The Poolie Bunker

Trying to broker peace in Ukraine, hopefully achieves it and we can stop spending money we don't have, according to Rachel's Black Hole sums, on a war that looked like it was going to run and run.

And we are all so glad he's bringing back plastic straws and getting rid of 'exploding' paper straws.

I’ll applaud anyone who brings peace anywhere, I don’t let my politics come into play.

if he manages to do it he will never get the recognition he deserves for doing it and it will be seen in this country as a sell out to putin and we,ll have to find a new cause to support to give away our taxes on.

There'll be border changes with gains and losses for both sides for sure. Ukraine will not be allowed to join NATO for sure. But there'll be a negotiated settlement as there eventually is in all wars, the sooner the better and credit where it's due if it comes about. Biden wasn't doing a lot to achieve peace anywhere was he?

And that's exactly how things should be in this horrible war ridden shithole.

Would you trust the Russians to honour any kind of cease fire, it gives them a chance to rebuild their armoury and personal. If Putin dies there might be chance but while he is still on the planet I wouldn’t trust him to honour any kind of treaty, wishful thinking for many.
No different from Israel conflict, as long as the state of Israel exists certain countries like Iran would want it wiped of the face of the earth.

Spot on. No way in a million years should Ukraine be allowed into NATO. Sleepy Biden and his evil accult only wanted Ukraine in NATO to use it to position missiles all along the border to Russia. This whole situation was pushed by the west for this one and only goal hence the mega bucks thrown at it. People really should forget about the bullshit politics and concentrate on the real goings on in this World.

I'd don't get that and never have....why would they want missiles along the Russian border when they have missiles called intercontinental ballistic missiles??

Understand what you are saying Accy, But Trump is an out and out Businessman, He also answers questions from the heart, Which gets him some flack which some jump on cause its all they think of.
As Snowy said above if anyone can stop destruction and death in this world then they should be listened to.

Think half the trouble being caused is by NATO.
And as for Biden he is a real nasty piece of work.

We all know not to trust Putin. But I wouldnt cross Trump Jamie.

As for Iran they are well aware of the consequences that lay in wait.

They get there quicker.

https://youtu.be/iMUAaWK79Vc?si=U-5ynr2BMhsnV2qn

Douglas Macgregor former USA General. A man who tells it like it is. Hope this helps.

People forget that when the Russians put Missiles in Cuba, the Americans nearly went to war in 1963…..the Russians the backed down…but they didn’t actually ….they reached a behind the scenes agreement for the Americans for the US to remove their missiles that they had based in Turkey. which was literally on their doorstep.
Problem solved.
They do like sympathetic neighbours.
Russians are paranoid about having buffer states between them and the west, which is why they actually fear NATO.

Hear,Hear...and strange as it seems it will piss some people off because they just want him to fail at whatever he does..

Ukraine in some respects getting the upper hand now having developed long range drones which are attacking Russian infrastructure, oil and gas installations etc. Both sides more Russia has suffered huge losses neither is going to lie down.

Like they did in the Second World War, but eventually their sheer bulk ground their enemy down.

Same reason as Amazon have warehouses all over the place

Seriously though, One big reason is that much of the world has allowed the United States to take on a large portion of their defence in exchange for allowing us to station troops there. For instance, of the 32 members of NATO, only about 5 reach the required threshold of spending 2% of their GDP on defence. Most of them have allowed the US to take the burden of defence in exchange for not having to spend that money. Similarly, Japan since WW2 is mostly demilitarized and relies on the US for defence.

This is largely a win-win situation for all sides, as it allows the US to project power across the globe and keep its allies in line with its strategic objectives, and the other countries don't need to keep large standing armies and stockpiles. Plus, it's largely contributed to the lack of conflict in the Western world and the lack of major wars in the last century. Without standing armies to wage wars, countries aren't as bellicose. One reason the Korean War has never reignited is the commitment of the US to defend South Korea from any future incursions from the North. North Korea might be able to take South Korea one-on-one, but there's no way it could bear the brunt of the full US military. Of course you have to believe that North Korea or Russia have plans for expansion, personally I don't, but there is a lot of money to be made in the military industrial complex, so its suits the narratives of these war mongering neo- liberal psychopaths to scare us in to thinking those countries that refuse to play ball and adopt the dollar want to take over the world. BRICS is going to change all that. Strange how the standard of living is going up for many in the BRICS countries, yet in the USA and UK the standard of living is getting worse, they are building infrastructure, whilst we are spending our money on war, and selling off our infrastructure to any foreign investor who'll buy it, more fool you.

Other countries like Djibouti who aren't in our network of mutual defence alliances, but are strategically located, can trade military basing rights for economic or political advantages, and regimes who allow America to station troops in their country give America a stake in keeping them in power, making coups or revolts by Socialists who want to improve the lot of the majority of people not just the top 10%, without exploitation by rich Western countries less likely to succeed.

Trump the peace maker who wants to turn the Gaza Strip into a holiday resort making millions homeless, take over Greenland, take control of a waterway in another country, renames a stretch of water and even says Canada should be part of the USA, what planet does he live on.

You just don't get it at all do you, he bluffs and blusters and does some but not all of what he says.
If he brokers peace in the Middle East and Ukraine he deserves massive credit.
Haven't the Israelis already displaced millions of Palestinians btw?

It is true. What Trump (and his people) say and then do is not as tied together as you would think.

In response to Snowy, old Nikolai misjudged Cuba. He was allowed to save face with the Turkey thing as the missiles were going to be removed anyway (even back then, where you based missiles was becoming irrelevant).

