"I am very unhappy with the openly hostile policy of the USA toward my country."
Read the whole story
Read the whole story
Russia’s space chief is “very unhappy” with “hostile” US policy
- Thread starter JournalBot
- Start date
David Mayer
Ars Centurion
With the NATO issue and the cutting off of USAID, China has the opportunity to say "fuck wolf warrior diplomacy" let's just crank the soft power dial to 11. Just do a complete 180. It could work, and it would lead to vastly more stability, power, and prosperity than their current path. Heck, if they do it fast enough, and the US fucks up hard enough, I bet they'd have a chance at peacefully bringing Taiwan far into their sphere of influence.
Of course, just like the rail link between China and Europe through Russia bringing the same things to Russia, this is a non starter, authoritarians are seemingly incapable of playing nice with other leaders.
Upvote
12
(12
/
0)
Except it is actually the opposite.
Everybody has had some of their own blood in their mouth at some point, so it is shared knowledge that blood tastes bad. Nobody in their right mind would want blood flavored bread. There are blood pancakes in some Scandinavian areas, which is more like a pudding than a bread though: https://thebestrecipefor.com/blodplattar-swedish-blood-pancakes/
The number of blood flavored foods in common use is very small, with blood sausage being arguably the only really palatable one. That horrific mix the Maasai drink (cow milk, blood, and urine) is I suppose better than starvation. Just. It tastes so good that nobody else has adopted it.
Ironically the people who originated the claim quoted above have in their liturgy that they consume the blood of Christ at mass. Except they don't actually drink blood, but wine. Because blood tastes terrible. Jewish law actually forbids the consumption of blood. That's a big part of what makes some foods kosher - getting all the blood out of it. Which is common knowledge, but not apparently information applicable to common sense.
Upvote
-2
(4
/
-6)
Any European leader who seriously suggests China guaranty their security needs their head examined. Sure, go ahead and invite in a large armed contingent under the control of an authoritarian leader. What could go wrong?
Upvote
8
(11
/
-3)
There's a large armed contingent under the control of an authoritarian leader, in my country, right now. A "leader" who's greedy, malicious, cruel, sadistic, vengeful, narcissistic, sexist, racist, ignorant ............ the "antichrist". His subjects adore him.
It's not President Xi. There's a distinction.
Europe is between rock & hard place.
I don't doubt that my country will cling to the shameful "special relationship". Enough.
Upvote
3
(4
/
-1)
Sadly true. The only positive thing about that is that he is unlikely to use that force to attack anybody in Europe. Instead he is far more likely to pull those armed forces out in yet one more misguided move to make his country "Great". To me it seems very unlikely he would ever commit any of that force to actually fight in order to protect any part of Europe, as treaties mean nothing to him and his grasp of international history, strategy, and diplomacy are, well, feeble. If the presence of those forces is a shield for Europe, it is a false shield while he retains command.
And because of karma or ironic coincidences or something of the sort, the S.S. United States, the once and current record holder for Atlantic crossing speed (in both directions), and the last ocean liner built entirely in the United States, is scheduled to be towed Monday from Philadelphia to a point off the NW coast of Florida and sunk there. The orange one would probably not understand the symbolism of that happening now even if somebody near him had the nerve to alert him to it.
Upvote
9
(9
/
0)
Sunday morning's missile/drone attack report from Ukraine:
- 2x unidentified ballistic missiles
- 143x Shahed aerial torpedoes & decoys (95 intercepted, 46 decoys crashed, damage caused)
Upvote
6
(6
/
0)
You’ve now select-quoted me as though I claimed the blood libel makes common sense, when I did no such thing. Please don’t fucking do that.
Upvote
15
(16
/
-1)
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/nx-s1-5298190/nuclear-agency-trump-firings-nnsa
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/na...nuclear-safety-workers-cant-figure-rcna192345
Trump/Musk had hundreds of employees working on the safety and maintenance of nuclear weapons fired, then shortly after realize (?) it is a terrible idea and try to rehire them but some of them cannot be contacted because they are locked out of everything. Just another day in the US of A.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/na...nuclear-safety-workers-cant-figure-rcna192345
Trump/Musk had hundreds of employees working on the safety and maintenance of nuclear weapons fired, then shortly after realize (?) it is a terrible idea and try to rehire them but some of them cannot be contacted because they are locked out of everything. Just another day in the US of A.
