Well hopefully this ends all equivocation even amongst the most alty righty of our community about who and what this man is and what he represents. It's nothing to do with your politics. He's evil.
Very naiive of you. The pretexts for continued support write themselves:
Trump's language may have been a bit harsh, but Zelensky is an unelected leader sending consripts to die in a war which, to be fair, we in the West partly caused, and I don't want my children to die in WW3 either do you, and it's just common sense that you agree to a deal if you go to the White House, Zelensky shouldn't have gone if he was not prepared to do so, and Trump, though rude, is trying to get things to return to peace so ultimately he is in the right.
And so on.
shill
Kle4 was writing an example of what the alt-right Trump apologists on here will say to excuse their beloved leader. He wasn't advocating that position for himself. That should be obvious from the way the post was constructed.
I look forward to the first post, not having seen mine, which mimics it near perfectly, but sincerely.
David Frum: No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, has been named worst director for his self-financed project Megalopolis in this year's Razzies.
Announced two days before the Oscars reward Hollywood's finest, the Razzie Awards name and shame the year's worst films.
In an Instagram post,, external Coppola said he was "thrilled" to accept the award, "at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary movie-making". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ev3wygl4o
The razzies are a joke, but his response is so arrogant. It was the worst film I've seen in years, if not ever. Incoherent, turning great actors into horrible ones, saying nothing of note, and not even interestingly bad. There's weird and experimental films, but Megalopolis was just crap in every respect.
I'm surprised that anybody's remotely surprised to discover that Trump is a nasty, unpleasant, rude bully.
It's not so much surprise, right thinking people know that Trump is a rapist, a felon, a liar, an idiot, a conman, a braggart, and so on, but perhaps never before has is been shown so starkly in such serious circumstances.
No joke, I don't see how any leader in Europe could watch that and not think "the US is taking the side of our greatest enemy." Any reliance on America now is at out peril. We need to disengage from the US across the board as rapidly as possible.
I think others on here are correct, I think Zelensky is going to fall on his sword now, and his successor is going to have to be the scapegoat and acquiesce to Trump so as to get a meagre settlement (Trump isn’t going to give that US security guarantee).
Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, has been named worst director for his self-financed project Megalopolis in this year's Razzies.
Announced two days before the Oscars reward Hollywood's finest, the Razzie Awards name and shame the year's worst films.
In an Instagram post,, external Coppola said he was "thrilled" to accept the award, "at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary movie-making". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ev3wygl4o
The razzies are a joke, but his response is so arrogant. It was the worst film I've seen in years, if not ever. Incoherent, turning great actors into horrible ones, saying nothing of note, and not even interestingly bad. There's weird and experimental films, but Megalopolis was just crap in every respect.
I've never been closer to walking out of a movie.
Are the Razzies a joke ? They started off as one but are they now after 40 plus years ?
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Rejoin the EU, invite Canada and Ukraine to also join.
Not the EU. It’s something else but the something needs to form this weekend.
If we (and Canada) can no longer rely on the US (and thus NATO) an expanded EU is our best bet.
Gven the complete inability of the EU to do anything in a unified manner - and the fact that some members are openly hostile to Ukraine, plus the fact it would take decades and completely new Treaties - unanimously agreed by all current members - to get any new members, this is, as I said, an idiotic idea. Far better to get those countries that are willing to form a new defence organisation including Ukraine but with the USA and countries like Hungary left out in the cold.
I'm surprised that anybody's remotely surprised to discover that Trump is a nasty, unpleasant, rude bully.
It's not so much surprise, right thinking people know that Trump is a rapist, a felon, a liar, an idiot, a conman, a braggart, and so on, but perhaps never before has is been shown so starkly in such serious circumstances.
No joke, I don't see how any leader in Europe could watch that and not think "the US is taking the side of our greatest enemy." Any reliance on America now is at out peril. We need to disengage from the US across the board as rapidly as possible.
I worry Europe as a whole is not strong enough to stand on its own two feet (or to make the difficult choices that would enable it to do so). But there's essentially still 4 more years of Trump (and possibly more of Trump-esque leaders), Europe including the UK needs to assume the USA cannot be a reliable ally for anything and take action to minimise any damage.
I think others on here are correct, I think Zelensky is going to fall on his sword now, and his successor is going to have to be the scapegoat and acquiesce to Trump so as to get a meagre settlement (Trump isn’t going to give that US security guarantee).
I think Zelensky would if he thought it would help. But if US plan is to turn Ukraine into puppet regime for Putin, then there may not be much to gain in resigning?
