Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Strongpoint]

Well, most of Ukrainian deposits are conveniently located in war-ravaged areas so environmental damage is of far lesser concern...

But no Western company will invest anything in mining anything knowing that Russia may restart the war any second.

But all of this is so irrelevant... War will not end until Ukraine is conquered by Russia or until the current Russian regime collapses. All peace talks are useless bullshit and may achieve only some tactical temporary freeze. Ukraine has to play along with any of Trump's "brilliant" diplomatic or economic ideas because without American military aid war will become much, much worse.

[Duuvian]

https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-fertilizer-fumble-trying-to-hurt-russia-without-enraging-eu-farmers/

The article is the usual shitty tone of Politico and I didn't check if there is some sort of industrialist spin, but I'll add that I heard on the radio that a substatial portion of the US's potash comes from Canada so the tariffs already might affect the cost of producing food in the US, which is a big producer. The cost of fertilizers often directly correlates with how angry farmers are and a lack of supply of it may be very disruptive, especially if the price becomes prohibitive for local markets.

I can't quote myself... oopsie... but here is a link. Look at the last post on the page! I didn't check the links again to remember specifically the point I was making but if they still work they might be useful.
http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=162538.msg8354772#msg8354772

Somehow I referenced it in another post in a correction not even in the same thread. Whatever, the important part is that I can quote this one.

Also in an earlier post I recommended bringing the price of fertilizer down. What I should have meant was increase production of.

Aww snap! Well I guess I'll go off moping somewhere...

Oh wait! What is this!?

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2023/03/10/usda-announces-29-million-increase-american-made-fertilizer-production

https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-releases/2024/12/18/usda-makes-investments-strengthen-american-farms-and-businesses-increase-competition-and-lower-costs

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Through the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, USDA has invested $517 million in 76 fertilizer production facilities to expand access to domestic fertilizer options for American farmers in 34 states and Puerto Rico. These investments will increase U.S. fertilizer production by 11.8 million tons annually and create more than 1,300 jobs in rural communities.

The article said it was to reduce dependence on Belarus potash but I guess under Trump it's also Canada maybe. Weird world huh? Europe, I think Canada may have some potash in that circumstance. I don't know if that helps. It might be a good idea to do stuff with boats before farmers need fertilizer, if necessary which I am also not qualified to tell (and remembered for this EDIT that it was a delayed implementation). I don't want to look at the charts such as commodity pricing this time, but I will if this turns into a problem at some point so hopefully it's in the news if so. For that part I will compliment Politico on, despite it reading like a villainous monologue sometimes.

[martinuzz]

Putin admits that the situation in Kursk is difficult. Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive again, and are gaining ground.

[Strongpoint]

Putin admits that the situation in Kursk is difficult. Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive again, and are gaining ground.

It is nothing like the summer Kursk offensive. Small attack that captured few villages. More of the bloody push-pull game.

[EuchreJack]

Putin admits that the situation in Kursk is difficult. Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive again, and are gaining ground.

It is nothing like the summer Kursk offensive. Small attack that captured few villages. More of the bloody push-pull game.

...but it's only February. 

[King Zultan]

A whole lot can happen in a month.

[Strongpoint]

Putin admits that the situation in Kursk is difficult. Ukrainian forces have gone on the offensive again, and are gaining ground.

It is nothing like the summer Kursk offensive. Small attack that captured few villages. More of the bloody push-pull game.

...but it's only February. 

Yes. Sure. I wouldn't totally discount the possibility that in 2025 Ukraine will go on the offensive. I am just pointing out that most frontline "news" exaggerate the importance and scale of what is happening. Tactical counteroffensives happen quite often.


Speaking of positive news, Ukraine got several Mirages from France and more F-16s from the Netherlands. It should change the balance in the air somewhat and it seems way more important than some tactical gains on the ground.

[EuchreJack]

Exaggerating tactical gains today is a good way to have amazing tactical gains tomorrow. Marketing is a thing. Everyone loves a winner.

[Strongpoint]

President Trump has spoken to Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the phone to try to negotiate an end to the Ukraine war, he told The Post in an exclusive interview aboard Air Force One Friday.

“I’d better not say,” said Trump when asked how many times the two leaders have spoken.

But he believes Putin “does care” about the killing on the battlefield.

“He wants to see people stop dying,” said Trump.

*self-censored*, *self-censored*, *self-censored*

Yeah, it will be a loooong year

[heydude6]

If you want people to stop dying Putin, all you have to do is to give up on trying to conquer territory. At this point, I don't think the old excuse of having to worry about someone throwing you out of office if you lose the war can fly anymore. If anyone was going to try to replace you, they would have done so already after you wrecked your economy, squandered your military, and started to go on a murder spree of your own underlings. There isn't a single person in Russia alive who has the guts to challenge you, so it's pretty clear that you're untouchable.

[Strongpoint]

A charismatic leader who will challenge you is one way to lose power.  Another one is getting chaos in your country and having it break apart into a large Somalia. Returned dissatisfied "heroes of SVO" may create a crime wave that will make gangs of 1990s (largely made from Afghanistan war veterans) look tame.

[EuchreJack]

Well, maybe Putin is just playing Trump...
(This is probably the most helpful thing that I can say)

[Strongpoint]

Besides Trump's rumblings and the fact that Trump appoints folk who look suspiciously like Russian assets, the only bad thing that happened in the context of the war is the sad death of USAID, it covered many things in Ukraine from suicide prevention lines to energy infrastructure repairs to medical supplies for rural hospitals. Many people are scrambling to find funding somewhere else to maintain ongoing projects.  But the USAID thing is not targeted against Ukraine per se.


Military aid is coming as it did, there are no (known) new stupid limitations on how we can use American weapons. No sanctions are lifted from Russia. And so on. It can change every moment, of course. But I think it all comes from what course of action Trump will see as beneficial for himself.
Unlike, let's say Elon, who is ideologically pro-Russian, Trump has no biases beyond what benefits him and\or pleases his narcissistic ego. 

[EuchreJack]

Oh, Elon is still a greedy SOB.  Just keep buying his Starlinks (and not turning them on), and he'll make sure the check to Ukraine keeps going out every month.

[Strongpoint]

Cucker Tarlson claims that half of American military aid to Ukraine is resold to Mexican drug cartels. Soon, soon we'll see Texas attacked with M777 howitzers, HIMARSes and other big toys. Mwuhahahahaha!!!!

It amazes me how someone can produce such absurd lies while still having fans.