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*** Official Russia vs. Ukraine Discussion - Invasion has begun *** (2 Viewers)

ABC News - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's team is working on an updated agreement between Ukraine and the United States for Ukraine to agree to give the U.S. revenue from some of Ukraine's most valuable resources, a Ukrainian official told ABC News.
I haven't kept up with the rare earth thing. So now the US doesn't want the minerals at all, it just wants the money from their sale?
Joint investment fund from what I understand. Not too many details available
National Security Advisor Michael Waltz sat down with Megyn Kelly yesterday and commented Ukraine has the ability to provide United States with 100% of our aluminum needs with a little investment.
If it's a true mining JV then it also serves to reinforce any formal security guarantee.

A substantial U.S. financial stake and a few thousand American citizens spread throughout the Ukrainian countryside on a long-term basis will give Putin pause prior to contemplating another invasion.
Yep. Feels like a good way to help provide a deterrent without us actually using troops.
I don't think this would happen, but lets say hypothetically Russia invades again and kills a thousand American citizens who are there working.

What would happen?


Bump.
Why did you bump this? Something happen?

I'm bumping your question. I'm interested in hearing an answer.
You're just baiting people to turn the thread political. Quite sad

Wrong.
 
I would recommend picking up listening to the Shawn Ryan podcast for those interested in this area of topics. He is an ex-SEAL teams guy and has a lot of ex-operators on but also many others. I started listening on my trip from Chicago to Atlanta and back and marathon listened to it over the roughly 24 hours of driving I did. Fascinating interviews that give a ton of insight in many subjects that those interested in this thread would likely also find interesting.

Shawn Ryan is a pretty good listen but I’d go ahead and keep a jar of grains of salt handy. That dude crossed the bridge into the neighborhood of make believe on occasion.
Was going to caution the same. Shawn has some interesting guests on that are legit and bring good info. He also has some whack jobs. Through it all, he just nods, fake laughs and doesn't really do much of insightful interviewing. What I do like about him is he doesn't constantly interrupt the guest, he lets them talk which is refreshing. Any of his interviews with Sarah Adams always make the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Not to highjack this important thread but...

As much as I enjoy the operators and CIA etc on there it is refreshing to get other people and hear things I would never ever hear otherwise... whether I believe it or not. I am always game to have my horizons pushed out further and challenge my worldview or beliefs. I am not much of a conspiracy or UFO type guy- I use to be addicted to the History Channel back in the day and then basically stopped watching it because of all the UFO's built the Pyramids stuff so it isn't really up my alley so to speak but I still enjoyed the interview with the guy about remote viewing not too long ago.

I think Shawn does a great job of letting the guests talk and then asking prompting questions or redirect at times but really let's the guests tell their stories... and whether it is an operator that is now running a non-profit to save people from sex trafficking or Peter Berg talking about movie stuff or the dude about remote viewing.... I have gone through a bunch of episodes since my marathon listening on my long drive and have not yet come away with "well, that was a waste of time". You get glimpses into a world most of us really don't know about and it if heavily concetrated on military, national security, terrorism, geopolitics, etc.

Big fan.... and this is from someone who doesn't much every enjoy talk radio or listen to any other podcast. The nearest thing that I have got hooked on at all is the Pat McAfee show.
 
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None of that should be broadcast. Terrible look for everyone involved. Geez guys - have these meetings in private please
I would assert that this is a horrible take.

The citizens of our country deserve to see the truth of what the United States administration is doing.

This is not diplomacy. There are only two options left for us all to believe.

1. The president of the US is openly committing extortion
2. We are fully aligned with Russia

There are no other alternatives and the more our leaders put their foot in their mouth in public the better.
 
If I was Putin, I'd be looking to make a hard push into the Ukraine within the next couple of days. Get those minerals for myself.
 
This will be deleted but that was an absolute joke by the US people. Blaming Ukraine for not ending the war. Mfers didn't ask to be invaded

Embarrassing.....the world laughs at us
Please don't post this. It will get the thread closed. Moderators don't have patience to just clean-up the thread (which I understand). There is a lot of good information that gets posted by various folks who are active and want news updates and would hate that disappear.
 