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
Well hopefully this ends all equivocation even amongst the most alty righty of our community about who and what this man is and what he represents. It's nothing to do with your politics. He's evil.
Very naiive of you. The pretexts for continued support write themselves:
Trump's language may have been a bit harsh, but Zelensky is an unelected leader sending consripts to die in a war which, to be fair, we in the West partly caused, and I don't want my children to die in WW3 either do you, and it's just common sense that you agree to a deal if you go to the White House, Zelensky shouldn't have gone if he was not prepared to do so, and Trump, though rude, is trying to get things to return to peace so ultimately he is in the right.
And so on.
Some numpty has flagged you not realising you're mimicing the MAGA/Russian talking points.
That was me, I can't read sarcasm only hear it.
I will unflag.
done
Apologies, I am just so incandescent... I need to watch some cat videos.
Or stroke a real one like I'm doing. Works wonders 😊
Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, has been named worst director for his self-financed project Megalopolis in this year's Razzies.
Announced two days before the Oscars reward Hollywood's finest, the Razzie Awards name and shame the year's worst films.
In an Instagram post,, external Coppola said he was "thrilled" to accept the award, "at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary movie-making". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ev3wygl4o
The razzies are a joke, but his response is so arrogant. It was the worst film I've seen in years, if not ever. Incoherent, turning great actors into horrible ones, saying nothing of note, and not even interestingly bad. There's weird and experimental films, but Megalopolis was just crap in every respect.
I've never been closer to walking out of a movie.
Are the Razzies a joke ? They started off as one but are they now after 40 plus years ?
I mean a joke in the sense that they won't necessarily pick the actual worst film or actor for an award (even staying with mainstream films), but select options which will get more press.
I mean, Donald Trump got a Razzie for his cameo in Ghosts Can't do It, and I highly doubt that a) his role was substantial enough to warrant it, b) the peformance (as himself) was actually the worst that year (I've seen a video review of the film, including Trump's bit, but not the whole film)
If only the democrats hadn’t anointed an incompetent clown who flopped badly in the primaries when Biden won as a candidate to stand against Trump. We may not be in this mess.
The Dems (who we are often told are the educated, intelligent people):
Had an attorney general who made no effort to bring Trump to justice.
All claimed that a senile old man was good for another four years.
At the last moment replaced the senile old man with someone who everyone said was unelectable and who couldn't even be bothered to campaign on Biden's economic achievements.
The Dems would have lost regardless because of cost of living, which with Trump's tariffs should also likely see the GOP lose in 2026 and 2028
The tipping point state was Pennsylvania, which Trump won by 1.71% - it was very close.
If Biden had announced he was going to serve only one term and allowed a proper primary the Dems could have won.
I repeat, they would not have because of cost of living, that was what all the polls said was the main reason why 2020 Biden voters who switched to Trump last November did so
It would have taken a 1% swing.
A different candidate might have achieved that.
There are plenty of cases where a different candidate has made the difference both in the USA and in other countries.
They would not, they already switched candidates to Harris and she got a bounce but the head to head polls were clear, no alternative to Harris would have done better v Trump.
American voters had made up their mind they wanted Trump back and now they own that for the next 4 years
They own it but the rest of the world pays the consequence.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
David Frum: No, the meeting did not go badly for Ukraine. It exposed in the most undeniable, unequivocal way possible the pro-Putin commitments of the president and vice president. That was information Americans and allies needed to have clear before them.
I'm surprised that anybody's remotely surprised to discover that Trump is a nasty, unpleasant, rude bully.
All I've learnt today is that Vance is at least as bad, and possibly even more dangerous, being marginally more intelligent.
I'm reminded of the "let's go back in time and kill Hitler" stories that end up with someone just as evil but a bit more clever and ruthless running the Reich.
this is the same look you give the waiter when your grandpa is yelling trying to get something taken off the bill
Is it worth it Marco? It's america and you were a Senator, so you're probably a multi-millionaire and effectively immune from most crimes unless you're as stupid as that corrupt guy from New Jersey.
It's not as though he gets to do what he wants as Secretary of State, as some of the other Cabinet members might in their areas. He has to entirely subordinate himself to Trump's will.
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
When Vance interrupted him and started lecturing my jaw practically dropped. I do believe a moment like that, if not the precise details, was intended by Trump and Vance.
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
True it’s very easy for commentators to say he should just ignore Trumps comments . I have huge admiration for Zelenskyy , he’s a remarkable man but it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get a deal now unless he makes a grovelling apology to Trump .
Where do we go from here? Someone needs to stand up to Trump, surely?
But who?
Has to be a collective European response. And that means the UK aligning closer to Europe to be honest.
