re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

quote:

---

The issue is that fundamentally, the Ukrainians do not feel they are losing.

---

They are losing land slowly, but surely. They are losing men and women. Many of their people are being crippled, maimed, or left hungry or cold.

Billions of dollars are being spent to protect themselves instead of being spent to improve their status of life.

But a lot of this could be said about Russia. They aren’t losing land, but they are losing more people than Ukraine and their economy is really being hurt.

It’s apparent to me that both sides have very good reasons to sign a peace deal, but I can’t see Ukraine leaving themselves unprotected; nor can I see them giving away land that thousands died to defend and that Russia has failed to take.

I criticized Trump yesterday, but I may have jumped to conclusions. We may be genuinely trying to mediate this thing and not ram a bad deal down Ukraine’s throat.

quote:

---

That isn’t really a plan

---

Didn't claim it was a "plan"

quote:

---

I think Ukraine should give up more than they would really like to now to end this and try to salvage their future population as best they can

---

People think the Ukrainians aren't willing to give up land - they are. Consistent polling on the Ukrainian side shows they'd happily give up the land if they had actual security guarantees, something the Russians consistently say they won't allow. So, again, the problems aren't with the Ukrainians, it with the Russians and their obvious damands of neutering the Ukrainians military, not allowing American weapons on European land, etc.

The problem is squarely with the Russians.

quote:

---

There's a good guy in this and a bad guy


People who think this way will never accomplish anything in regards with Russia unless you are willing to send in NATO troops to crush them.

---

We've tried the 'nuanced' version of this. Multiple presidents from both sides of the isle tried it that way and it was pointless and humiliating for them. It's led to the Russians starting 10 wars and conducting open genocide in front of our eyes. It's led to the constant comparisons to WWII that you so understandably are tired of.

If you think that Putin is anything other than a soulless killer, you haven't been paying attention. It's time to put the Russians in their place and make sure they know the West is sick of their shite and that can be accomplished by actually giving the Ukrainians the support and guarantees that nobody seems to be willing to do.

Apparently confirmed by ISW. Ukraine is in a lot of trouble on the Zaporizhia front.

just before Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump...

Witkoff Discusses Ukraine Plans With Key Putin Aide: Transcript

Sad news for Russia's railway system:

Reuters

Russia weighs how to prop up Russian Railways which is $51 billion in debt

quote:

---

MOSCOW, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Russia's government is discussing different ways to prop up Russian Railways, the country's biggest commercial employer, which has built up a 4 trillion rouble ($50.8 billion) debt pile, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

State-owned Russian Railways, which employs about 700,000 people, has suffered a fall in revenues amid a sharp slowdown in Russia's war economy while debt costs have soared, driven by the highest interest rates in two decades.

---

quote:

---

It was unclear what the final decision of the government would be as there were differences of opinion on what to do between representatives of the finance, economy, transport and trade ministries, one of the sources said.

---

quote:

---

For 2024, Russian Railways reported revenues of 3.3 trillion roubles and expenditure of 2.8 trillion roubles under international standards.

In its financial statement for the first six months of 2025, the company reported net debt of 3.3 trillion roubles as of June 30, including 1.8 trillion roubles of short-term debt.

It was not clear why the debt had soared about 0.7 trillion roubles in just half a year.

---

Pretty much what my Russian friend predicted in 2022.

quote:

---

Is Witkoff really a Russian spy?

---

I genuinely believe he is.

Witkof went to the negotiations without a translator and used one provided by the Kremlin. (LOL here's the wikipedia page on him, it's got his name in cyrillic: Steve Witkof)

You might believe he's stupid, but no. The man is incredibly successful and that includes the international market. In no universe does this man go into an international negotiation with his own money on the line and not bring his own translator.

He's got to be a Russian agent, I honestly see no other explanation.