re: Latest Updates: Russia-Ukraine Conflict.

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Unlike the idiots pulling Biden's strings, Trump won't advertise to the Russians what's coming.

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So we aren’t telling the Russians our plans now?

He's the reason they have been at war since 2014! Selective memory from irrational people.

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You do know that the Steele Dossier was proven FALSE. OML alt alt.

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Not the entire thing... a lot of it was proven to be true, a lot of it was probably Russian misinformation meant to screw with everybody.

But we're not supposed to be going over all of that again in this thread, are we?

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I think there probably is (or was) some kind of deal where we could get Russia to stop, though I'm not going to pretend that is definitely the case (like some here will do in saying there definitely wasn't an offramp, despite no way of actually knowing that).

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As much as anyone I hope Putin takes a deal.

But Trump has tried to get a deal he put Zelenskyy in his place.

Putin has kept going.

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But if there wasn't, then I guess we might as well take advantage of the situation.

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Yup that's where I am.
Trump tried.

The problem is that he has gone full OML about Trump. It Trump is not your cup of tea, I have no problem with that. If Trump is your cup of tea, I have no problem with that. Just never go full OML

WION: ‘Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow?’: Trump asked Zelensky about deep strikes inside Russia to ‘make them feel pain’ — Here’s how Zelensky responded

During a phone call on 4 July, Trump asked, “Volodymyr, can you hit Moscow? Can you hit St Petersburg too?” Zelensky is said to have replied, “Absolutely. We can if you give us the weapons.” Sources told the Financial Times that Trump appeared to back the idea, saying it was part of a plan to “make them [Russians] feel the pain” and pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations. The call took place just one day after Trump had a “bad” phone call with Putin.

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, JULY 15, 2025
Jul 15, 2025 - ISW Press


Olivia Gibson, Christina Harward, Angelica Evans, Jessica Sobieski, and George Barros with Nate Trotter

July 15, 2025, 6:15 pm ET

Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.

Click here to see ISW's interactive map of Ukraine's offensive in Kursk Oblast.

Click here to see ISW’s 3D control of terrain topographic map of Ukraine. Use of a computer (not a mobile device) is strongly recommended for using this data-heavy tool.

Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse map archive monthly.

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 12 pm ET on July 15. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the July 16 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment.

Kremlin officials dismissed US President Donald Trump's demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days while promoting claims that Russia can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its war aims. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Kremlin newswire TASS on July 15 that Russia views any attempt to make demands of Russia, "especially ultimatums," as "unacceptable."[1] Ryabkov noted that Russia is ready to negotiate and prefers a diplomatic solution to its war in Ukraine, but will continue to pursue its war aims militarily if the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) do not take Russia's demands seriously. Ryabkov stated that Russia's position is "unshakable." Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed Ryabkov's statements, claiming that Russia is ready to participate in a third round of Ukraine-Russia bilateral negotiations but blamed Ukraine for the lack of progress towards the next round of talks.[2] Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev posted on his English-language X (formerly Twitter) account, claiming that "Russia didn't care" about Trump's "ultimatum."[3] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed confidence that Russia will be able to cope with US tariffs, as Russia is already "coping" with prior sanctions.[4] A Just Russia Party Leader and Duma Deputy, Sergei Mironov, claimed that potential tariffs will not affect the course or goals of Russia's war in Ukraine.[5] Russian President Vladimir Putin has yet to officially respond to Trump and is likely attempting to identify which narratives could convince Trump not to follow through with secondary tariffs in early September 2025.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's theory of victory continues to drive his unwillingness to compromise on his pre-war demand for Ukraine's capitulation. Reuters, citing three unspecified sources close to the Kremlin, reported on July 15 that Putin intends to continue the war in Ukraine until the West concedes to his demands, is unfazed by US President Donald Trump's threats of secondary tariffs, and may expand his territorial demands as Russian forces continue their advances on the battlefield.[6] Reuters' sources noted that Putin is resolved to continue his war, as he believes Russia can endure any further economic hardship that the West imposes. One source told Reuters that Putin believes that none of Russia's diplomatic engagements thus far have included detailed discussions on a peace plan for Ukraine, so Putin "will continue until he gets what he wants." The sources told Reuters that Putin's demands for a potential settlement are the same as his demands from 2021 and at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022 - demands that the Kremlin has repeatedly cited throughout over three years of war.[7] ISW continues to assess that Putin holds a theory of victory that posits that Russia can achieve its war aims by continuing to make creeping gains on the battlefield indefinitely and outlasting Western support for Ukraine and Ukraine's ability to defend itself.[8] Western economic pressure, combined with sustained Western military support to Ukraine, is necessary to enable Ukrainian forces to inflict battlefield losses on Russia to force Putin to reassess his calculation and engage substantively in peace negotiations to end the war.[9]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new appointments within the Ukrainian government. On July 14, Zelensky announced that he nominated current Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko as prime minister and noted that Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal's robust experience would be well suited for the role of defense minister.[10] Shmyhal later resigned from his position as prime minister on July 15.[11] Zelensky has yet to formalize these reassignments with an official decree as of this writing.

Key Takeaways:

Kremlin officials dismissed US President Donald Trump's demand that Russia agree to a ceasefire agreement in Ukraine within 50 days while promoting claims that Russia can withstand economic pressure and remains committed to achieving its war aims.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's theory of victory continues to drive his unwillingness to compromise on his pre-war demand for Ukraine's capitulation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced new appointments within the Ukrainian government.
Ukrainian forces recently advanced in northern Sumy Oblast. Russian forces recently advanced near Kupyansk, Borova, and Toretsk.


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I am sure that the majority of those called "other Europe and other" are also Greek ship owners. This is how the modern shipping business is structured.

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They're actually from all over: the UK, Germany, Norway, Italy, etc. The thing is that in all of these cases, the number of ships sold to the shadow fleet is small. We're talking about 2-3 ships. Greek shipping oligarchs sold Putin 140 oil tankers. There is simply no comparison.

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As Aristotle Onassis said, “the rules are, there are no rules.”

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So it all ended with Trump extending an American security umbrella over Moscow. Amazing.

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Guess Medvedev was right about the “theatrical ultimatum.”

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The Ukrainians will target Moscow anyway and the Russians will ignore Trump's ultimatum.

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Here's the good news -

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The key gain this week is that the Europeans can buy American weapons that Kyiv needs. It's transactional, but useful. The rest is meaningless word salad.

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Let's see what TACO does in regards to allowing US military equipment to be sold to the countries supporting Ukraine. We know what he said, let's see what he does.

I know people get pissed off at criticism of Trump, but this, ladies and gentlemen, is the acid test. If TACO backs down and stops these sales or limits them to meaningless items, we know who is in control of the White House. If full sales go through, I'll gladly offer my mea culpas. Happily. But if they are blocked, it's time for some of us to re-evaluate our view of Donald Trump in the light of reality.

Tick tock.

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