Latest Moan From You and Me 2025

I think a lot is being read into a fractious meeting. There is bad blood between the two presidents since the alleged biden son payments. It was also vance that kicked things off, which the big boss then jumped in on. Things had been more convivial before with Zelensky's attire actually being complimented but it was a set up job thereafter. Vance said Russia started the war, going against his boss and no one's seemed to pick up on that. There was russian media in the room despite sanctions and apparently a planted journalist for one of America's most despicable politicians.

At the end of the day I think this is how they plan to negotiate a better deal for them. They repeatedly claim 350 billion in aid when it's 120 billion at most (independently audited), and most of that went straight back into the us economy. All that has happened is America's presence on the world's stage has been questioned, its population are already suffering some voter's remorse because he hasn't reduced prices or done much of what was claimed he'd do straight away. Just like when he called Zelensky a dictator, i think some of this will be backtracked but I don't think anyone is in a good situation.

I think Zelensky will be remembered as the far better man, defending his country and not dodging the draft.

 

@ViewAhead Interesting thoughts in that post. Even talk of a deal with China could make Trump sit up and take note. Russia and China are pretty 'buddied up' so I'm not so sure that a deal with China would make Ukraine any safer from Putin.

 

@ViewAhead I've been wondering about China too . They have been rather quiet lately but no doubt watching for any opportunity. Put them all on a desert island.........Zelenski would probably be the only one with enough nous to stay alive whilst the others starved to death

 

@KT53, China might start to see Russia as a bit of a liability. Currently, they tolerate Putin and don’t get involved much, but there would be more money in a deal with Ukraine. Russia is not a strong economy and so much money has been siphoned out by oligarchs, the pickings are quite slim.

@Philippa, I agree China is watching very carefully. A China/US/Russia partnership could work, but it would then share superpower status … which it does not actually need to do.

If the dollar stopped being integral to all foreign transactions, the US economy would crumble. And that potentially could happen. China’s real weakness may be its overly authoritarian stance at home. If it rowed back on that a little (and it could without losing control), it might start to look like a reliable ally.

 

Interesting times ahead I think. China is in a good position in many ways altho I thought I caught something recently about their economy sliding ? Difficult to know what info/stats you can trust these days tho.

 

Putin would stand a good chance of survival as he does have military training. Trump escaped military service by claiming to have a bone spur on one heel.

 

A sliding economy (due in part at least to over-construction, with whole new build cities largely empty of inhabitants and running up huge losses) is a good time to get a lucrative deal abroad. And a deal with Ukraine for mineral extraction would be lucrative, or Trump would not want it. Plus controlling the supply of precious metals creates an ability to control the price down the line.

I can’t see much against it from China’s POV.

 

I can, Zelenski, he'd be a complete nutter to do a deal with China just to spite Trump.

I still dont get all this talk about a cease fire, nobody seems to be talking to Putin, surely he has to be part of it, or have I missed something?

 

We would be remarkably well off if we did a deal with Zelensky for the mineral wealth.
Just sayin'

 

But we cant offer any security regarding fending off Russia if they want to continue the war.

Its quite embarrassing how we have run down our military in the last 40 odd years, its all coming to a head now.
If we had been spending a sensible amount over all those years it wouldn't be such a problem now trying to find the money.

 

But do “invasions” these days need oodles of military hardware? Send in some drones, hack into their banks. Getting a few geeks on the task would be a lot cheaper than armoured tanks and whatnot.

I like this “coalition of the willing” idea. Neatly bypasses the EU machine and addresses individual countries.

This may be Starmer’s equivalent of Thatcher’s Falklands. Could boost his popularity a lot. Now, if Rachel could be persuaded to reinstate the heating allowance and be nice to the WASPIs, maybe they could last the whole term!

 

That is exactly the thinking that got us where we are now.
Its high tech now but even that costs lots of money regarding aerial defences, we dont really have our own we had to ask Biden to allow us to give Ukraine certain missiles as they are American, the UK is a basket case regarding defence.

 

Rachel from accounts won't reinstate the heating allowance, carte blanche. There would be caveats involved. Maybe a sweetener for those over 80?

 

It all sounds like the bullies playing a board type game to divvy up the world.

Strategies and ruthless economic death to their victims.

 

It's not just the military that we don't invest enough in what about energy, food, immigration and general infrastructure we never get a government who wants to sort problems out it's always easier for them to leave it for someone else but eventually everything will come to a grinding halt which nobody can sort