yeah it’s almost counter productive because Trump is so thin-skinned and desperate to be seen as coming up with every idea. If they can convince him that it was really his idea though, it might work.

Fair. The whole world is on thin ice and things may snowball quickly. I wish the best for Europe in the months and years ahead.

Oh yeah, substantial change will require a huge overall in political and social views, I fully agree there. Right now, at best, it seems like we might get some occasional bandaids.

A huge war might indeed be one of the few catalysts to instill that change. Major environmental crises might do it too, but those events will probably unfold after too much damage has been done.

Wildfires, hurricanes, and everything else have been pretty crazy in recent years but what we’re seeing now may pale compared to what we see in say thirty years.

tbh a massive influx of foodstuffs we’re short on and ultimately lower consumer prices is probably better than what we’re actually going to get, which is probably a future Trump tower in Moscow or some stupid BS.

sigh

Me reading the first paragraph: there’s no way the USA is going to willingly let Russia…

(Remembers who’s in the White House.)

Ah, yeah, so Russia is going to be in Syria as they as they want to be eh?

I mean, if you were actually capable of reasoning you would have picked up early on that I very clearly stated Europe has world-class technology and potential. As you already noted, along with European leaders and industry analysts, fragmentation is a challenge (among other challenges.)

“the US took the lead there an EU expected support to last”

The USA was clear from the get-go that EU needed to provide a lot of support and that we largely view this is a European war, because, you know, it is a European war.

It’s too bad you were so focused on attacking me from the get-go because we actually probably could have had a great and insightful conversation.

I think they’ll still be relevant for the foreseeable future but whereas traditional air power was once arguably the crucial element in many wars, it may not be the deciding factor in many conflicts going forward, at least if two modern militaries are facing off against each other.

Drones will be key in every war I’d think. And hypersonic missiles will probably be crucial in wars with modern militaries clashing.

decreased economic activity alone I’d think would reduce emissions.

Ah yeah I assumed you meant the extreme interpretations of Christian values.

I mean, Japan is one of the more isolationist countries on earth. And racism is a massive issue. Christianity isn’t a major factor, but traditional views on the roles of women and the set up of the household are a major challenge.

So you got nothing, eh?

lmao you’re just smashing dunning kruger my dude. If you have an actual point just come out and say it. You’re trying to bend logical fallacies in a way that doesn’t work and starts to veer towards narcissism.

TBH, I think you know you started out on a foundation of absurd bullshit and now painted in a corner you’re just lashing out, hoping that you can intimidate people by blatantly misusing arguements.

You’re welcome to try to prove me wrong

By god. I mean. Wow. Oof.

I am in no way (edit: nor have I ever even implied) devaluing Ukraine to mean that their only value is mineral resources. Why you concluded that is beyond me and baffling. Literally.

Ukrainians are certainly worth much, much than those resources in my view. Let’s say Ukraine’s natural resources literally magically disappeared overnight. So what? They still deserve justice and then some and we should protect democracies when and where possible.

Regardless, spinning minerals into some conspiracy theory with the USA extracting phantom trillions doesn’t advance Ukraine’s cause.

Dude I try to be polite here for its own sake but go touch some grass.

“Give me $10,000, because you know, on a global scale it’s not a lot of money, so you shouldn’t worry about handing it over to me.”

Hello strawman, someone put this ridiculous statement in a logic 101 course textbook. I mean, dafuq are you on about?

I think you’d have to play psychology there to be honest. Next time Trump asks for payments for the troops, for example, you might wanna say “actually, we were thinking you should be paying rent.”

It’s a really messy situation. While the EU/USA are allies, those troops do increase security. But there is already a threat simply by those troops being there, and if the USA becomes a full blown enemy yeah it’s a grave threat.

I think this is why Putin also was quick to mention cooperating with the USA on minerals in Russia (which from his POV includes those regions). I’m sure Zelenskyy/Ukraine would want to try to use that as leverage but I don’t think Trump bites.

There are some substantial reserves of various minerals elsewhere but not sure how viable and valuable they really are.

Unfortunately, that next recession, which I believe likely becomes a depression, is going to slam everyone. The EU, USA, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea etc. all have major challenges and weaknesses.

Yes. You do. That’s unquestionable. Ukraine is barely holding on with overall generous support from the USA and Europe.

A stand down on war period would be wonderful. Unfortunately, as long as aggressors are on the board, you have to maintain a defensive posture. Europe’s deficiencies have been made clear but their on-going struggles to supply Ukraine. Russia may spend less, but like China, their lower per capita income in some ways helps them get more out of their money (thankfully, corruption and other issues also nerf Russia).

Trump is not a diplomat? Trump’s blow up is exactly why you want to work with professional diplomats.

Zelenskyy and Trump should have never been meeting until every point was hammered out and Zelenskyy should have turned up just to compliment Trump and sign something already agreed upon.

It sucks having to approach POTUS like a cranky toddler, but such is the world we live in.