I’d always felt closer toward the USA - not any more
Yes. But how many EU countries remain totally silent on increasing their spend on defence? Europe is not united on the next steps. They mostly say the right thing until hard cash is required. Very sad
Europe needs to get its head out of the sand on defence (and not incidentally, on the need for economic growth).
If that's not the position of the EU, quickly, then we need to help get together a coalition of the willing.
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
Isn't it even worse than that?
For all that Ukraine aren't winning, they have held Russia back incredibly well. And whilst the "let Russia bleed itself to death" strategy is horrible to watch, it's not obvious that it isn't working.
That's what makes America's the Tump regime's betrayal so disgusting. It's pretty close to handing Putin victory from the jaws of... if not defeat, then certainly disgrace.
Where do we go from here? Someone needs to stand up to Trump, surely?
But who?
Has to be a collective European response. And that means the UK aligning closer to Europe to be honest.
Aligning us with Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, Ireland and Austria?
America may not be great at the moment, but let's not whitewash Europe and go from the frying pan into the fire.
Britain should build stronger relationships with the more useful European countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and some others.
And other countries outside of Europe where mutually beneficial, such as with Canada and Australia.
Hopefully we can pull more of the reluctant European countries in the wake of that solid core, and we do our best with the US, though to an extent it's about damage limitation now.
People might think things look bad now, but we have to do our best to stop them getting worse, and stop Trump from providing material assistance to the Russians, on top of the moral assistance he's already provided.
Sky report on Zelensky and Trump discussion not going well apparently !!!
Trump - Zelensky gambling with World War 3
Trump to Zelensky - you ether do a deal or we are out
Vance accuses Zelensky of being "disrespectful".
And this is the main thing with Trump - any issue boils down to not showing him sufficient respect, which is abject grovelling most of the time (hence creatures like Vance trying to enforce servility even from a Head of State who, though needing to be subservient given his position, still deserves respect in turn).
It is my experience that people who cry about being disrespected the most are usually the ones showing the least respect to others. Same thing with a lot of the time with civility.
The respect thing is so totally capo di capo stuff. Fishes in Zelensky’s bed tonight.
So, just having heard the brief reports from Washington, what was it?
1. Zelensky tried to play nice bit his speaker of truth too power persona got the better of him 2. The additional terms and expectations of the deal, written or unwritten were too onerous and he had his IMF in Lviv moment 3. Zelensky intended to pull out their true intentions 4. MAGA always set it up to go this way
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
Isn't it even worse than that?
For all that Ukraine aren't winning, they have held Russia back incredibly well. And whilst the "let Russia bleed itself to death" strategy is horrible to watch, it's not obvious that it isn't working.
That's what makes America's the Tump regime's betrayal so disgusting. It's pretty close to handing Putin victory from the jaws of... if not defeat, then certainly disgrace.
Quite so. For all the talk of inevitable Russian victory - and they have had more gains in 2024 - it has been a slow grinding situation, at high cost. If people want to play the cold pragmatist game then continuing to support Ukraine seems more in line with that than just, de facto, confirming the Russian gains as theirs forever.
Why did we not offer Zelensky any tips on how to handle Trump?
I don't think there were any tips we could have offered. Trump wanted things to fall this way.
It was a definite mistake for him to start talking about how the US will feel the pressure in the future. That's a talking point that might work in Europe but not the US.
For those saying Zelenskyy should have handled Trump differently: put yourself in his shoes. For the past three years he has been in the midst of a war, sleeping little, knowing his country isn't winning. And know he knows he has been betrayed utterly.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
True it’s very easy for commentators to say he should just ignore Trumps comments . I have huge admiration for Zelenskyy , he’s a remarkable man but it’s going to be incredibly difficult to get a deal now unless he makes a grovelling apology to Trump .
It's only Trump (and Putin) who want a deal. What is needed is to continue grinding the Russians' noses into the dirt
Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, has been named worst director for his self-financed project Megalopolis in this year's Razzies.
Announced two days before the Oscars reward Hollywood's finest, the Razzie Awards name and shame the year's worst films.
In an Instagram post,, external Coppola said he was "thrilled" to accept the award, "at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary movie-making". https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ev3wygl4o
The razzies are a joke, but his response is so arrogant. It was the worst film I've seen in years, if not ever. Incoherent, turning great actors into horrible ones, saying nothing of note, and not even interestingly bad. There's weird and experimental films, but Megalopolis was just crap in every respect.
I've never been closer to walking out of a movie.
Are the Razzies a joke ? They started off as one but are they now after 40 plus years ?
