Ukraine has accomplished a lot. And way more than anyone expected of them.

So why don't you flip that criticism around. Russia launced a war to take Ukraine under its orbit and turn them into another Belarus. They failed. So now Putin has 20% of a neighbor. And he basically destroyed it to get it. There are 20 million land mines out there. One million dead and maimed men. Another million traumatized by war. Hundreds of thousands of acres of No Man's Land. Cities that have to be rebuilt.

What did Russia achieve other than hastening its own inevitable demographic collapse? It lost its biggest customers for its biggest products. It shifted its entire economy from civil development to war materials production.

It didn't threaten its own long term viability. It guaranteed its own irrelevance.

To what end? What is the upside of this war for Putin? What is the upside for the common Russian citizen still waiting on plumbing and dental care?

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The terms being discussed currently are an order of magnitude better than what Russia was willing to accept 3 years ago

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Incorrect. It's the same deal that was almost signed in Istanbul 3 years ago. Why do you continue to tell lies?

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Istanbul analysis

Let’s see if Ukraine gets a better deal than the we 2022 deal if there is a deal at all.

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If the war gets a pause, that just gives Putin time to build up for a less inept attack for when he inevitably restarts his war again

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I think that was the case maybe a year or two ago. But I no longer feel that way.

Ukraine's defense industry has made astonishing leaps (helped greatly by the fact that the CIA and DIA are fully integrated into their production). They have built the largest most sophisticated 155mm shell production facility in the world. They are now making enough shells to sustain their needs. So that the 100k a month we are producing by the end of this year will be able to backfill our inventory.

They are producing one of their own design 155 mobile howitzer battery every day. Like 300 per year.

They are making their own cruise missiles. drones, AAA systems, etc. Not to mention F-16s which are beginning to come online with trained pilots this year. Ukraine will soon be stacked.

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It's the same deal that was almost signed in Istanbul 3 years ago

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Nope.

The reason that Ukraine walked away was the following:

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Ukraine disarm almost completely and commit never to fielding a military capable of defending the
country. The draft agreement specifically imposed the following caps on the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

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Less than 100,000 men at arms, and the inability to join any defensive alliances. And the inability to host any foreign soildiers. PLUS having to have Russia and China approve their response to any foreign adversary invading them (making Russia and China their "security guarantee partners"). That deal essentially removes Ukraine sovereignty.

The deals on the table now don't require that. So "why do you lie?" We know why. Because you are paid to do so. And paid poorly.

Signing that deal would have guaranteed that Russia would just roll in at their

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to what end?

Their resistance and sacrifice and performance on the battlefield has improved their position at the negotiating table.

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Post of the month. Thanks.