Randahl FinkNov 21

Trump has now set a deadline for Thursday next week, where he demands Ukraine signs an agreement to meet Putin’s demands:

— No NATO membership
— A reduction of its military to just 600,000 troops
— Accepting the loss of Donetsk, Luhansk, Crimea, and most of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia
— Forcing Ukrainian elections within 100 days

While Russia will
— Reenter the G8
— Have all sanctions lifted

This is not a peace agreement. This is capitulation.

Show threadMomo
@randahl
And what is the "...or else"-part here? There is nothing that the orange shitshow could take away. He can just demand and yell like a small dog. But he doesn't play at the big boys table. Why do I even write this comment? Stfu Trump, go get your diapers changed.
Nov 21 at 8:27pmWeb
Show threadRandahl FinkNov 21

@momo Trump can prevent democratic countries from buying US made weapons to Ukraine.

This may be a problem, as we do not have enough production capacity in the democracies to produce all the types of weapons needed ourselves (and enough of them).

Most pressing is the need for air defence systems. Ukraine uses US made Patriot air defence systems, and if Trump prevents delivery of missiles on
Thursday, more Ukrainians will die this winter.

I hate it, but this is how it is.

Show threadMomoNov 21

@randahl
Honestly, that is indeed a problem. It's almost 25 years now that I shot a HK G36 during a training exercise, but I remember a) the disappointment that a brand new rifle shoots as imprecise as my previously assigned G3 from 1964 and b) all the news about the gun production quality afterwards (barrel gets too hot during fire in heated climate, impact on precision, etc). Put the Eurofighter on top of that and suddenly european weapons, vehicles and equipment is not very relevant and hasn't been in the last 30 years.

Yes, we could maybe ramp up the production but that doesn't improve the quality. Anyone remember Airbus A400M and how Von Der Leyen got stuck in Afghanistan because of defects?

Thank you for pointing it out, there is an "...or else" indeed.

Show threadRandahl FinkNov 21

@momo I think Germany and Sweden has come out with some really impressive weapons lately.

For instance, I am reading that Rheinmetall’s Skynex system is incredibly effective against the Russian Geran 2 drones (the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed).

Show threadIsaac Ji KuoNov 21

@randahl @momo Skynex isn't just incredibly effective, it is the best in the world. Nothing ever produced by the USA ever came close.

Also, there are European systems (SAMP-T) working in gaps where Patriot is currently struggling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix3IAzADbFc

There really are a lot of top notch non-USA alternatives ... not everything, but a lot.

Why SAMP-T Might Be Ukraine's BEST Hope Against Russia

YouTube