I mean a joke in the sense that they won't necessarily pick the actual worst film or actor for an award (even staying with mainstream films), but select options which will get more press.
I mean, Donald Trump got a Razzie for his cameo in Ghosts Can't do It, and I highly doubt that a) his role was substantial enough to warrant it, b) the peformance (as himself) was actually the worst that year (I've seen a video review of the film, including Trump's bit, but not the whole film)
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
Never mind BoJo, anyone heard from Leon? LuckyGuy1983?
The most telling part of the episode for me was after the shouting match had calmed a little and Trump said he had let it run 'so that the American people can see what we're dealing with' (I've paraphrased).
At this point Zelenskyy says something like 'Mr.President please don't use this in that way' or similar.
I think at this point Zelenskyy realised quite how badly this would be spun in US, and perhaps that this had been a deliberate setup by Trump and Vance. His heart must have dropped to the floor.
A fundamentally decent, brave, honest man being fucked over in front of our eyes by two pathetic cowards. It makes my blood boil.
So, just having heard the brief reports from Washington, what was it?
1. Zelensky tried to play nice bit his speaker of truth too power persona got the better of him 2. The additional terms and expectations of the deal, written or unwritten were too onerous and he had his IMF in Lviv moment 3. Zelensky intended to pull out their true intentions 4. MAGA always set it up to go this way
Or some mix of the above or something else?
He has resisted the bully Putin for 3 years against incredible odds Trump is a blowheart by comparison.
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
Never mind BoJo, anyone heard from Leon? LuckyGuy1983?
Do they spend their every waking moment here then ?
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Rejoin the EU, invite Canada and Ukraine to also join.
Not the EU. It’s something else but the something needs to form this weekend.
If we (and Canada) can no longer rely on the US (and thus NATO) an expanded EU is our best bet.
Gven the complete inability of the EU to do anything in a unified manner - and the fact that some members are openly hostile to Ukraine, plus the fact it would take decades and completely new Treaties - unanimously agreed by all current members - to get any new members, this is, as I said, an idiotic idea. Far better to get those countries that are willing to form a new defence organisation including Ukraine but with the USA and countries like Hungary left out in the cold.
Exactly. Rump-NATO is the nearest thing we have as a starting point. Going through the EU on this is a hiding to nothing.
So, just having heard the brief reports from Washington, what was it?
1. Zelensky tried to play nice bit his speaker of truth too power persona got the better of him 2. The additional terms and expectations of the deal, written or unwritten were too onerous and he had his IMF in Lviv moment 3. Zelensky intended to pull out their true intentions 4. MAGA always set it up to go this way
Or some mix of the above or something else?
Vance was a rude twat and it escalated from there.
If there was any premeditation, I think it was that they both wanted Zelensky to be appropriately chastened and humiliated in front of them - and they didn’t like it when he argued back. He didn’t read the script and tell them how big their d**ks were, basically.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Yesterday not looking quite such a good day for Starmer.
He has just invited for a second state visit to the UK a US President who has just engaged in a shouting match with Zelensky for not grovelling to him enough for a deal while trying to defend his country from Putin
Starmer can only correct this by withdrawing the invite
The King cannot welcome Trump now
Can anyone imagine the demonstrations
Just not acceptable and a case could be made for the invite being offered far too soon anyway
Or else he invites Zelensky for a State Visit first and the King also travels to Canada before Trump arrives (I believe they were hoping to confine Trump to Balmoral Estate, Dumfries House and Windsor Castle and keep him out of London anyway)
Rejoin the EU, invite Canada and Ukraine to also join.
Not the EU. It’s something else but the something needs to form this weekend.
If we (and Canada) can no longer rely on the US (and thus NATO) an expanded EU is our best bet.
Gven the complete inability of the EU to do anything in a unified manner - and the fact that some members are openly hostile to Ukraine, plus the fact it would take decades and completely new Treaties - unanimously agreed by all current members - to get any new members, this is, as I said, an idiotic idea. Far better to get those countries that are willing to form a new defence organisation including Ukraine but with the USA and countries like Hungary left out in the cold.
Exactly. Rump-NATO is the nearest thing we have as a starting point. Going through the EU on this is a hiding to nothing.
NATO has, built into it, the idea of other alliances and sub-groupings. See the exercises that the UK has been doing with Northern Europe, since Cameron was PM.
Given that various European nations may not want to defend Ukraine, or even the Baltics, we need flexible alliances.
I cannot recall anything that has united our forum in condemnation across the political divide than has happened live on our tv screens in the last hour
WilliamGlenn still holding out though - lol.
