Trump plans to withdraw troops from the Baltics and parts of Western Europe - a key Putin demand - making former Soviet nations a prime target for Russian attacks, the FT reports.
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It was one of the reasons Putin attacked. Take away those reasons and there might be peace. Time will tell. Romania, Slovakia and Hungary are certainly not against it.
I'd say you're mentally around 10yo, but in reality only one demented (real dementia, not some slur) 70 year old in my life is this naive.
Putin attacked, because there was no serious reaction to 2014 and there was no reaction to 2014 (or Syria), because US squandered its political capital in Iraq.
That was one of the reasons yes and there are others. America does not do what it’s doing for no reason at all. I’m certain Trump and P have had more than one phone-call the last three years. Doesn’t condone the attack but still worthwhile expanding your mindset.
Trump has no emotional skills it would have been unknowingly. But remember if both Russia and USA want Ukraine resources I think USA will win. Therefore, US has to give a strong concession to legitimize a Ukraine resource deal.
Agreed he has no emotional skills but at some point you know what you are doing is against the interests of your own Country and you are helping one of our worst Adversaries. I honestly hope Ukraine and Europe stick together and don’t accept any deals from these thugs and forge new Alliances.
The election might have been annulled by the court for factual Russian influence but it doesn’t mean Romania won’t choose populist Georgescu again in May.
No I”m not, that’s your take. You obviously don’t read news of different governments other than English. Reality is, geo political landscape is changing and who will fill the US vacuum? If it lessens tensions between Ukraine and agressor Russia it’s a step towards peace.
On what planet do you think removing a threat will make Putin back down? He invaded for resources, the Russian empire and his personal hatred for Ukraine, not out of security concerns.
If Ukraine at the insistence of the USA wouldn’t have given up their nukes they wouldn’t even be in this situation. Expect the result of all this to be Nuclear proliferation in Europe as a deterrent from Russia and the USA under this inept, corrupt and traitorous Administration.
Unfortunately, probably so. And therefore, USA cannot just leave Ukraine at the fate of what Russia wants. Nuclear back or automatic invoking of article 5 of NATO if Russia were to attack again.
The long-range and short-range nuclear weapons removed from Ukraine in the mid-1990s belonged to the Soviet Union. Ukraine had no ability to operate or maintain them. If Ukraine had refused to relinquish weapons on Ukrainian soil operated and secured by Russian forces, it would have triggered a war.
And why are there Russians in London we don’t want or need their money…do we who they are what their MA is. We need to put an exp. date on the visas it’s too risky for our national security.
I don’t know if everyone understands that the US troops in the Baltic Nations and Poland are there to ensure a US response when the Russians invade. A bunch of dead US soldiers would require a US response. Removing those soldiers is a huge “fuck you” to NATO.
What's even more insane is that when Putin demanded this from NATO in 2021, everyone believed russian military to be mighty, but NOW when it's near peer to Ukraine?
There isn't any doubts, America is compromised, it is now the enemy. And American Civil War 2.0 is near
The end game for trump or musk is the collapse of the European block. Brexit is done, the next election in Germany is all about the AFD for the US, or Elon. Divide and conquer is the plan. The US will pull out of NATO this year
NATO is dead. Macron told us so year ago. He was right. Let stop nato and develop an european army. We also need long range nuclear Rockets to keep Russia and anybody else out.
NOW, is not the time to be giving concessions to poutine 🤦🏼 Wait until poutine agrees to free land and building permits for Trump Towers in St Petersburg and Moscow.
The US knows all our plans, the US has been at the heart of NATO for 80yrs, so Russia now has all that intelligence. What remains of NATO needs to scrap the plans and rewrite our strategies, and keep the US out of the information loop.
We won our Independence wars a bit over century ago without US. We'll do it again. Then we had British fleet in Tallinn, Finnish volunteers and other friends. And we have even more friends now. Hope US will come to senses by next election, but are ready to defend ourselves even if not.
Putins aim is Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine & Moldova. That will be the pushback, more or less to where the "border" between Sovjet and Europe was prior to the fall of the Sovjet Union.