Upvote
16
(16
/
0)
Have they looked in Guantanamo? This Onionverse is getting less funny every day
Upvote
8
(8
/
0)
I'll admit, I'd never have pegged Trump & Musk as secret unilaterallists...
Upvote
4
(4
/
0)
It took a while, but it looks like Oryx might be able to cross the TOS-2 off their list
The reported location is also interesting, given what KGFish said yesterday about Pokrovsk
DeepL Translate said:
The reported location is also interesting, given what KGFish said yesterday about Pokrovsk
Upvote
8
(8
/
0)
Daily loss report is in, and Russia decided to try some real mechanized assaults again. 84 APVs reported as lost.
https://index.minfin.com.ua/en/russian-invading/casualties/
That's the 4th highest loss since the beginning of the war. Tanks are sitting at 5, which is below average for the year. Total vehicle losses are right near the average of 170 for the year. Casualties are higher than the average of 1.5k, but a good chunk below the record highs of nearly 2k at the beginning of the year.
I think we can conclude that Russia tried something more serious. However, it couldn't find a lot of tanks, so went with APV-heavy assaults. Where? Cthel posted some fancy equipment lost near Pokrovsk, and there are videos coming out of a major assault in Kursk. I haven't seen anything noteworthy from the Pokrovsk direction, and Kursk seems to have largely been a failure: lots of whining from Russian channels that the 155th Marine brigade was supposed to show up to support Russian and Nork troops but mysteriously failed to do so, and a few videos of a large-scale assault with mine-trawl-equipped tanks, AFVs that showed numerous FPV hits.
This is all largely unverified, so I'm not linking to the individual posts. I'm gonna keep checking for what comes out of the fog of war, but so far, it seems that the first significant mechanized push in a long time has yielded not much.
Is Russia going to go back to its meatcube assaults? Is it going to slow down assaults in Ukraine and focus on kicking Ukrainians out of Kursk? No idea, but I'll keep watching.
There are a couple of ways that it can approach the upcoming negotiations with the US (show strength in advances, remove Kursk as bargaining chip, preserve forces to see what it gets for free). To some extent, there's a real opportunity here to absolute castrate the US negotiations: if Europe (doesn't matter if it's the block or just some heavy hitters getting together to stop kicking the can down the road) decides to follow-up its tough talk with tough actions and those can be directly tied to successes on the battlefield, Zelenskyy could absolutely be empowered to ignore anything coming from the US. The US has exactly one lever over Ukraine - lots of military hardware coming in - and if that one is shown to be not necessary anymore.... the war may drag on for a few more years, but the US will be out of any discussions.
I didn't think Trump would be able to speedrun the US into complete irrelevance this fast, but it seems he just may.
https://index.minfin.com.ua/en/russian-invading/casualties/
That's the 4th highest loss since the beginning of the war. Tanks are sitting at 5, which is below average for the year. Total vehicle losses are right near the average of 170 for the year. Casualties are higher than the average of 1.5k, but a good chunk below the record highs of nearly 2k at the beginning of the year.
I think we can conclude that Russia tried something more serious. However, it couldn't find a lot of tanks, so went with APV-heavy assaults. Where? Cthel posted some fancy equipment lost near Pokrovsk, and there are videos coming out of a major assault in Kursk. I haven't seen anything noteworthy from the Pokrovsk direction, and Kursk seems to have largely been a failure: lots of whining from Russian channels that the 155th Marine brigade was supposed to show up to support Russian and Nork troops but mysteriously failed to do so, and a few videos of a large-scale assault with mine-trawl-equipped tanks, AFVs that showed numerous FPV hits.
This is all largely unverified, so I'm not linking to the individual posts. I'm gonna keep checking for what comes out of the fog of war, but so far, it seems that the first significant mechanized push in a long time has yielded not much.
Is Russia going to go back to its meatcube assaults? Is it going to slow down assaults in Ukraine and focus on kicking Ukrainians out of Kursk? No idea, but I'll keep watching.