I watched the meeting, but I don't know much about diplomacy and such. What got things upset there toward the end? Ukraine wants help, military and/or diplomatic, the US wants minerals in return. Zelenskyy started saying something about how it's been going on since 2014. Then things went crazy. 🤷‍♂️
 
I watched the meeting, but I don't know much about diplomacy and such. What got things upset there toward the end? Ukraine wants help, military and/or diplomatic, the US wants minerals in return. Zelenskyy started saying something about how it's been going on since 2014. Then things went crazy. 🤷‍♂️

This thing is going to be analyzed more than the Zapruder film over the next few days.
 
I wish I knew more about the whole thing and followed more closely from the start, but it's definitely been interesting since Trump took office.

I guess, what exactly does Zelenskyy want from us? To be an equal partner in a war against Russia? To just keep giving them billions of dollars every year to keep fighting until Russia ends up taking them over in 5-10-20 years anyway?

I mean how much can we do before it DOES turn into a WWIII type situation?

The exchange there was something I've sure never seen before between world leaders. I was also wondering if Zelenskyys grasp of the English language is good enough for an exchange of that sort (I genuinely don't know).
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
 
I'm not a diplomat but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night - okay I didn't do that either but anyway, just speculating about a hypothesis...

It looks to me like Trump thought he had a done deal for peace but Zelenskyy said something to the effect of "Well I can't guarantee that, but I'll think about it. In the meantime I'll be glad to take your money."
 
It's a bend over and take it deal that should never have been on the table in the first place. Our help was Always meant to be as a means to stop Putin without commiting troops. No quid-pro-quo was asked or needed.
 
None of that should be broadcast. Terrible look for everyone involved. Geez guys - have these meetings in private please
I would assert that this is a horrible take.

The citizens of our country deserve to see the truth of what the United States administration is doing.

This is not diplomacy. There are only two options left for us all to believe.

1. The president of the US is openly committing extortion
2. We are fully aligned with Russia

There are no other alternatives and the more our leaders put their foot in their mouth in public the better.
Extortion? Seriously? And surgeons commit extortion when they want payment? Admittedly as I said above, I don't know much about diplomacy, but that seems way too extreme of a term.
 
I'm not a diplomat but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night - okay I didn't do that either but anyway, just speculating about a hypothesis...

It looks to me like Trump thought he had a done deal for peace but Zelenskyy said something to the effect of "Well I can't guarantee that, but I'll think about it. In the meantime I'll be glad to take your money."
Zelensky is trying to protect his country while trump is looking to score some treasure without offering anything in return. It was a squeeze job.
 
In my opinion, the link to describe what happened in the meeting is absolutely necessary because it's part of the discussion of the war. But it has to stop there. Now that we know what happened, the discussions have to be about the different scenarios, what happens going forward, etc. That's all we can talk about, again, in my opinion.

It CAN'T be about the motives of the administration or anything political. Those comments have to be left out. We can thread the so-called needle because it's been done in other threads, like the economy thread. It just takes a little effort. This is a very important thread and it would be a crying shame to have it shut down.

This is just one man's opinion.
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
That's probably a foregone conclusion anyway, isn't it?
I mean, do "we" keep going until Russia gives up what they fought for - and do we actively kick them out? That's not going to get done by Ukraine alone and I'm not interested in contributing actual manpower to do that.
 
Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
Nothing in return? One could say we've offered quite a bit of aid and money and got nothing in return.
I mean, the situation sucks, but let's say Ukraine does lose land and mineral resources. They also get to stay a country, which is probably important.
Also, Trump makes money? Like, Trump personally......or the US
 
I'm not a diplomat but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night - okay I didn't do that either but anyway, just speculating about a hypothesis...

It looks to me like Trump thought he had a done deal for peace but Zelenskyy said something to the effect of "Well I can't guarantee that, but I'll think about it. In the meantime I'll be glad to take your money."
Zelensky is trying to protect his country while trump is looking to score some treasure without offering anything in return. It was a squeeze job.
But he's trying to do it on another man's/country's dime - namely the U.S. Should we NOT get something in return?

The United States made approximately $672 billion (in today's dollars) off the Lend Lease program pre-WWII. Was that a squeeze job?
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
That's probably a foregone conclusion anyway, isn't it?
I mean, do "we" keep going until Russia gives up what they fought for - and do we actively kick them out? That's not going to get done by Ukraine alone and I'm not interested in contributing actual manpower to do that.
If there is a genuine attempt at brokering a peace then Russia needs to make concessions as well. As it stands, the US has already had peace talks with Russia while excluding Ukraine and Europe and so far there is no talk of what Russia has to give up in return.
 