NATO without the US is still potent because it provides a framework for sharing so many things ranging from political authority to battlefield intelligence. Not a good idea to destroy that capability without a replacement ready to go. Hard to cut the US out and the attitude of US military personnel/
as opposed to the political levels will be critical to how fast NATO needs to exclude US access and dependencies on US facilities, especially space-based reconnaissance.
Right. We're better off sharing our intel with DOGE? Trump might think we can't play ball. We've been playing ball since the cold war. Negotiators in the eu need a bit more experience than a pissing contest with Disney. Not like they can bibbedibabbedieboo their ass to court that easy.
Trump and DOGE do not play ball, there's nothing there to trust. Brinkmanship is all that's left. Negotiating with a mafioso is not within the bounds of conventional diplomacy.
In the climate of absolute corruption in politics and business that the United States has experienced for the last 20 years, the fact that the vast majority of the Republican Party sold out to Putin (fools who didn't) was seen as 'business as usual'.
80k troops in Europe but it’s not really about the numbers - they’re more human shields. If Putin killed one it would bring an immediate American response.
That's true. It would be a significant change. Trump's ideas also change often, but maybe it's time for Europe to prepare to cope without their uncertain support.
“Western reporting suggested that the United States intends to ease sanctions on Belarus. Russia uses Belarus as a staging ground for its military against Ukraine and NATO and as critical tool in its sanctions evasion schemes.”
“Deputy Assistance Secretary of State Christopher Smith told CNN on February 12 that he led a US delegation to Minsk and met with "Belarusian counterparts" to secure the release of several political prisoners.[36] “
“NYT, citing individuals who attended Smith's briefing..,reported that Smith later announced that the US is considering a bilateral agreement in which Lukashenko would release an unspecified number of political prisoners in exchange for the US easing sanctions on Belarusian banks and exports…”
If this comes to pass, at the very least Europe will know what' its responsibilities are.. The Baltic's are vulnerable, but not undefendable... Ukraine got caught out badly in 22, I believe that it will not happen again...
Putin is still constrained by physical reality. Even without the US, there are about 40 or 50 thousand troops defending the Baltics. Russia would probably need a significant numerical advantage to overcome them; hard to do while they're still pouring everything they've got into Ukraine.
Yes and despite all that assistance, Russia's gains in Ukraine remain modest and expensive.
The point is that it would be operationally necessary to secure a stable (if possibly temporary) peace in Ukraine in order to free up enough troops for an operation against the Baltics.
True, but who knows how events will unfold personally I think many are in for a few surprises geo politically speaking, we must not rule out Chinas impact.
Like China stockpiling huge amounts of grain 5-6 years ago, a simple analysis of that tiny but boring fact told you they also could see the likelihood of whats unfolding now being very high.
I am often astonished at how many well known commentators miss the most basic facts in thier "analysis" of things, sloppy thinking doesn`t even come close to it..... The basic cause or drivers of things are almost always buried in the oft forgotten or ignored details.
Putin is 72. If it takes 4 years for Russia to prep for invading the EU … it'll be too late for him: only one Russian leader or ex-leader in the past couple of centuries has made it to 80 (and that was Gorbachev, long after he was forced out of office, so under less stress).
Not if he takes Hungary, Georgia, etc, he can claim some kind of victory, remember in WW2 Germany took most of Europe inside 18 months. Houses of cards and all that.
They really don't, though. North Korea is small, far away, full of obsolete equipment, and has a pathological need to keep most of it right at home to threaten South Korea.
If you think a million man army is "small" and its nuclear weapons "obsolete", I disagree, N Korea`s arms are Soviet designs and whilst not necessarily as modern as the Wests, they are not to be disregarded. Railways make things not so far away.
We have less than that. Putin is old an in a hurry to conquer Europe before he dies. He wants to go down in history as the tsar who resurreected and expanded the Russian empire.