He’s either too thick or too stubborn to read the obvious memo “Trump and JD Vance are utter c*nts!”
I'm surprised that anybody's remotely surprised to discover that Trump is a nasty, unpleasant, rude bully.
It's not so much surprise, right thinking people know that Trump is a rapist, a felon, a liar, an idiot, a conman, a braggart, and so on, but perhaps never before has is been shown so starkly in such serious circumstances.
No joke, I don't see how any leader in Europe could watch that and not think "the US is taking the side of our greatest enemy." Any reliance on America now is at out peril. We need to disengage from the US across the board as rapidly as possible.
Agreed. The tag team with Vance made it very clear that this is not some aberration on Trump's part.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
And so it will go in many a capital.
Were I Merz, I would make the commitment this weekend and then make it a confidence issue (or whatever the equivalent is in Germany) - back me on this or I resign. ETA: obviously he can't actually resign from anything yet! I mean back me on this or I won't form a government.
(In my political strategy I may be revealing why I am not currently the German head of state).
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
What’s wrong with that? I’d like her to say Trump is a pillock as much as the next person but she’s essentially pushed back on the Trumpian narrative as much as she could and I think Starmer should (and will) say similar.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
And so it will go in many a capital.
Were I Merz, I would make the commitment this weekend and then make it a confidence issue (or whatever the equivalent is in Germany) - back me on this or I resign. ETA: obviously he can't actually resign from anything yet! I mean back me on this or I won't form a government.
(In my political strategy I may be revealing why I am not currently the German head of state).
He's not yet Chancellor and won't be for many weeks, not before Easter.
Ooops - didn't see the edit.
I do expect something to be sorted with the old parliament. A 200 billion special defence fund is being talked about, but it's not certain, and Merz has made it all a lot more difficult than needed.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
What’s wrong with that? I’d like her to say Trump is a pillock as much as the next person but she’s essentially pushed back on the Trumpian narrative as much as she could and I think Starmer should (and will) say similar.
I did say you don't go to someone's house and pick a public fight in their living room. It's also true your host shouldn't pick a public fight with you in their living room and that's basically what Trump and Vance did. They tried to humiliate and bully Zelenskyy who they has invited as a guest to the Oval Office - incredibly undiplomatic behaviour.
As to where we go from here, I did mention the possibility of a Sino-European rapprochement the other day and I think that is more likely tonight at least for the duration of the Trump administration in response to the US-Russian detente.
That will cause problems particularly in the southwest Pacific but as far as Europe is concerned getting some support from Beijing might not be wholly unwelcome currently.
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
Never mind BoJo, anyone heard from Leon? LuckyGuy1983?
Do they spend their every waking moment here then ?
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
A sensible statement from Kemi
I’m pleasantly surprised. And reassured by my countrymen across the spectrum.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
What’s wrong with that? I’d like her to say Trump is a pillock as much as the next person but she’s essentially pushed back on the Trumpian narrative as much as she could and I think Starmer should (and will) say similar.
Jenrick went further
For what it's worth.
@ResidentAdviser Robert Jenrick endorsed Trump during the Tory leadership contest. Another 180 degree turn in position. Seems to be a habit.
@RobertJenrick I’m sickened by that degrading spectacle. And to think the bust of Winston Churchill was in the same room as it unfolded. He would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen.
Ukraine’s people, led by President Zelenskyy, have fought bravely to hold off Putin over the last three years with US and European support. Zelenskyy has shown sincere gratitude for the support offered by his partners. We salute him and the courageous Ukrainians as they fight for freedom against Russian imperialism.
Countries can and do disagree, but the West must show a united front to our enemies.
There is a difficult for some that they might agree in principle with some of Trump's goals, and it is fair to say so,or they might at least think we have to play ball with him for four years. But they know he is so obnoxious to British voters that even if they agree with some of his goals they have to be careful in how they say that, and object to his more outrageous behaviour.
But that behaviour will never end, so it's like walking 5 mile long slack line which is also 2 miles up. It is theoretically possible, but very very unlikely to end well.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
Kemi issued a statement. probably shouldn't have bothered...
@KemiBadenoch Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace. We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
What’s wrong with that? I’d like her to say Trump is a pillock as much as the next person but she’s essentially pushed back on the Trumpian narrative as much as she could and I think Starmer should (and will) say similar.
Jenrick went further
I am sure, of course, you will be breathlessly quoting all the tweets that come out of the government with the same criticism?
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
Never mind BoJo, anyone heard from Leon? LuckyGuy1983?
