Trump Re Ukraine

[carmanmemoranda]

No it's not. I was in part being sarcastic on the % front. We should be upping it to at least 3% and whatever that means re increased tax take, so be it. The potential consequences of leaving ourselves exposed in years/decades to come don't bear thinking about.

GET SPENDING!!!

I agree we are at the point where we can't afford to not spend

But more cut backs will have to happen too.

None of which is going to be easy. Look at the anger over the wfa . The lack of prisons, doctors, hospitals, border controls etc etc

 

[carmanmemoranda]

I haven’t said that I support what he does or says for that matter. I just think it is being blown out of proportion.

I can't help it if you can't see what's happening

Chamberlain

 

[carmanmemoranda]

This thread isn’t going to change anything so chill out and just go with the flow.

Even Canada are standing up to him.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could not resist a dig at President Donald Trump moments after Canada's ice hockey team beat the USA in a close final.

"You can't take our country - and you can't take our game," Trudeau wrote on X, external.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Like the kiss thread? It's called the general discussion forum for a reason.

Trump supporting woman haters

 

[Highway Man]

He is compared to many world leaders yes. Merkel made him look like a school dunce. Lavrov runs rings around the idiot. He's got the IQ and the attitude of an infant.

He's got a big gob and a fragile ego.

OMG say what you think will you.

 

[fixitflav]

No it's not. I was in part being sarcastic on the % front. We should be upping it to at least 3% and whatever that means re increased tax take, so be it. The potential consequences of leaving ourselves exposed in years/decades to come don't bear thinking about.

GET SPENDING!!!

Agreed, orders could be placed to renew ammunition stocks immediately, no need for a defence review.
At least Starmer might now have got the message that spending must increase, previously he seemed to think he was being a big boy resisting Trump's demands. Let's hope he does something about it.
Whatever you think about Trump's dealings with Putin and Zelensky, his antics will hopefully jerk European countries into upping their armed forces, which should have started years ago.

 

[diy_fun_uk]

Agreed, orders could be placed to renew ammunition stocks immediately, no need for a defence review.
At least Starmer might now have got the message that spending must increase, previously he seemed to think he was being a big boy resisting Trump's demands. Let's hope he does something about it.
Whatever you think about Trump's dealings with Putin and Zelensky, his antics will hopefully jerk European countries into upping their armed forces, which should have started years ago.

Ok there's a debate to be had re could the UK ever see a physical attack on our shores (I don't think it's impossible) and on this, the ex army head on QT last night said the UK has sent much of its tanks etc to Ukraine. Not in itself the wrong thing to do, however it's now left us further depleted of these supplies.

Before people laugh, don't assume because we've had peace on our shores for decades that it's going to continue for decades to come. Nothing is certain.

 

[fixitflav]

the UK has sent much of its tanks etc to Ukraine.

The obvious thing would be to start replenishing our stocks at the time, but I wouldn't take anything for granted.

 

[Highway Man]

We sent 14 tanks

We had 213 tanks

This is correct. However we are obtaing a further 114 challenger 3 tanks. I expect this to double given the current climate. The challenger 3 will be the most formidable tank in Europe.

 

[MNW67]

The challenger 3 will be the most formidable tank in Europe.

Smooth!

 

[Notch7]

Maybe he's Trump

Trump is fick, bigly fick

 

[denso13]

I am a bit of a cult.

Did you spell that correctly?

 

[fillyboy]

MSN

The Trump administration has provided the authorities in Kyiv with an updated version of the agreement concerning joint investments in Ukrainian mineral deposits, reported the portal Axios, citing its sources. Certain parts of the revised agreement that concerned Ukrainians have reportedly been removed.
Several associates of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are encouraging him to accept the revised proposal regarding the extraction of rare earth metals, which the Americans are said to have presented. These associates hope that this way, they can avoid further conflict with Donald Trump, who can then justify continued support for Ukraine. According to Axios sources, an agreement with the USA now seems more likely

The original document stipulated that 50% of revenue from the extraction of Ukrainian rare earth metals would be transferred to the United States, and the agreement itself would fall under the jurisdiction of New York courts.

Moreover, it was supposed to take precedence over other Ukrainian trade agreements. In the updated version of the agreement, certain parts that concerned Ukrainians have been removed, including the provision about the jurisdiction of New York courts.

Last Sunday, Volodymyr Zelensky rejected the agreement presented by the American side. He said he had prohibited his ministers from signing it because it did not secure Ukraine's interests.

As noted by Axios, Ukrainians were disappointed that the original project did not include security guarantees. In response to these concerns, the portal quotes President's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz's statement on Fox News on Thursday.

Waltz suggested that the United States invest jointly with Ukraine in its economy and natural resources, becoming a long-term partner. He emphasized that this would give Ukraine the strongest security guarantee, far more valuable than additional military aid.

On Thursday, he stated that President Donald Trump is visibly frustrated with President Volodymyr Zelensky's rejection of the proposed joint investment agreement in Ukraine's mineral resources. He suggested that this frustration may be the reason behind the decision to halt arms supplies to Ukraine.

Rare earth metals are crucial to several economic sectors, including the automotive, aerospace, and energy industries. Ukraine has, among other resources, large deposits of lithium, often referred to as white gold. This is used to produce batteries for phones, laptops, tablets, and even vacuums. Ukraine also has significant deposits of uranium, titanium, nickel, copper, and cobalt.


According to estimates from "Forbes," the total value of Ukraine's mineral resources reaches approximately 15 trillion US dollars, and its lithium reserves alone are estimated at around 500,000 tonnes. In the first version of the agreement, the USA demanded 500 billion US dollars worth of deposits from Ukraine in exchange for the war support it received from the Americans.

- Currently, most of the production of these elements is controlled by China, with some production being politically unstable and unfriendly to the US countries, such as those in Africa. In the event of a military or economic conflict, the United States could be deprived of access to these raw materials, and the significant impact of supply chain disruptions in seemingly minor matters became evident during the pandemic, explained recently in an interview with money.pl fuel expert Dawid Czopek.

 

[denso13]

The Trump administration has provided the authorities in Kyiv with an updated version of the agreement concerning joint investments in Ukrainian mineral deposits, reported the portal Axios, citing its sources. Certain parts of the revised agreement that concerned Ukrainians have reportedly been removed.

So Trump caved in again? He's making a habit of it.

 

[MNW67]

MSN

Something I have only recently found out is that 50% of the world's supply of these minerals is in countries already allied to the USA. The main bottleneck is that only China knows how to refine and process them. So they control 90%+ of the market.