They will attack before they are fully prepared, and then just throw meat wave assaults at us until we cave.
it's been 11 years since russia invaded ukraine
it's been 8 years since the us elected a president who stated very clearly that he would not defend US allies
lithuania has been preparing, but many others in europe have not been
In the current context, Finland and Sweden joining NATO looks like a course-of-history-changing event. I doubt Finland will sit on theit hands while russia decimates Estonia, say.
ah good another major war just when we should be stopping, rather than accelerating, emissions if we want to have a vaguely livable (in places) climate in the future
I can imagine using asym weapons, but is it fair to say that because of the demographic crunch, making Russia is troop poor, occupation isn’t the final goal (except for select lucky territories)?
eu / us asleep for 10 years while ambiguous undeclared destabilizing measures taken to prepare conditions in wide open internet and social platforms destroying journalism,
zero media literacy zero inoculation,
fat and stupid
With help with North Korea (as already in situ), and worse than a demographic crunch - in 30 years they will be no longer able to count on fossil fuel reserves to fund it.
Russia think they'll be a non-military response from NATO nations, because they don't think the west will risk Nuclear war.
Putin is counting on the West to be so scared of being nuked, that he will go ahead anyway ; planning on any possible military response being conventional only , Putin will just do what Russia normally does - throw endless amounts of men at it, not machines or weapons.
I’m not sure about this. It’s one thing to say “either submit, or get nuked”, but another when the rejoinder is “f-u, we will nuke you and your shitty army”, as per Uk/France.
Also, isn’t Russia almost running out of able bodied men?
Much like Germany in the 40's, he will simply expand the boundaries for military service to anyone between 18 and 65. Plus the attitude is as seen in WW2 - Russia didn't run out of able bodied men then, it threw everyone (men and women) at the war effort.
Some of this have been saying this for years. Kaliningrad is a Russian military exclave 60 miles from the Russian border - Russian forces will make a pincer movement, and then expand in both directions.
We'll be in land war in Europe in less than a Decade.
I keep banging on about Putins long-game, I know, but this has been coming for years. First, with Brexit and Trump part 1, and now he's putting the final part of the plan in motion.
Makes me scream - lots of people did point this out pre-Brexit, but apparently we were scaremongering, being overdramatic & didn't understand modern geopolitics
I once thought that those who said that Trump has been groomed by the KGB/Russia for the last 40 years were a bit over the top, far fetched, I no longer do, you can add the Republican Party to that too.
This is the thing that strikes me. The Republican Party was groomed or blackmailed into being Russia & Putins handmaids. Under the nose of the American public & American businesses. I had thoughts over the years, but then the “that’s far fetched” thoughts hit. But now, watching, it’s exactly it.
Trump is currently playing all Putin hands, driving a wedge between the USA and Europe, putting in question NATO. That is what Putin wants: A weak NATO and a weak Europe to invade and to increase the russian influences: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTCI8JIAzqg
Is Trump causing world chaos to divert global attention from the disaster he’s causing in the USA, while causing chaos in the USA stops Americans having bandwidth for the fact he’s siding them with Putin?
I've said this before: if this were 1939, Trump would have sided us with the Axis. He would have let Britain and France burn, and let all the Jews be killed. Anything to be better friends with Hitler and Mussolini.
Are there US troops in the baltic states?. Germany, UK & Kanada are building up troops there. US is AFAIK engaged in Poland as the most eastern outpost in Europe...
And you need to act now. There is no time to wait. Every day and every hour that passes makes it harder. And this message is for every American. Democrats, Republicans or other. I know you are divided, but this situation is beyond party lines. This is your chance!
In which case remaining NATO members must replace those troops immediately. Also, all US NATO commanders must be replaced by European and Canadian ones.
Trump's emerging "foreign policy" is that Russia can have as much of Europe as it can get and the US should dominate as much of North and possibly South America as it can get. Sort of a mishmash of the Monroe Doctrine and colonialism on cocaine. International relations for idiots.
If Putin can't win against Ukraine and at best could get a draw how on earth could Russia take on the whole of Europe?
It couldn't be done, it's too late for that kinda thinking.
So if the US pulls out no problem.
And if one day the US is attacked they are on their own.
