Quote (ofthevoid @ Feb 20 2024 04:54pm)
Zelensky in cases like this IMO is the face that's used but in reality when people say stuff like that they don't actually mean him and him alone. Fact of the matter is, Ukraine and many other ex-soviet states struggle with widespread and systemic issues of corruption. Ukrainians sources themselves went on expose's and dozens of high ranking officials were accused of corruption. For example one such case:
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-accuses-two-former-officials-over-army-food-contracts-2023-04-21/The country even made it a huge point to try to fight it and at least show western partners that they're doing something about it (some may be real, some just lip service).
There was a lot of examples of border guards accepting payments to let men cross, or army recruiters falsely marking some young men as ineligible for service because of whatever condition, this is news to no one really. Generally speaking though, most western partners know and understand that there's huge leakage. It starts at the top and works it's way down, and it's just generally accepted of the cost of doing business, because it's damn near impossible to weed out.
ye, i mean this is not a story i feel? in the bigger picture, shit happens.
Quote (Black XistenZ @ Feb 20 2024 05:02pm)
"The more Ukraine resists, the more likely it becomes that Russia wins/that Ukraine loses additional territory"? That's quite the iffy logic.
Of all the future scenarios that I can imagine, there are two which are semi-good for Ukraine:
1) Russia is actually satisfied with what they have right now, therefore doesn't attack any futher. The conflict winds down and eventually, both sides sign a peace treaty enshrining the current lines.
2) Russia tries to go on the offense and take more territory in Eastern Ukraine. Ukraine is strong enough to repel them, but too weak to pose a threat for the areas Russia conquered. Conflict eventually fizzles out.
There are obviously plenty of other scenarios in which Ukraine ends up worse than that.
my mindset is as follows:
If tomorrow Ukraine decides to go to the negotiating table. what is on the table (the negatives) is all the lands russia currently holds.
Instead, the US and Ukraine are hoping for a decisive Ukrainian victory, at some point in the future, which would enable them to reclaim some / all of the land lost, at which point conditions for a negotiated settlement will be better because what would be on a the table would be a smaller piece of land, which Russia would be holding at that time.
the problem with the 2nd scenario is that Russia may say no to that, reclaim the land and take more, OR, Ukraine may not be able to do that (reclaim land) and lose more land between now and then, ergo the comment from me re: "The more Ukraine resists, the more likely it becomes that Russia wins/that Ukraine loses additional territory"
Quote (ofthevoid @ Feb 20 2024 07:16pm)
I'm sure the Russians aren't paying them in hugs and kisses. Whatever they get from NK is probably repaid in fair value, whether it's currency or other goods. Can't really say the same about Ukraine-West dynamic. I guess they are repaying by privatizing large swaths of their public sector and farmland and giving ownership to the likes of Blackrock?
XistenZ see the above from ofthevoid, it is shameful what the US has done here to Ukraine. If they wanted to protect Ukraine they would have told Putin, IF YOU INVADE, THIS IS WW3, or they should have given Ukraine long range weapons on day1. they did not. They sold ALL of their old crap and kept the good crap for themselves. They gambled that Russia would self implode. that didnt happen. now they are in a situation where their "help" to Ukraine does not help ukraine and does not help themselves. i have no clue wtf they plan here but if they want ukraine to win they should do something.
This post was edited by ferdia on Feb 20 2024 02:13pm