Worth reading right through.
I think that no one has suggested sending troops to the frontline on Ukraine’s side. All the talk is of sending peace keeping troops in the event of a ceasefire or other peace agreement.
The Europeans are prepared to send troops on the ground but would like, at least, US air cover.
As I understand it those troops would all be on Ukraine soil, but not firing on Russian troops to force them back. They would form a barrier to stop either side from fighting the other, stabilizing the front line while a more permanent deal is negotiated.
What would be the rules of engagement for the troops? Too early to say, but a very important part of any deployment.
Up to correction on any of that.
Currently there are N Korean troops actively fighting on the front line for Russia, and speculation about Russia launching another attack via it;s puppet state of Belarus and the possible use of their troops too.
Yeah I get the concept and the reason for a peacekeeping force.
In this case…
Supposed neutral troops stood between a native force on one side wanting revenge on an invading force who have killed their comrades,.and commited r4pe and other war crimes on their families.
With that force of troops led by a territory grabbing dictator, who has no real fear because his main other super power opponent is out of the picture.
To go back to my ‘nightspot breaking up a fight between a man and a woman’ analogy earlier…
What could possiblly go wrong eh?
Pleae don’t come back with the ‘appeasement alternative’ crack, as I have said I get all that,.and it only gets us going around in circles.
I am just saying that whatever option is taken somebody who is a pawn in that particular game is going to suffer…again I hope it aint our Troops.
Starmer is the most (only ?) vocal about Ukraine ‘support’ so fsr thus.
Not a good situation.
I don’t for minute think that Trump is thick or stupid. Can’t say the same for his followers though.
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Not at all the only one. He is the most reported in the UK press because he is the PM of the UK.
Macron is right up there, and Tusk of Poland possibly even more so. Some Baltic States were reportedly upset that they were not at the meeting in London yesterday. Turkey has pledged troops for a peace keeping force.
The idea is not that peace keepers insert them selves between fighting forces. They do not stop the fighting. They keep the peace but only after a cease fire is declared by both sides.
That is my understanding anyway.
I can’t see that Ukraine will realistically keep all of it’s old territory. And I can’t see that the area will be other than a simmering pot of discontent for decades to come.
It is a ■■■■■■ situation.
There are no good outcomes, just some a bit less bad or less risky than others.
Agreed.
Trump shouts about a great list of wants and targets: but he has no credible plan of achieving them.
His fans want more money, better jobs and want “the Mexicans to pay for the wall” etc.
But tariffs normally make everyone worse off. Last time he was POTUS he built 40(?) new miles of wall and Mexico paid nowt.
As Trump said… (p/phrasing)
It will work the wall, I model it on The Great Wall of China, and that worked.
There are no Mexicans in China …he makes a good point.
As for your his ‘fans’ want more money, better jobs, and the Mexicans to pay for the wall’…
What is wrong with that exactly?
As for somethting not working…
As was said to me in here when Labour first got in and made their first of many f.ups, early days.m give him/them time, then judge.
Well, I want be rich and handsome…
Because he’s never delivered on any of these promises. He’s all smoke and mirrors, blames Biden for everything (to be fair sometimes he’s right on this but not that often) and tells anyone who will listen how great the world is with him in it. He’s a narcissistic nut job, surrounding himself with even bigger loonballs who hang on his every breath. Unfortunately he’s got himself into a position of almost unlimited power which might be good for him, but at a price the world will be paying for a very long time after he shuffles off his mortal coil.
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[quote=“robroy, post:900, topic:240714”]
Seriously though…I often used to park up for night by the air museum around the back of the Nissan offices.
I used to regularly go in that pub there for a good meal (name escapes me…something ‘Horses’? )
Anyhoo… it was an avid Sunderland fc pub.
[/quoteWas the Three Horseshoes, now the Rustica Trattoria Gastropub 
Seeing as we’re going off at a tangent I played against a Sunderland select at their training ground in Washington in July 1976 with Bob Stokoe refereeing the game. Scored a penalty against Jim Montgomery.
The US economy did OK under Trump. Not great but not a disaster.
So why do ordinary folk feel let down?
Because the rich got richer at the expense of the poorer.
The cake got bigger but workers got the same size, or smaller slice of it.
That Bezos, Musk, etc all anti-union, are supporting Trump says a lot.
Trump talks a good deal, but as @dennisjavelin says he did not deliver on his promises to workers last time, but did deliver tax cuts which disproportionately benefit the rich.
What good for a worker to get $400 a year rebate if they lose thousands in medical fees?
Yeah but apart from that…
Yep typical politician.
So not pretentious at all then eh? 
Does not sound like my kind of pub anymore anyhoo, it was bad enough being full of Mackems.
Some profit
What has Russia said?
Over the weekend Maria Zakharova claimed Zelensky is “obsessed” with prolonging the war
Although Vladimir Putin has not yet officially commented on the Washington encounter - the Kremlin’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said it had been a “complete diplomatic failure of Kyiv”
On Monday morning, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov then added his criticism of the London summit on Ukraine.
“Statements were made there about the need to step up funding for Ukraine as a matter of urgency. This is obviously not part of a peace plan but is done to continue the fighting,” Peskov said.
“The rest will depend on what kind of peace plans will be drawn up and offered for discussion. Any constructive support for this process would be welcome now, and any constructive initiatives.”
There has been a lot of mention of Ukraine on this site before Trump was elected.
Go and look. And notice how much of it was pro or anti Ukraine.