by Trevor » Tue Nov 25, 2025 3:11 am
I've looked at Trump's 28-point peace plan. It's not perfect, but from the way people respond, you'd think it was Munich all over again. Unfortunately, he will never wake up to the kind of threat Putin poses and if he hasn't by now, he's not going to.
He merely doesn't deserve all the blame for it. Europe has done very little to prepare for future conflict. They knew from the beginning what Trump's feelings on the matter were, and they had a year to prepare for this. More than that, even: every since he won the last nomination, a second Trump term was a possibility. For all their talk of independence, NATO likes the idea in the abstract, but if it required cuts to their social programs (and it would), the public response is an overwhelming "NO!" They more than have the ability to stand against Russia. What they don't have is the willpower.
We haven't had our "Fall of France" moment that would motivate a quick remobilization. There's a part of me that suspects China wants the Ukraine conflict to remain at a stalemate, since it not only leaves Russia dependent on them, it means NATO, the U.S., and others won't rearm in any significant fashion. Trump has cut Ukraine aid to nothing, but a lot of European nations are scaling back on military equipment, in part because there's little more they can spare.
Right now, the Ukrainian conflict is seen mostly as a local problem and contained. They staked their hopes on losses motivating the Russian to turn against Putin. They haven't. The territorial changes have been minimal for three years, but over the last six months, Ukrainian desertion has skyrocketed. Yes, both sides have taken massive losses: Russia can replace them far easier than Ukraine. Ukraine's approaching 40,000 desertions a month, and Russia's started another mobilization, even if they're not calling it that. Year-round conscription, with the conscripts sent to the front, which also means they don't have to pay bonuses.
I've looked at Trump's 28-point peace plan. It's not perfect, but from the way people respond, you'd think it was Munich all over again. Unfortunately, he will never wake up to the kind of threat Putin poses and if he hasn't by now, he's not going to.
He merely doesn't deserve all the blame for it. Europe has done very little to prepare for future conflict. They knew from the beginning what Trump's feelings on the matter were, and they had a year to prepare for this. More than that, even: every since he won the last nomination, a second Trump term was a possibility. For all their talk of independence, NATO likes the idea in the abstract, but if it required cuts to their social programs (and it would), the public response is an overwhelming "NO!" They more than have the ability to stand against Russia. What they don't have is the willpower.
We haven't had our "Fall of France" moment that would motivate a quick remobilization. There's a part of me that suspects China wants the Ukraine conflict to remain at a stalemate, since it not only leaves Russia dependent on them, it means NATO, the U.S., and others won't rearm in any significant fashion. Trump has cut Ukraine aid to nothing, but a lot of European nations are scaling back on military equipment, in part because there's little more they can spare.
Right now, the Ukrainian conflict is seen mostly as a local problem and contained. They staked their hopes on losses motivating the Russian to turn against Putin. They haven't. The territorial changes have been minimal for three years, but over the last six months, Ukrainian desertion has skyrocketed. Yes, both sides have taken massive losses: Russia can replace them far easier than Ukraine. Ukraine's approaching 40,000 desertions a month, and Russia's started another mobilization, even if they're not calling it that. Year-round conscription, with the conscripts sent to the front, which also means they don't have to pay bonuses.