Posted on 08/05/2025 5:47:16 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Russia is ramping up a grinding summer offensive in eastern Ukraine as Kyiv appeals to President Donald Trump for more military aid and intensified pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin's latest push comes at a pivotal moment. Prevailing Ukraine-skepticism inside the Trump administration may be softening as White House frustration with the Kremlin grows -- but the president, who has in the past often acted in an unpredictable and transactional manner toward Ukraine, could still turn away from Kyiv.
The European Union is still marshalling its vast industrial resources to help arm Ukraine, having already taken the lead in economic support for the war-weary nation. The bloc does not yet appear willing or able to shoulder the military burden so far mostly carried by the U.S.
And at home, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's apparent efforts to weaken anti-corruption bodies sparked street protests, while the armed forces' persistent manpower strain is necessitating difficult conversations about widening conscription brackets and hardening responses to draft-dodging. Russia's now-routine huge drone and missile attacks on Ukraine's cities are also increasing the pressure.
What began as a broad Russian push all along the 600-mile front in eastern and southern Ukraine now appears to be narrowing into three axes of attack -- in the northeastern Sumy region and in the eastern Donetsk Oblast cities of Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka, two important defensive hubs.
"The Russians did not have a very clearly definable beginning for this summer campaign season," Pasi Paroinen, an analyst at the Finland-based Black Bird Group told ABC News. "They intensified their attacks pretty much almost all across the front line around May and towards June."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The European Union is still marshalling its vast industrial resources
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BS, the EU has nothing, few natural resources, little to no energy, imports everything, and more than a dozen auto plants shut down….hillarious propaganda…they should have never blown up the NordStream pipeline, fools.
“BS, the EU has nothing, few natural resources, little to no energy, imports everything, and more than a dozen auto plants shut down….hillarious propaganda…they should have never blown up the NordStream pipeline, fools.”
Changing your tune.
Remember when you posted that the worth of a nation was in its workforce, not its natural resources citing Japan as the prime example?
Well, Russia’s workforce is in the dumps compared to the EU.
EU is lots of woke people now.
Only the moozzies in EU make most of the babies. Mohamad is #1 baby name in some EU countries. To
Do you ever stop posting BS? In Q1 2025, the EU had a positive GOODS trade balance of ~55 billion Euros.
More data here:
Tight energy supplies are partially due to the EU not using more of what it has or recently had operating (primarily coal and nuclear plants) , but Trump’s deal with them will help.
IATS
Again. The EU has nothing of significance ( except Debt), imports much of everything.
AI:
In 2024, the European Union’s total imports were valued at approximately $2.64 trillion, with major partners including China, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The top imported commodities were mineral fuels, electrical equipment, and machinery.
That’s right, $$$$$$$ 2.7 Trillion in imports.
Putin’s now throwing in guys in their ‘50’s and 60’s and women too.
They’re promised 300,000 rubles a month($3-4,000 US) to go and get blown up for Vlad.
If they don’t survive and even if they do no one ever really gets the money.
It never leaves Moscow.
Yes, BUT, they exported MORE goods (value) than they imported. 55 billion Euro’s more in Q1, 2025. It wasn’t all flower bulbs from Holland...
The EU’s manufacturing base may be hurtin’, but it is still vastly greater than Russia’s. They might even get the idea to convert those 12 shuttered automobile factories to weapons factories, using some of that 5% of GDP they’ve committed to defense.
Notes:
1) I’d be surprised if some countries, Italy in particular, ever get to 5%. OTOH, some others may decide to take on replacing the discredited Russian weapons systems in the global marketplace, so, those other EU countries defense exports plus domestic supply & manpower expenditures may reach or even exceed 5%.
2) This may shock you (that I would say this), but, I view the 5% as both unnecessary and in the long run, highly dangerous. “Unnecessary” because it won’t take 5% to exhaust Russia, if the effort is handled correctly. “Highly dangerous” because of the long term basic nature of Europe. I would be much more comfortable with something in the neighborhood of 3.5% — maybe 4% until tooling up is largely accomplished. The USA as “Big Dog” of the Western World is a much safer situation than Europe armed to the teeth...
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