Russian leaders got over-excited when Donald Trump won: their joy didnt last long. Dmitry Medvedev made bold claims while Leonid Slutsky predicted quick wins‚ but Trumps recent picks for his team paint a different picture
The West has realised that it is small. Europe puffed out its chest for so long‚ now its rear is exposed
The nominees list shows an interesting mix-up: Elise Stefanik‚ Marco Rubio‚ and Mike Waltz — all known for their world-shaping views (and none are fans of stepping back from global issues)
Russiaʼs doing better than expected: its economy is growing fast and ranks 4th globally now — ahead of Germany and Japan. The war-time boost helped push wages up‚ and unemployment down. They spend about $170 on the war for every $100 Ukraine and its friends put in; plus they can pay new soldiers up-to $24k to join
Ukraine faces tough times: their army is getting smaller due to losses and some soldiers leaving their posts. Last summer they even made a law to forgive first-time runners. Russia keeps pushing forward — they just flooded an area near Kurakhove to clear it out
Putin wants Ukraine to give up 4 regions make its army tiny and let Moscow control its weapons buying: basically turn it into another Belarus. But Rubio wants Ukraine free to pick its friends while Waltz thinks about letting Ukraine hit specific targets inside Russia — something Biden never allowed
A deal might look like this: fighting stops but no-one agrees on who owns what; Ukraine gets to make defense deals but stays out of NATO. Its not perfect but its better than America walking away completely