There are a couple of ways that it can approach the upcoming negotiations with the US (show strength in advances, remove Kursk as bargaining chip, preserve forces to see what it gets for free). To some extent, there's a real opportunity here to absolute castrate the US negotiations: if Europe (doesn't matter if it's the block or just some heavy hitters getting together to stop kicking the can down the road) decides to follow-up its tough talk with tough actions and those can be directly tied to successes on the battlefield, Zelenskyy could absolutely be empowered to ignore anything coming from the US. The US has exactly one lever over Ukraine - lots of military hardware coming in - and if that one is shown to be not necessary anymore.... the war may drag on for a few more years, but the US will be out of any discussions.
I didn't think Trump would be able to speedrun the US into complete irrelevance this fast, but it seems he just may.
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
I think Putin is pushing for gains ahead of speaking to Trump. On top of that, Trump hates losers, so if it looks like Russia is making advances he'll be more likely to side with Putin.
Upvote
6
(6
/
0)
Upvote
4
(4
/
0)
The Baltics and the Nordics combined military aid is more than Germany's, France's and the UK's together, which should make them a heavy hitter in this context. They issued a joint statement yesterday announcing increased military aid, although no numbers were given.
Also, I'm surprised the Russians are still trying to use the 155th as some form of elite unit. It has been destroyed and reconstituted so many times it has to be below average even for a Russian unit by now.
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
I can think of another lever, a really bad one. Sanctions lists; putting Ukraine on them, with secondary sanctions that punish any country that assists Ukraine. This administration is despicable enough to try it, and dumb enough to not understand the potential repercussions for the US' soft power and place in the world if other countries were to break away from a US-led international financial system.
Upvote
11
(11
/
0)
At this point it seems like every single country is going to end up sanctioned by the USA anyway.
Upvote
8
(8
/
0)
Apologies, that was not the intent. What is the proper etiquette for quoting something a person wrote to indicate they were giving an example of something but that it is not their own sentiment? This site's automatic quote mechanism attributes the text to the person who posted it but without making that sort of distinction.
Upvote
3
(3
/
0)
If trade tariffs are considered sanctions, definitely.
Does Trump have any actual friends? I wonder. Because he acts like he doesn't understand that when push comes to shove friends are a good thing to have. He has sycophants, and people using him and who he is using, and people he pays to carry out tasks who are around a lot, but hang out and care about each other? People who would help him, or he would help, without expecting anything in return? Doesn't seem to be part of his character. Anyway, since he is turning US foreign policy into a magnified version of his own character defects, he seems not to place any weight at all on maintaining relations with allies, going to great lengths lately to offend and upset all of our traditional ones.
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
Ugh. Fair point. I had not considered that. We really live in the dumbest times.
Upvote
6
(6
/
0)
The Kiel tracker (https://www.ifw-kiel.de/topics/war-against-ukraine/ukraine-support-tracker/), which is what most people refer to in this situation, lists Germany, France, UK at approximately 30B Euros, and the NB8 at roughly 15B. Additionally, military support numbers are skewed by what is and isn't announced. France and Finland both have not disclosed a lot of things on that front.
Curious what source you're using for those numbers. I've looked for some more recent time slices (like last year, as opposed lifetime of the war), but couldn't find anything in a quick search.
Upvote
4
(4
/
0)
More info coming on where the big mechanized assaults took place. We can add Velyka Novosilka and Konstantynopol, both in Donetsk:
View: https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3licyn7tvs22e
View: https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3lid2d4yhos23
Still waiting on impacts on territorial holdings, though the initial videos don't look good for Russians.
Edit: a word
View: https://bsky.app/profile/wartranslated.bsky.social/post/3licyn7tvs22e
View: https://bsky.app/profile/noelreports.com/post/3lid2d4yhos23
Still waiting on impacts on territorial holdings, though the initial videos don't look good for Russians.
