re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

There was no concern about the Soviet conquering Europe to threaten attacking the US, it was about need of trading partners and the USSR wasn't a trading partner

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There was no concern about the Soviet conquering Europe to threaten attacking the US, it was about need of trading partners and the USSR wasn't a trading partner

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I disagree with that assessment. European countries were our trading partners by default because they had nowhere else to turn at the time, immediately after the war... at one point, later, they actually had to implement high tariffs on American goods so European industry could even exist and get back off the ground

By the traditions of the time up until then, they believed at the end of the war that they'd all become colonies of the US, or states. When we detailed a plan to bail out their economies and get their countries and governments back in working shape they couldn't believe it (The Russians got so pissed they stormed out of Breton Woods and began plotting how to ensnare the countries they thought they had a claim to whichever way they could... the British were pissed because they thought we'd fund rebuilding Europe and give it to the them, for some reason).

We set up "Globalism," which economically was not completely in our interest (as half the posters on this board scream every day). We didn't force them all to trade with us, only... we set them up trading WITH EACH OTHER... and anybody else. We linked them all together economically, and security-wise, and eliminated their needs for fighting with each other like they'd done for the preceding length of recorded history. Notably, learning from the "mistake" made with Germany at the end of WWI (the war taking place away from the German population, which meant they didn't realize they'd actually been defeated and just thought it was some political failure, then the harsh economic punishment made them want to refight the war...) so we marched on Berlin from the West and met the Soviets who came in from the East... and once Hitler offed himself and his cadre was dealt with (at least the ones we didn't decide were useful in teh rocket race) and the German people understood the horror of the war and that they'd been defeated, we treated them pretty much like every other recovering country. Same with Japan, after a couple of atomic bombs and the Russians about to fight their way through the chain islands and divide the country... we handed the Emperor a Constitution we wrote ensuring Democracy in Japan, and it's still the one they have today. MacArthur was very kind to Japan in the immediate aftermath of the War. We didn't want to fight either of these countries again in a decade or two, so we set them up to be successful functioning Capitalist Democracies instead of the militaristic Empires they had been and rebuilt them... that was kind of selfless on our part, and it has paid off with these two countries, which we had fought probably the most awful war of all time against, being two of our most reliable and grateful allies.

If we had only been motivated by business, it would not have been something people can point to us "losing money"on. We were motivated by creating a lasting peace in Europe and the Pacific (that didn't completely work out)... and somewhat selfishly, because we wanted that to contain the Soviet Union, who officially earned "shite, next we have to deal with these guys" status at the Battle of Stalingrad, when we saw they were collectivist-minded like the Japanese and would sacrifice themselves, which confused and terrified us as the world's foremost individualists. By the thinking at that time, the threat was those millions of Soviets sweeping across Europe and having Naval and Air bases in France and the UK (and the British ships and planes that would come along with it...). Before WWII, we didn't give the Soviet Union much thought because it was basically a failing state... stuck in the 19th Century and seemingly ill-equipped to progress. But... we had helped them with military industrialization and broader things to fight the NAZIs... so we'd made our own new problem. And you can't look at our domestic history of the time and not conclude we didn't get crazy paranoid about the power of the Soviets instantly.

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EU tightens grip on frozen Russian assets, bypassing Hungary

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Terrific news. And let's not forget the portfolio return on this money, which should conservatively put $20-25 billion annually into the Ukrainian accounts. That's directly through ongoing loan agreements, collateral provided by That Genius Vladimir.

The Russians will never see the return of this money.

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Ukraine will receive around $5 billion worth of military equipment from U.S. stockpiles by the end of the year through the PURL program. This includes air defense systems, ammunition, and critical spare parts. The funding will come from EU allies, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, said NATO Deputy Sec Gen Radmila Šekerinska.

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Long-range drones from the SBU’s “Alfa” Special Operations Center struck the Filanovsky offshore oil platform, which belongs to the “Lukoil-Nizhevolzhneft” company.

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120,000 BPD production now offline. Depending how long offline will depend on how many of its wells will need to be reworked to restore flow.

He rambles sometimes

Zelenskyy records video from Kupiansk

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — 12 December, 14:49

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has visited the Kupiansk front, has recorded a video beside the city's half-destroyed entrance sign and has congratulated Ukraine's Ground Forces on their day.

Source: Zelenskyy on social media

Quote: "Today, I am on the Kupiansk front with our soldiers who are achieving results here for Ukraine. The Russians have said a lot about Kupiansk – we can see that. I have been here, I have congratulated the guys. I thank every unit, everyone who is fighting here, everyone who is destroying the occupier.

Today it is extremely important to achieve results in the field so that Ukraine can achieve results in diplomacy. That is exactly how it works: all our strong positions inside the country mean strong positions in talks about ending the war. I thank every soldier. I am proud of you. I thank all our Ground Forces – today is your day. Thank you, guys."

Details: Ukraine marks the Day of the Ground Forces on 12 December.

Ukrainska Pravda

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I just phoned a friend.
Russia rejects the peace plan. No surprise. Most objective observers knew they would.
Siversk still being contested and the Ukrainians aren’t collapsing.

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Key Takeaways
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov effectively rejected seven points of the US-proposed 28-point peace plan on December 11, including the original plan’s points on territorial swaps based on the line of contact and the provision of reliable security guarantees for Ukraine.
Lavrov’s December 11 statements indicate that the Kremlin is unwilling to accept the original 28-point peace plan but that Russia will instead demand further modifications should Ukraine agree to it.
Lavrov’s effective rejection of key elements of the 28-point peace plan is consistent with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s November 27 statement that the 28-point plan could be the basis for future negotiations, but not a final agreement in itself.
Senior Kremlin officials, including Putin, have similarly rejected key points of the 28-point plan in recent weeks.
The Kremlin claimed that Russian forces seized Siversk as part of the Kremlin’s intensified cognitive warfare effort that seeks to portray Ukraine’s frontline as on the verge of collapse, and Russian battlefield victory as inevitable. Neither is true, and the Russian seizure of Siversk is unconfirmed as of December 11.
The Kremlin is attempting to portray the claimed fall of Siversk as the start of the battle for Slovyansk – a battle the Kremlin has not set conditions on the ground to begin.
Putin’s December 11 meeting is part of a pattern of senior Russian officials aggrandizing claimed battlefield victories in the past several weeks to create the false perception that the frontlines are collapsing to push the West and Ukraine to capitulate to Russia’s demands. ISW continues to assess that the frontline in Ukraine is not facing imminent collapse. Russian forces are only making tactical gains across most of the theater.
Ukrainian forces struck an oil platform in the Caspian Sea for the first time and struck other Russian oil and defense industrial infrastructure on the night of December 10 to 11.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Pokrovsk. Russian forces recently advanced near Siversk.

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ISWlengthly report.