It's between 2 & 3am in Bangkok. Leon is in bed (maybe not alone) or too pissed to operate his smartphone
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
You have the leader you have, though. Time now to make the best of it.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
It looks as if Trump and his bullies are trying to get Zelensky out and put in their own puppet
Truely extraordinary day and only Putin as the winner
Well, it's now abundantly clear that the softer focus stuff with Macron and Sir Keir was merely a ruse to lull Zelenskyy into a false sense of security. (I trust both will man up and admit they were had.) I sense the hand of Vlad here: neither Trump nor Vance seem bright enough to be that devious.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
It's hard to know exactly what an appropriate response to this is in relation to the USA, but I do know one thing: the meeting of European leaders this Sunday could not have had a clearer impetus.
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
Unfortunately Germany won't be in a position to promise increased defence spending because that utter shit Merz refused to talk about reforming the debt brake on any of the dozen times the outgoing government asked him to consider it over the last year or more.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
And so it will go in many a capital.
(In my political strategy I may be revealing why I am not currently the German head of state).
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
It looks as if Trump and his bullies are trying to get Zelensky out and put in their own puppet
Truely extraordinary day and only Putin as the winner
So do Macron/Starmer now have to choose? It’s hard to see a third way.
Anyone seen BoJo? Waiting for him to come along to tell us how wonderful it was to see Messers Trump and Vance humiliating an ally because it’s all for the best, you see…
Never mind BoJo, anyone heard from Leon? LuckyGuy1983?
It's between 2 & 3am in Bangkok. Leon is in bed (maybe not alone) or too pissed to operate his smartphone
It’s the one advantage of his travelling east, to the benefit of our PB evenings
If you ask “why is Trump doing this” enough times, you boil it down to two inescapable truths.
Trump doesn’t care who “wins” as long as the fighting stops, and he only wants the fighting to stop because he thinks he’s going to get a Nobel peace prize.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
North Korea wants a word.
Even they seem to have a strategy. If we are to believe the official US position, they have switched up their position based on Vance and Zelensky getting into a verbal spat.
Robert Jenrick actually says and does something right.
I’m sickened by that degrading spectacle. And to think the bust of Winston Churchill was in the same room as it unfolded. He would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen.
Ukraine’s people, led by President Zelenskyy, have fought bravely to hold off Putin over the last three years with US and European support. Zelenskyy has shown sincere gratitude for the support offered by his partners. We salute him and the courageous Ukrainians as they fight for freedom against Russian imperialism.
Countries can and do disagree, but the West must show a united front to our enemies.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
That's not entirely true. There are others who would demand a change if leader to appease them. Putin, for example.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
It looks as if Trump and his bullies are trying to get Zelensky out and put in their own puppet
Truely extraordinary day and only Putin as the winner
So do Macron/Starmer now have to choose? It’s hard to see a third way.
Starmer must be pleased he visited yesterday and not tomorrow.
Did I hear Zelensky is stopping by on the way back?
Sounds a good time for another unconditional aid package to me.
Even better time do a minerals deal. Someone must have a Word version of that document - do a quick replace all, "Kingdom" for "States" and Bob's your uncle.
Starmer must be pleased he visited yesterday and not tomorrow.
Did I hear Zelensky is stopping by on the way back?
Sounds a good time for another unconditional aid package to me.
Even better time do a minerals deal. Someone must have a Word version of that document - do a quick replace all, "Kingdom" for "States" and Bob's your uncle.
@JenniferJJacobs Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences," @LindseyGrahamSC says on Fox News.
'Send somebody new'. Floating a way out.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
It looks as if Trump and his bullies are trying to get Zelensky out and put in their own puppet
Truely extraordinary day and only Putin as the winner
So do Macron/Starmer now have to choose? It’s hard to see a third way.
There is no choice, we back Ukraine and other democratic law abiding countries, the other path only ends in disaster. People in Europe know this better than most.
this is the same look you give the waiter when your grandpa is yelling trying to get something taken off the bill
Is it worth it Marco? It's america and you were a Senator, so you're probably a multi-millionaire and effectively immune from most crimes unless you're as stupid as that corrupt guy from New Jersey.
It's not as though he gets to do what he wants as Secretary of State, as some of the other Cabinet members might in their areas. He has to entirely subordinate himself to Trump's will.
Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!
I did say you don't go to someone's house and pick a public fight in their living room. It's also true your host shouldn't pick a public fight with you in their living room and that's basically what Trump and Vance did. They tried to humiliate and bully Zelenskyy who they has invited as a guest to the Oval Office - incredibly undiplomatic behaviour.