The missiles in Ukraine thing is Russian fabricated bollocks. It became irrelevant where missiles where based about 50 years ago but your average Russian won't know that so the BS works on them.

If you believe the Pentagon version….
As for the missiles, tactical nuclear weapons can’t be launched from long distances, that’s why they’re ‘tactical’. The Russians were obsessed in the 80’s with their nuclear training on the battlefield.
Not for me.

Snowy, it isn't the Pentagon version, it's the view of a vast array of countries, their free press and governments of multiple multiple different political perspectives. There are people who would love for this to be a big old con and reveal it as such but it just isn't.

The Russian guff is about launching nukes into their territory. The west has been able to totally annihilate their country (mutually assured) for decades without even having missiles remotely close to their borders. Ukraine were armed with little more than soon to be broken promises when Russia invaded Crimea. It took 6 years and a full scale Russian invasion for us to even send a few anti tank weapons.

It may come as a surprise, but I’m fully aware of Mutually Assured Destruction…viable if you have two moderate/ rational leaders with their fingers on the button, if not a nightmare because there are no winners if it ever came to reality.
Real Politik will probably result in the ceding of territory to Russia, but what will happen regarding Ukraine’s status is still up in the air.
Not my preference, as I‘d prefer a return to original borders but……it’s politics.

Apologies. I do consider you as someone who knows good stuff so my bad.

Looks like it'll have to be that way but without security guarantees it's pointless. Putin will just reset and go again. Trump might sort it, it's got to be said, but not by putting Ukraine under the bus. I hope he does it properly and gets due credit for it.

I think Zelensky is ready to negotiate and cede some territory, it'll be in agreement with the US to offer protection if Putin goes again. Put in will probably settle for keeping some of the oc upped territory in the Donbas and a commitment that NATO troops are never stationed in Ukraine.
They'll all come out saying they got what they were fighting for.

It’s a little thing but on a personal level if Zelenski truly believes he’s done all he can, then he might sleep easier at night. When the fighting stops, if it stops.

Bunker generals assemble

Don’t get me wrong, Putin is wrong, wrong, wrong, on every level and Russia’s handbrake to Russia joining the real world, but also in the real world, might is unfairly right, in a twisted way.
I suspect Trump is soft soaping Putin and pandering to his ego, but don’t pander to him too much……I have difficulty imagining any agreements with him will be other than of convenience ( shades of Munich 1938)

he lives on a planet where everything he does is in the interest of his own country first and nothing else. if only eh.

If only. We seem to be run by gormless masochists with a students guilt complex.
I blame the Unity Party aka LabCon conglomerate of smart suits and silver tongues.

Everything Trump does is in his own interests, his ego or his wallet. The USA can only hope that it's interests remain converged with Donald's interests.

Good on him, he's hardly put a foot wrong since becoming President so far. Meanwhile Max Headroom ...........

What’s he achieved, ended all the wars nope but put tariffs on imported goods which will increase the cost of living for his citizens. Watch this vlog and the fella explains what difference the tariffs will make for the cost of his machinery he bought from China.
https://youtu.be/OEkUSJU3EUU?si=tpEIHgRVYxFPesxw

There's a fragile peace in Gaza. Peace may be happening within the near future in Ukraine, he's gained commitments for tighter border controls from both Mexico and Canada. Not bad for a month in office, particularly when you keep telling us Starmer needs time to sort stuff out!

Trump uses the threat of tariffs as a blunt bargaining tool, do you not see that? He got what he wanted from Mexico & from Canada with that tactic. He will not impose them long term as he knows its not in his best interests.
Did you know our government quietly removed tariffs in Chinese electric bikes this week? Probably put a few UK businesses down the Swansea but who cares eh, keep the cheap shite Chinese imports coming. One day we'll be reliant on incoming foreign aid as we decline into the 3rd World order.

There hasn't been enough time to judge any meaningful outcomes from his actions as yet. I'm just getting used to having to ignore the rhetoric at the moment. It is bluntly and deliberately contradictory so it's hard to tell what's coming.

A belated clap from the Alma? Know a few who got that.

The Alma eh! next you will be telling us, you drank in the Spotted Cow.

Er, Clap in the Alma ….was it praising you ….or a dose of the clap…?

Oh dear looks like you forgot how to write in the English Language Leggie.

All nearly things, let’s see what happens in a months time also when the cost of living shoots up in the States due to his tariffs. Trump forgets the majority of crude oil used to refine into petrol comes from Canada as the American crude is of a very poor quality.

It’s not very difficult to spot when your paranoid detestation of certain people or groups click in……..you sound like some Welsh Victorian preacher in a empty chapel.

But they're not nearly things, he's got the border controls improvements he wanted and tariffs were dropped - done deal.
The fragile peace in Gaza is happening.
Peace talks for Ukraine are happening.
Credit where it's due, and in return for the first 2 he's dropped the threat of tariffs.
All positives for Trump and the US (his priorities) as far as I can see.
To deny facts, then use possibilities of what might happen in a months time (potential harm caused by tariffs) as an argument is just mental.

And btw the tariffs threatened on Canadian imported goods excluded all energy products so Canadian oil will be tariff free. That must have been in the news that didn't interest you so you didn't watch or read it I guess?

There could be anutha
Username Change on its way.

He's brought back plastic straws to outlaw those pesky 'exploding' paper straws and he's made eating cats and dogs illegal. Bravo.
But he's not mental.

I dare say the vast majority of Americans are happier with his policies to date, that's what matters. He's trying to negotiatebpeace in 2 areas of conflict but you focus on plastic straws, don't think he's actually passed any legislation on eating cats and dogs yet, but I'm pretty sure it's been illegal here in the UK for centuries. Mental eh?