Replies

PIF: "Working a peace deal between Russia & Ukraine - never happen.
Putin, like Russia, arbors peace.
There are no riches or power to be gained that are worth having without conquest"

***

I reject the idea that Pres. Trump is blind to reality and can't see Putin's evil intentions.
From the beginning, Trump opposed Putin's moves into Ukraine and worked to prevent further expansion of Putin's ambitions.
Trump has always said Putin's 2022 invasions would not have happened if he, Trump, had been reelected in 2020.
It's a hugely important point because many who now support Ukraine against Russia also supported Biden against Trump in 2020.

Trump has tried now for over five months, in all good faith, to negotiate a peace deal with Putin, and it hasn't worked.
Most recently, Trump expressed his frustrations:

July 3, aboard Air Force One: "We had a call.
It was a pretty long call.
We talked about a lot of things, including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine.
And I'm not happy about that, I'm not happy."
July 3, aboard Air Force One: “No, I didn’t make any progress with him today at all.”
July 4, aboard Air Force One: “Putin understands U.S. sanctions may be coming…
I’m not happy with how he’s acting.
He wants to keep going, keep fighting.
He thinks he can take it all.”
July 4, aboard Air Force One: “He just wants to go all the way and just keep killing people.
It’s no good.
I wasn’t happy with it.”
Previously on March 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and DNI Tulsi Gabbard testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee warning of Russia's “unabated pursuit of war aims” and the “strategic risk of underestimating Putin’s resolve”.
Also on March 25, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Senate Intelligence Hearing: "Russia remains the most capable and most determined adversary in the European theater.
Putin’s strategic intent has not changed—he seeks to fracture NATO and redraw borders.”
Same hearing, DNI Gabbard: “We are not blind to the risks.
Russia’s hybrid warfare, disinformation, and energy leverage remain potent tools.
Any peace must be durable and verifiable.”
Gabbard also noted that “Putin’s ambitions go beyond Ukraine,” and warned that “a frozen conflict is not a solution”
June 2025, Munich Security Conference, Sec. Rubio: “Russia is not just a military threat—it’s a strategic disruptor.
We must be clear-eyed about what Putin wants and what he’s willing to do to get it.”

So any suggestions that the Trump administration is blinded or limited by rosy scenarios are simply not the case.

PIF: "European aid is fine but they are not geared to making armaments and by the time they are, Russia could well overrun Ukraine."

Maybe, but in the past, Ukraine's military efforts were supported roughly:

1/3 from Ukraine's own military production
1/3 from American military production
1/3 from all others including Euros, other Western allies and NGOs.

This seems to have already changed to roughly 50% each from Ukraine's own production and from all others, with US contributions dropping to nearly zero.

The Euros, especially, have mostly reached their 2% of GDP pledge during the Trump 45 administration, and have now pledged to reach 5% in coming years -- a pledge which, if kept, will put Euro defense spending 50% ahead of US spending at now ~3.3% of GDP.

In the meantime, while US aid to Ukraine has dropped to a mere trickle, Europeans and other western allies have pledged over $300 billion, of which nearly $200 billion was delivered and over $100 billion remains in their pipelines for future deliveries.

Yes, it may be true that US Patriots are the best of the best anti-missile systems, but there are other systems that can take out all but the most capable ballistic missiles.
These include Ukrainian and European systems against aircraft, cruise missiles and "drone swarms".
Point is, while US weapons are still the world's best, plenty of other allies make weapons which are a close second-best, still much better than Russian weapons and potentially much cheaper than US weapons.

Will they be good enough and enough in quantity?
Nobody knows today.

PIF: "China is in turmoil now - there is a huge battle going on between groups for control, now that Xi Jinping has been “displaced”.
The CMC is on top now, but who know who will survive the purges, investigations, arrests, and disappearances to come out on top."

In recent months I've seen lots of YouTube videos claiming, as you say, that China is a mess economically and politically.
There's no way to tell how true any of those stories are, and even if true China, like Russia, is a highly controlled authoritarian society built precisely to withstand and suppress any such shocks to its systems.

I've seen no reports -- zero, zip, nada reports -- suggesting that CCP China's communist leaders will suddenly become peace-loving Jeffersonian democrats, or that any of them have given up on their goals of Taiwan's military conquest.

PIF: "There are reports that the pipe;line never stopped - except for the munitions Ukraine needs most and can only get from the US like: Patriot and Hellfire missiles."

There are no public reports detailing either the weapons, the amounts or the dollar values of US aid to Ukraine since January 20, 2025 -- at least not that I can find.

*** I'm out of time now, so can't take the time to link those quotes to their sources.
If that bothers anybody, let me know which ones you don't believe me on and I'll link their sources for you...