Edit: a word
Last edited:
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
I'll try to dig up the sources when I'm not on the phone, but budgeted military aid is approximately 3 billion each for Germany and the UK (if the Germans can actually pass it) and one billion for France in 2025. Sweden has 2.5 billion, Norway 2, and Denmark 1.5. The Finns are being cagey about the numbers, but 1-1.5 would be about in line with previous years, and it's likely more than that for 2025. Toss in the Baltics and you get slightly more than the big three.
Upvote
9
(9
/
0)
Indeed, and that is one reason that authoritarianism is so self-destructive. In the end, cooperation and compassion are at the very core of human survival.
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
The opposite of selective quoting (a.k.a. take out of context) is to keep sufficient context
.Your post should convey its meaning even if read in isolation. E.g for my post to make sense I had to keep the context of @Chuckstar's comment, otherwise my mention of 'selective quoting' appears out of thin air.
Upvote
4
(4
/
0)
Ah, got it. Yeah, I'd be very interested in some current comparisons. The total comparisons are not really relevant right now anymore.
Upvote
2
(2
/
0)
Typically the Mirage 2000 is typically a plan that has been pretty much undergoing for a while and the official announcement only came 6 month after they had arrive, iirc.
(Though they were some hints, Ukrainian aircrafts mechanics, and then Ukrainian pilots undergoing basic training in France)
Upvote
6
(6
/
0)
No, it's not common knowledge, and that's one of the reason such outrageous accusations even work, the other being the very fact that they are outrageous.
To use a different example, assume someone would try to create outrage about foreigners eating cats and dogs in a community where eating cats and dogs is no big deal (or even common practice). There would just be a collective "yeah, so what".
Upvote
5
(5
/
0)
Reducing spending on social goods is counterproductive in the not very long term.
Upvote
5
(5
/
0)
Hopefully this is the UK performing our apparent role as "designated red line pusher"
PM 'ready' to put troops on ground in Ukraine to protect peace (BBC news)
If France, Poland and (ideally) Germany also contribute peacekeeping forces, the US might end up sidelined after all...
PM 'ready' to put troops on ground in Ukraine to protect peace (BBC news)
If France, Poland and (ideally) Germany also contribute peacekeeping forces, the US might end up sidelined after all...
Upvote
10
(10
/
0)
I know Macron had already made noise about the possibility of French troop in Ukraine, so that's two countries. Honestly, a European defense treaty with a solid clause (like NATO's, not like the EU one) would probably a good solution. (Especially if it includes two nuclear powers, even though their individual arsenals are a bit smallish).
And Ukraine military and military industrial complex will likely be a strong one after the war too.
Upvote
11
(11
/
0)
Speaking of sidelined...
Trump's opening offer on the rare earth minerals was insulting. It fell into the "we think you are stupid and/or desperate and we wish to exploit your weak position" category. Also "you have 4 hours to agree to this" verges on extortion. France (probably along with others) could make an offer for some of those minerals, in a more cooperative fashion, where they move troops into Ukraine as part of the deal, "to protect their interests". At this point if I were the rest of Europe bringing UA into the fold, along with their troops, battle experience, and battle proven weaponry, seems like it might be a safer security bet than having to depend on the US with unreliable and frankly odious leadership like Trump and Vance. On paper the US is stronger militarily and economically, but do the Europeans really still believe that the US will honor its NATO defense commitments?
Upvote
13
(13
/
0)
Trump and Co explicitly said they won't. No idea why anyone thinks that they'll do anything but run an extortion racket.
Upvote
12
(12
/
0)
It's a sales tactic straight out of the used car salesmen playbook. Putting a time limit on an offer tends to make people more anxious, which pressures them to accept when they wouldn't with a clear head. It's such a cheap, transparent pressure tactic. Nobody with diplomatic experience would fall for it, especially not someone embroiled in a war and with several years' experience negotiating with foreign governments like Zelenskyy. He's so far above Trump's level that this fact in itself is humiliating to me as an American, in addition to all the other sleaze the orange shitgibbon inflicts on everything he touches.
Upvote
24
(24
/
0)
Upvote
9
(9
/
0)
Upvote
6
(7
/
-1)
An urgent time limit is also a hallmark of just about every cheap con.
Upvote
14
(14
/
0)
Upvote
2
(2
/
0)
Upvote
7
(7
/
0)
- Status