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Trump softens on Putin as Russia’s military edge weakens, officials say
The Washington Post ^ | March 24, 2025 2:01 PM EDT | Karen DeYoung , Catherine Belton and Mary Ilyushina

Posted on 05/24/2025 4:49:06 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Moscow’s advantage on the Ukraine battlefield is waning, experts say. But President Donald Trump seems disinclined to ramp up pressure on the Kremlin to engage in ceasefire talks.

Russia’s battlefield strength in Ukraine has started to wane and it could run into serious shortages of manpower and weaponry by next year, even as President Donald Trump retreats from pressure on Moscow to end the war, according to senior U.S. and European officials and military experts.

In recent days, Trump appears to have abandoned the threat of harsh financial sanctions he repeated as recently as two weeks ago if Moscow doesn’t agree to a ceasefire with Kyiv. Instead, after a two-hour phone call Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he touted potential new trade deals with Russia.

Rather than the U.S. leadership he promised, Trump has mused that he might just walk away and leave the negotiations to the Europeans — perhaps even the new pope — to sort out. His administration has not committed to additional military or financial aid to Ukraine.

But the timing for putting pressure on Moscow may be more advantageous now than at any point since the early days of the conflict, according to more than a dozen officials who discussed the current state of the war and the sensitive politics and diplomacy surrounding it, most on the condition of anonymity.

Absent a negotiated settlement or “robust” Western assistance, the war “probably will continue to slowly trend in Russia’s favor through 2025,” according to a U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment presented to Congress 10 days ago by DIA Director Lt. Gen Jeffrey Krause. But Russian gains “are slowing and continue to come at the expense of high personnel and equipment losses.”

Since its February 2022 invasion, the DIA assessment said, Russia has “lost at least 10,000...s.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; European Union; Foreign Affairs; Political Humor/Cartoons; Russia
KEYWORDS: 2022botchedtreaty; 2ndlargestarmylmao; 3dayblahblahblah; 3daywar; anydaynowukrainewins; bidensfolly; catherinebelton; demedia; democratnooz; dia; enemycombatants; enemyjournalists; fakenews; foreignpropaganda; jeffreykrause; karendeyoung; maryilyushina; officialdemnarrative; omgpoootler; ongoingrussiahoax; pds; pulltheirfcclicense; putinsfolly; putinswar; putinweakens; rds; russiarussiarussia; slavmom; tds; treasonousleaks; wapolol; waposedition; wapotreason; washingtoncompost
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1 posted on 05/24/2025 4:49:06 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yes Russia is running out of missiles and troops
AGAIN

If fact they are now using shovels in combat (that was a real article in 2023)


2 posted on 05/24/2025 4:53:01 PM PDT by janetjanet998 (Legacy media including youtube are the enemy of the people and must die)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“experts say.” Which “experts?” Name them. This is nothing more than media refusing to accept responsibility for their leftist propaganda. Nonsense.


3 posted on 05/24/2025 4:53:08 PM PDT by Fungi
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

WAPO....worthless jargon...as usual


4 posted on 05/24/2025 4:54:57 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: janetjanet998

The propaganda PHD’s Piling It Higher and Deeper.


5 posted on 05/24/2025 5:00:01 PM PDT by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, REMEMBER REV; NIEMOLLER)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Experts.”


6 posted on 05/24/2025 5:00:17 PM PDT by AAABEST (That time Washington0 DC became a corrupted, existential threat to us all...)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Moscow’s advantage on the Ukraine battlefield is waning, experts say.


7 posted on 05/24/2025 5:02:26 PM PDT by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

They want to twist and turn the analysis to make Trump always appear wrong.

It may be that if Russia is about to experience less battlefield success, Trump feels there is less need for extreme sanctions.

And since the European hardliners (against Russia) want to see Russia weakened, they are in no rush to end the fighting (rightly or wrongly).

As always, I’ll trust in Trump to navigate this.