As to where we go from here, I did mention the possibility of a Sino-European rapprochement the other day and I think that is more likely tonight at least for the duration of the Trump administration in response to the US-Russian detente.
That will cause problems particularly in the southwest Pacific but as far as Europe is concerned getting some support from Beijing might not be wholly unwelcome currently.
It's crazy that we are planning for nearly all our Navy and Fleet Air Arm to be in the Pacific soon.
Comments
Francis Ford Coppola, one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, has been named worst director for his self-financed project Megalopolis in this year's Razzies.
Announced two days before the Oscars reward Hollywood's finest, the Razzie Awards name and shame the year's worst films.
In an Instagram post,, external Coppola said he was "thrilled" to accept the award, "at a time when so few have the courage to go against the prevailing trends of contemporary movie-making".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd7ev3wygl4o
The razzies are a joke, but his response is so arrogant. It was the worst film I've seen in years, if not ever. Incoherent, turning great actors into horrible ones, saying nothing of note, and not even interestingly bad. There's weird and experimental films, but Megalopolis was just crap in every respect.
I've never been closer to walking out of a movie.
No joke, I don't see how any leader in Europe could watch that and not think "the US is taking the side of our greatest enemy." Any reliance on America now is at out peril. We need to disengage from the US across the board as rapidly as possible.
I'm amazed he didn't try to punch Vance.
America may not be great at the moment, but let's not whitewash Europe and go from the frying pan into the fire.
I mean, Donald Trump got a Razzie for his cameo in Ghosts Can't do It, and I highly doubt that a) his role was substantial enough to warrant it, b) the peformance (as himself) was actually the worst that year (I've seen a video review of the film, including Trump's bit, but not the whole film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosts_Can't_Do_It
If they collectively bottle taking decisive measures to allow Europe to stand alone in defence within 3-5 years, including defending Ukraine to the extent that we are capable of doing so, starting Monday, every single one of them deserves to be thrown out of office.
If things weren't clear before, they surely are now.
this is the same look you give the waiter when your grandpa is yelling trying to get something taken off the bill
It's not as though he gets to do what he wants as Secretary of State, as some of the other Cabinet members might in their areas. He has to entirely subordinate himself to Trump's will.
If that's not the position of the EU, quickly, then we need to help get together a coalition of the willing.
Some have already signalled their willingness.
Dear @ZelenskyyUa, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.
https://x.com/donaldtusk/status/1895546144748614041
For all that Ukraine aren't winning, they have held Russia back incredibly well. And whilst the "let Russia bleed itself to death" strategy is horrible to watch, it's not obvious that it isn't working.
That's what makes America's the Tump regime's betrayal so disgusting. It's pretty close to handing Putin victory from the jaws of... if not defeat, then certainly disgrace.
And other countries outside of Europe where mutually beneficial, such as with Canada and Australia.
Hopefully we can pull more of the reluctant European countries in the wake of that solid core, and we do our best with the US, though to an extent it's about damage limitation now.
People might think things look bad now, but we have to do our best to stop them getting worse, and stop Trump from providing material assistance to the Russians, on top of the moral assistance he's already provided.
1. Zelensky tried to play nice bit his speaker of truth too power persona got the better of him
2. The additional terms and expectations of the deal, written or unwritten were too onerous and he had his IMF in Lviv moment
3. Zelensky intended to pull out their true intentions
4. MAGA always set it up to go this
way
Or some mix of the above or something else?
At this point Zelenskyy says something like 'Mr.President please don't use this in that way' or similar.
I think at this point Zelenskyy realised quite how badly this would be spun in US, and perhaps that this had been a deliberate setup by Trump and Vance. His heart must have dropped to the floor.
A fundamentally decent, brave, honest man being fucked over in front of our eyes by two pathetic cowards. It makes my blood boil.
If there was any premeditation, I think it was that they both wanted Zelensky to be appropriately chastened and humiliated in front of them - and they didn’t like it when he argued back. He didn’t read the script and tell them how big their d**ks were, basically.
Whether something can be done before the new parliament (that has a 1 third blocking minority AfD plus die Linke) convenes isn't certain. Today die Linke threatened to go to the constitutional court if an attempt is made using the old parliament.
Given that various European nations may not want to defend Ukraine, or even the Baltics, we need flexible alliances.
He’s either too thick or too stubborn to read the obvious memo “Trump and JD Vance are utter c*nts!”
Everything else is bullshit.
The tag team with Vance made it very clear that this is not some aberration on Trump's part.
@KemiBadenoch
Respectable diplomacy is essential for peace.
We need to remember that the villain is the war criminal President Putin who illegally invaded another sovereign country - Ukraine. A divided West only benefits Russia. Now is the time for more cooperation, not less.
