I never thought I'd see the US aligning with Russia

It's strange - Russia specialises in using paid agitators in the most odd places- we look after several artist fan sites ( music) not modern trendy ones but artists mainly from 70s and 80s -several have posted negatively about Trump - all of a sudden masses of posts from people who never post/comment all supporting Putin and Trump and all with blank kind of profiles/ avatar pictures etc - it's like Brexit all over again- it's designed to make you feel that it is 'you' who is being unreasonable by not seeing that they have every right to go round pitching their sights on wherever they fancy for the assets . I'm sure mumsnet has a fair bit of this going on too - people who only comment if it involves politics on what is primarily a very wide subject based female dominated forum I'm always a bit wary of - and its nearly always those with views way to the right. I appreciate we can all see things differently but it's the lack of interaction with any other aspect of the site unless it's far right politics that makes me wary.

It's so obvious. Now that would be real evidence of trump as a strong man.

And nobody can answer why he doesn't do that.

Buh. Nuclear weapons.

It's bullshit. If trump really wanted to be the big I am, he'd get the kremlin dwarf to fuck off back to his swamp

Russia poisons people in this country and terrorizes its towns. Remember Salisbury?

Fuck Russia. They hate us. Anyone cuddling up to them on here is suspect

Yep they whooped up the whole Brexit thing to get us separated from Europe. Now we’re basically separated from the US too so…

The Russians will leave us alone... oh no wait

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/nov/04/incendiary-device-plot-targeting-uk-may-have-been-dry-run-for-us-canada-russia-dhl

Russia is not going to leave Europe alone. It aims to destabilize it.

Jonathan Pie says it best:

https://www.facebook.com/JonathanPieReporter/videos/962868195816786/?app=fbl

My favourite part is where he calls Farage (who is ‘supporting’ Trump) “a shit stain on humanity” 🤣 a moment of laughter in a scary situation.

It honestly blows my mind that people are so forgetful of history that they think ending the war by allowing Russian to claim any Ukrainian land they like is in any way acceptable. Or that Trump cosying up to Putin is in any way a good thing for Europe. Give your heads a wobble.

So you've swallowed the Russian propaganda then?

The loss of life is appalling, yes, but defending your country from a foreigner invaded is hardly "pointless".

Imagine if people had this mentality back in the 1930s?

Perhaps, but Trump’s gone way further than that…. He’s blamed Ukraine for starting the war (absurdly given it’s Russia that is the one invading) and said Zelensky is a dictator. It’s as though he’s reading a script provided directly by the Kremlin!

Perhaps Trump could suggest to Putin that he withdraw his invading troops from Ukraine and stop killing Ukrainians? And stop his troops being killed?

Donald J Trump has never in the whole course of his life had any interest at heart other than Donald J Trump.

The USA is just his supply of power and adoration.

There's an extent to which "L'etat, c'est moi" means he values the USA – but there's no harm he wouldn't inflict on the country if he felt it somehow glorified him.

@100A and how do you deal with someone so dangerous?

If Trump did what was expected of him and came in heavy handed against Putin that would be far more dangerous to us and the World.

NATO expanding is a huge threat to Putin and Trump recognises that. Trump doesn't want a nuclear fall out any more than we do. He has USAs interests at heart and that doesn't include a nuclear war.

If Trump does manage to end the war between Ukraine and Russia that will be an incredible result. Currently it's all just pointless loss of lives.

It seems I can't link the image as It was from Twitter at the time if the Ukraine invasion. It is this - from Rubio -

"The old Putin was a cold-blooded but calculating killer. But the new Putin is even more dangerous."

(Rubio, Feb. 27th 2022).

Because Ukraine is faraway country of which America knows nothing

Rubio's warning about Putin, just a couple of years ago.

How can these Trump sycophants look at themselves in the mirror?

We have always been at war with Oceania

Didn’t Orwell for see something like this in 1984. A long time since I read it but weren’t there 3 big land masses that kept changing allegiances. Russia and China were sworn enemies a couple of decades ago

Oh look Poland have stated the obvious

1. Let’s finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets.
2. Let’s strengthen air policing, the Baltic sentry and the EU borders with Russia.
3. Let’s swiftly adopt new fiscal rules to finance the EU security and defence. Now!

And as predicted, Hungary are objecting to sanctions for Russia. No one could say they didn't know the issue with Orban. The EU are going to face this challenge again and again. Time to consider what to do about the Hungary issue before it becomes a "Hungary and others" question.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/20/ukraine-elections-start-of-war-volodymyr-zelenskyy

The Guardian about why there haven't been elections in Ukraine recently.

In contrast, latest Russian "elections":

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68505228

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68592781

@ForestAtTheSea fair points on assets

Regarding the frozen assets of Russian money: If anyone were to claim the actual funds instead of the interest only (which I read is being used for some of Ukraine's needs), that would break a code all countries have been relying on: that your money parked abroad is safe, even with competing countries. If you break that rule, everyone else will be free to do the same. It could be disastrous.

It would be better if there is a deal about it between Ukraine and Russia that they give up some of the funds for reparations.

It sounds so easy, take the frozen money, but has anyone checked how much funds of European countries are in Russian and US banks?

The other question about self-defense is, many countries have donated war equipment to the Ukraine and need to reorder their own material. Where is that coming from? Some PP have already pointed it out, too.

Then about rebuilding Ukraine, some time ago (2023 or 2024) it was mentioned in the news that Blackrock and others have been preparing an investment group and are ready to start. The rebuilding process could bring a lot of money to the companies taking part - probably the same reason Trump came up with his Gazan Riviera plan.

Maybe with this self-interest, US could negotiate with Russia to use the frozen funds for that, but Russia will want something in return. Not that I agree US comanies should get all the deals, but it could help keeping US in check.

We have had warmer and cooler times with USA over the years, with different presidents having different takes on the "special relationship". Plenty of Americans still very much hold onto the thoughts of the British Rule that they escaped from after the war of independence. If they think of us at all.

US has also had different relationships with Russia or USSR over the years. Some more cordial than others. Under Gorbachev and Yeltsin (!) for example. When their leaders were making progress to democracy.

But it's the current US regime siding so blatantly with Russia when led by the war mongering, murderous dictator of 25 years Putin that is the shocker. Despite the fact Trump has been telling us his views on Putin for so long. It's the reality of him being President and it being 2025 and the recent history.

But relying on the US is a mistake.

This may be the case but surely it renders the peacekeeping troops proposal defunct as relying on the US security is fundamental to it happening to start with.

@BigDecisionWorthIt - a lot depends on what the US does on Ukraine. I do not think it is credible to give a very bare deal to Ukraine and let them go without any military presence which deters Putin. Trump comes across as pro Putin. That is a change from his last term, and I would be worried with the changes he wants in his own domestic defence that it does not bode well for post 1945 allies.

Obviously if you are discussing increased defence spending the investment needs to be significant. We talked about Russian assets upthread. But the UK would need to change its spending too. A a smaller Whitehall and much diminished welfare spending are on the cards.

None of it will be easy. But relying on the US is a mistake.