[tomder55]

EU ministers met about a proposal by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu to spend 4 billion Euros ($4.2 billion) to buy 1 million artillery shells for Ukraine . This does NOT include the money to replace NATO and US depleted stockpile . (They agreed to something yesterday)
EU agrees to push ahead on joint arms buying to aid Ukraine | Reuters



Both Ukraine and Russia are running out of ammo .

I believe China will start supplying Russia soon .
Putin ally Lukashenko and Chinese leader Xi Jinping vow to deepen defense ties | CNN

This ammo shortage happened in 1915 during WWI This led to a political crisis in UK that resulted in a change of government

The goal is to supply Ukraine with 100,000 rounds a month. Currently production levels in Europe and the US cannot keep up with shell usage.

Europe shrunk it's military capacity post Cold War under the fanciful belief that a conventional war could never happen there again

(the silly end of history nonsense that was being given credence by the egg heads

The End of History and the Last Man - Wikipedia )

NATO became a bonsai army capable of fighting brush fire wars of choice 'over there'.
bonsai army - Wiktionary

Forget Ukraine ....They neither have the ammo ,nor the capacity to produce ammo sufficient to protect themselves . When all is said and done ;even with a war time mobilization like the US had prior to our entry into WWII ,it will take months to produce the weapons necessary for Ukraine to win. I do not believe there is the will on either side of the pond for that type of commitment .

[tomder55]

Hmm Lukashenko had a meeting with Putin and then was rushed to the Hospital . I wonder what he said to Putin that got him poisoned ?

President of Belarus hospitalised after meeting with Putin (yahoo.com)

This meeting was held days after Russia announced it was moving nukes to Belarus.

Russia moving nuclear warheads to Belarus, says dictator Lukashenko | Ukraine | The Guardian

[jlisenbe]

This meeting was held days after Russia announced it was moving nukes to Belarus.

That is a little nerve-wracking. I don't doubt that Putin would use nukes if he felt the war was going against him in such a manner that losing was a real possibility.

[tomder55]

Depending on the success of the impending Ukraine offensive I see another equally sinister play by Putin.

Russia gained control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant last year; the largest nuke plant in Europe. The power lines to the plant have already been damaged . There was fighting and shelling in the plant area ;and reportedly Russia has been kidnapping workers from the plant. It is operating mostly on back up generators .

Ukraine began saying yesterday that Putin is planning a "provocation"; "massive incident " or to "simulate " an incident at the plant in the event that Ukraine makes headway in their offensive. The goal being to suspend hostilities to deal with the nuke crisis. They would blame Ukraine for the damage . They would use the pause to regroup and create new lines of defense .

I don't know the veracity of the accusation or if it is based on any intel they have received . Ukraine has issued similar warnings in the past .

What is indisputable it that it is a really bad idea to be fighting a war around a nuclear power plant.

[Wondergirl]

Depending on the success of the impending Ukraine offensive I see another equally sinister play by Putin.

And sucking in tRump.

[tomder55]

uh oh someone is going moon batty

[jlisenbe]

TDS at work, perhaps??

[tomder55]

Turkey agreed to allow Sweden to join NATO . Originally they balked .Why the change of heart ?

The US suddenly agreed to sell advance F-16 jets to Turkey
US to move ahead with transfer of F-16 jets to Turkey | Reuters

And Sweden began a crack down on Kurd expats .

The Swedes say the timing was "coincidence" .

Sweden jails Kurd for financing terrorism after Turkey calls for crackdown - BBC News

uh huh

The Kurds always get screwed .

[tomder55]

Larry Kudlow on Stuart Varney show .

we have now poured $130, $150 billion into this war. NATO countries, from reports, have only put in about $20 or $25 billion. It really is a European problem, so the question is what should the United States do over time?

Kudlow: Pouring Another $150 Billion Into Ukraine Makes No Sense, U.S. Should Be Negotiating A Cease Fire | Video | RealClearPolitics