Any peace agreement must be negotiated with Ukraine at the table, and will need security guarantees.
We cannot lose sight of the fact that tonight air raid sirens are sounding in Ukraine.
Were I Merz, I would make the commitment this weekend and then make it a confidence issue (or whatever the equivalent is in Germany) - back me on this or I resign. ETA: obviously he can't actually resign from anything yet! I mean back me on this or I won't form a government.
(In my political strategy I may be revealing why I am not currently the German head of state).
Centuries of colonialism taught Ukrainians the value of dignity. We've survived Russian tsars, and we will survive an American one, too.
Ooops - didn't see the edit.
I do expect something to be sorted with the old parliament. A 200 billion special defence fund is being talked about, but it's not certain, and Merz has made it all a lot more difficult than needed.
I did say you don't go to someone's house and pick a public fight in their living room. It's also true your host shouldn't pick a public fight with you in their living room and that's basically what Trump and Vance did. They tried to humiliate and bully Zelenskyy who they has invited as a guest to the Oval Office - incredibly undiplomatic behaviour.
As to where we go from here, I did mention the possibility of a Sino-European rapprochement the other day and I think that is more likely tonight at least for the duration of the Trump administration in response to the US-Russian detente.
That will cause problems particularly in the southwest Pacific but as far as Europe is concerned getting some support from Beijing might not be wholly unwelcome currently.
@ResidentAdviser Robert Jenrick endorsed Trump during the Tory leadership contest. Another 180 degree turn in position. Seems to be a habit.
@RobertJenrick I’m sickened by that degrading spectacle. And to think the bust of Winston Churchill was in the same room as it unfolded. He would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen.
Ukraine’s people, led by President Zelenskyy, have fought bravely to hold off Putin over the last three years with US and European support. Zelenskyy has shown sincere gratitude for the support offered by his partners. We salute him and the courageous Ukrainians as they fight for freedom against Russian imperialism.
Countries can and do disagree, but the West must show a united front to our enemies.
https://nitter.poast.org/residentadviser/status/1895548896090476906#m
There is a difficult for some that they might agree in principle with some of Trump's goals, and it is fair to say so,or they might at least think we have to play ball with him for four years. But they know he is so obnoxious to British voters that even if they agree with some of his goals they have to be careful in how they say that, and object to his more outrageous behaviour.
But that behaviour will never end, so it's like walking 5 mile long slack line which is also 2 miles up. It is theoretically possible, but very very unlikely to end well.
@JenniferJJacobs
Lindsey Graham says Zelenskyy needs to apologize.
He should say " ... 'if i had it all to do over again, I'd have done it differently. I'm sorry.' If he can't say that, then Ukraine, you either need to send us somebody new we can deal with or just accept the consequences,"
@LindseyGrahamSC
says on Fox News.
And Graham is comparitively 'strong' on Ukraine compared to most of them.
They are genuinely trying to claim the USA is making its policy decisions because, in an unnecessarily on camera discussion, Zelensky was not deferential enough.
It makes them look like maniacs, no country runs its policies that way.
Time now to make the best of it.
Truely extraordinary day and only Putin as the winner
If you ask “why is Trump doing this” enough times, you boil it down to two inescapable truths.
Trump doesn’t care who “wins” as long as the fighting stops, and he only wants the fighting to stop because he thinks he’s going to get a Nobel peace prize.
Preferably to a Moldavian wedding.
Trump, the self proclaimed great deal maker, fails again. Now it is time for Europe to step up to the plate and deliver.
I’m sickened by that degrading spectacle. And to think the bust of Winston Churchill was in the same room as it unfolded. He would be turning in his grave if he saw that happen.
Ukraine’s people, led by President Zelenskyy, have fought bravely to hold off Putin over the last three years with US and European support. Zelenskyy has shown sincere gratitude for the support offered by his partners. We salute him and the courageous Ukrainians as they fight for freedom against Russian imperialism.
Countries can and do disagree, but the West must show a united front to our enemies.
https://x.com/RobertJenrick/status/1895548019837124930
There are others who would demand a change if leader to appease them. Putin, for example.
So far I am hopeful they will choose wisely
What !!!!
They know who Trump is and were happy to support him inspite of that .
Sweden stands with Ukraine. You are not only fighting for your freedom but also for all of Europe’s. Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦
https://x.com/MedvedevRussiaE/status/1895549112440979908
Thank you @POTUS for standing up for America in a way that no President has ever had the courage to do before. Thank you for putting America First. America is with you!
They need to be in home waters.