I'm not a diplomat but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn last night - okay I didn't do that either but anyway, just speculating about a hypothesis...

It looks to me like Trump thought he had a done deal for peace but Zelenskyy said something to the effect of "Well I can't guarantee that, but I'll think about it. In the meantime I'll be glad to take your money."
Zelensky is trying to protect his country while trump is looking to score some treasure without offering anything in return. It was a squeeze job.
But he's trying to do it on another man's/country's dime - namely the U.S. Should we NOT get something in return?

The United States made approximately $672 billion (in today's dollars) off the Lend Lease program pre-WWII. Was that a squeeze job?
Watching todays disaster looked more like a cheap Sopranos episode than actual diplomacy in action so I stand by my assessment. If the US approached with an even handed deal and not some lop sided slop, then yes, we could get some return for out assistance.
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
That's probably a foregone conclusion anyway, isn't it?
I mean, do "we" keep going until Russia gives up what they fought for - and do we actively kick them out? That's not going to get done by Ukraine alone and I'm not interested in contributing actual manpower to do that.
If there is a genuine attempt at brokering a peace then Russia needs to make concessions as well. As it stands, the US has already had peace talks with Russia while excluding Ukraine and Europe and so far there is no talk of what Russia has to give up in return.
Why? There's no incentive for them to "give up" anything since they essentially winning.

And perhaps (and I don't really know, truly) the meeting with Russia was to gauge what they were willing to do? Brokering a deal doesn't mean that all sides are represented at all times.
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
That's probably a foregone conclusion anyway, isn't it?
I mean, do "we" keep going until Russia gives up what they fought for - and do we actively kick them out? That's not going to get done by Ukraine alone and I'm not interested in contributing actual manpower to do that.
If there is a genuine attempt at brokering a peace then Russia needs to make concessions as well. As it stands, the US has already had peace talks with Russia while excluding Ukraine and Europe and so far there is no talk of what Russia has to give up in return.
Why? There's no incentive for them to "give up" anything since they essentially winning.

And perhaps (and I don't really know, truly) the meeting with Russia was to gauge what they were willing to do? Brokering a deal doesn't mean that all sides are represented at all times.
This is the reason Zelensky is looking for security guarantees. As Dez pointed out, Putin is not to be trusted that he won't invade again after rearming and resetting his troops. If there is no concessions on regaining lost land then at least there needs to be assurance that future encroachment if off the table.
 
I watched the meeting, but I don't know much about diplomacy and such. What got things upset there toward the end? Ukraine wants help, military and/or diplomatic, the US wants minerals in return. Zelenskyy started saying something about how it's been going on since 2014. Then things went crazy. 🤷‍♂️
Basically Zelensky was saying that Putin ignored the cease fire that was signed in 2019 and they went nuts. Think basically because that put Trump in a bad light as he was President when it was signed. A simple ceasefire really doesn't help out Ukraine as Russia has broken them numerous times (see Minsk I and II from 2014 and 2015).
 
Zelensky has been asking for security guarantees such as weaponry and potentially NATO troops as part of the deal. Trump basically said nah, Putin and I are good and he would never break an agreement with me. Trump is asking for Zelensky to sign away rights to valuable resources and get nothing in return all while allowing Russia to keep the land, minerals, and port, they've already gotten through the invasion. Ukraine gives up minerals, freedom and land, Russia gets what it wants and Trump makes money.
That's probably a foregone conclusion anyway, isn't it?
I mean, do "we" keep going until Russia gives up what they fought for - and do we actively kick them out? That's not going to get done by Ukraine alone and I'm not interested in contributing actual manpower to do that.
If there is a genuine attempt at brokering a peace then Russia needs to make concessions as well. As it stands, the US has already had peace talks with Russia while excluding Ukraine and Europe and so far there is no talk of what Russia has to give up in return.
Why? There's no incentive for them to "give up" anything since they essentially winning.

And perhaps (and I don't really know, truly) the meeting with Russia was to gauge what they were willing to do? Brokering a deal doesn't mean that all sides are represented at all times.
This is the reason Zelensky is looking for security guarantees. As Dez pointed out, Putin is not to be trusted that he won't invade again after rearming and resetting his troops. If there is no concessions on regaining lost land then at least there needs to be assurance that future encroachment if off the table.
Does he have any leverage to even really ask for ANYTHING??
 

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