8 posted on 05/24/2025 5:04:16 PM PDT by Williams (Thank God for the election of President Trump!)
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To: janetjanet998; E. Pluribus Unum

I was listening to Alexander Mercouris today, and he was saying that the Ukies don’t have enough actual soldiers to man the entire front line - they have to use drones instead in certain sectors.


9 posted on 05/24/2025 5:05:44 PM PDT by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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To: kiryandil

Too many people have died on both sides already.


10 posted on 05/24/2025 5:06:44 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
I've always been against the Western media lying about the Ukrainian [minimizing them] and Russian [maximizing them] casualties in order to keep the slaughter going.

War pigs.

11 posted on 05/24/2025 5:12:10 PM PDT by kiryandil (No one in AZ that voted for Trump voted for Gallego )
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To: janetjanet998

“Yes Russia is running out of missiles and troops
AGAIN”

This is how the Neocons plan take down Trump - they will say that Ukraine was right on the edge of seizing Moscow, and all they needed was ONE MORE TANK, but Trump refused to give it to them, and because of that, Kiev was lost the next day.

...just watch.


12 posted on 05/24/2025 5:24:13 PM PDT by BobL
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Red fascist Yellow Journalism.


13 posted on 05/24/2025 5:27:21 PM PDT by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: janetjanet998

In the past hour, Russia launch ten bombers, and they are releasing their missiles; just prior to that the Russia navy unleashed missiles, and the drones are already on the way.

23 May was called a big night for Ukraine. Tonight, it is going to be the biggest yet.

Ukraine is going to run out of air defense artillery.

Putin is one patient SOB; Zelinski unleashed over 2,000 drones and missiles towards Moscow, and it Putin is sending the same number per night for the same number of nights at Ukraine.

My how I love a Parade;)


14 posted on 05/24/2025 5:30:15 PM PDT by Jumper
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“I hope that there are no people in this hall who are still hoping for some miracle… that will bring peace to Ukraine and will bring back the borders of 1991 or 2022,” the former commander, now serving as Kiev’s ambassador to London, said at a defense export forum on Thursday
Zaluzhny was referring to Kiev’s claims over Crimea and four other regions that have since joined Russia. Crimea voted to return to Russia in the wake of the Western-backed Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, and the two Donbass republics, as well as Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, followed suit in autumn 2022 following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February of that year.
****Kiev has never recognized the referendums’ results and continues to claim sovereignty over the regions****”
https://www.rt.com/russia/618071-zaluzhny-cold-water-kiev-ambitions/

Zelensky needs to face facts!
So does the EU, UK and certain agitators in the US.


15 posted on 05/24/2025 5:30:28 PM PDT by doc maverick
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The Washington Post: Trump softens on Putin as Russia’s military edge weakens

The Compost is amazing, their Urinalists can talk directly into Zelensky's Speaking Tube without missing a beat!


16 posted on 05/24/2025 5:43:28 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (President Trump Decisively Won Popular & E.C., Celebrate Recivilization!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

You remind me of Baghdad Bob.


17 posted on 05/24/2025 5:43:33 PM PDT by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
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To: janetjanet998
Yes Russia is running out of missiles and troops
AGAIN

You beat me to it!

How many times have we heard these stories in the last three years? Combined with all the new "game changers" like javelins, HIMARS, Abrahms, F16s, training thousands of new Ukie troops a month, and so many other wonder weapons.

The bottom line is it's all a bunch of BS. The simple fact is that Russia has captured over 20% of former Ukrainian land while demilitarizing the Ukrainians and the West/NATO.

That there is the real facts.

18 posted on 05/24/2025 5:47:44 PM PDT by icclearly
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Russia’s battlefield strength in Ukraine has started to wane and it could run into serious shortages of manpower and weaponry by next year

Then, why does it appear Russia is planning an offensive in Sumy?

19 posted on 05/24/2025 5:53:47 PM PDT by Kazan
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To: laplata

You remind me of an ostrich with it’s head in the sand.


20 posted on 05/24/2025 6:01:39 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of anger, hate and violence.)
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