Given the state of the Russian army after the war in Ukraine, the depletion of its standing army and more, the dire state of its economy etc, Russia will not be in a position to fight and defeat Europe in 5 years. It would require a level of spending it cannot sustain or afford
Someone has to stop him from fulfilling Putin's orders. America needs to understand that Trump is not working on our behalf; he's working on behalf of Russia. Of course Russia wants him to drop out of Nato
If this is the plan, basically Trump is handing a free pass to Putin to do what he wants. The baltic states are all within NATO. Trump must be treated as an enemy of Europe. Where are the Americans to oppose these moves, where??
It's a free pass by means of green lighting Putin to do what he wants in the knowledge that the US will not intervene. Putin and Trump are now allied. It's very clear that the US have now joined with Russia. Never in my life did I think I would see this. Never will I forgive the American people.
That's what he's doing with NASA right now. Destroying our satellites so Russia can fly in and take over America. We were just sold to the highest bidder and every maga that voted for this fat fascist f*CK you are in the same boat that we all are in. America is truly 🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕
I know this is far fetched, but wondering if Trump is doing all of this with the USA military because they’ve already told him that there’s no chance in hell where they will attack an ally country (Greenland/Canada)
Jesus I knew we were going to fuck over Ukraine but I had no idea we were going to intentionally blow up NATO in less than a month. 80 years, the best alliance in history, gone in a month. Europe needs to terminate our bases. US military is now a Russian asset.
it is not gone, one country leaves, yes a major one but just one, the rest of NAto look fairly united to me ... even Oban would not leave ... so have confidence mate in what europe can do and don't think of this as a defeat ... unless US attack us ..
What is the gain for the usa: politically, strategically? Will they go to war with China on their own, all alone? Why would they weaken themselves? I can't figure out their endgame!
Exactly!!!! This isn’t a strategic vision; it’s a collapse.
Trying to figure out if it’s worth it to open a Swiss bank account. The US banking system will collapse if Trump/Musk axes the FDIC. I’m not rich but I have some savings.
Same.
I am trying to think what's the deal here?
I mean... Ruzsa is brocken economicaly. Are they being supported enough to take Europe.. with the USA?
What does Ruzzja have to make a deal?
These are not rational people. They are real-life James Bond supervillains drunk on their own megalomania. They are completely detached from reality. They think they're superior demigods who shouldn't be constrained by laws or mere mortals. They're mentally ill.
They don't think long term - all short term. Move fast and break things - chaos means they get money, power and lols right *now*. Their hubris means they think they can avoid the consequences of what happens next.
This "break-things-fast" allures ppl from all walks of life, the highly educated say "it speeds the movements our society needs". I can hardly believe my eyes when I read their columns in newspapers and here, too.
The end game?
Imagine the Kremlin running America. What would be their end game for us? Complete and irreparable destruction?
I'm angry as hell because I'm scared as hell.
I know how you feel, the bastards just over the border. I don't really think they will roll over us, we must stop talking abd revamp military production, conscription for both genders, and above all: our leaders must tell us the truth, no sugar coating.
Of course ! The future inTrumpland you won’t need an army except to fight your own citizens when Doge has trashed every aspect of support for the population! And crashes the economy! The arms industry might not be too pleased unless he diverts them to supplying RuZZia!
The only positive would be that this is happening right at the start of Trump 2.0 and while Russia isn't really capable of fighting on a second front alone. Europe needs to act quickly and use the time to prepare.
I like your positivity, hopefully you're right.
Something tells me that an emboldened Putin, free from the threat of US military, with the 80yo president onside, will already be planning the next one..
I think you are right. But there is hopefully time time prepare, as Russia needs to rearm. As I understand it, a lot of their modern equipment has been lost in Ukraine. A key issue will be whether Belarus joins Russia. That would make things much more dangerous.
Maybe not. But he only needed them to stay out of prison. And no doubt if things did suddenly go pear shaped, he'd have a bolthole somewhere. Bizarre to even think along these lines, but we are in a mad world.
Yes, probably laying his justification for doing so. On the flip side, probably sets up the chance for a new security organisation to emerge. Would also give the new members a chance to address the issue of the current unreliable members of NATO.
United States, Russia & Arabia are publicly portioning out who owns what just like the Christian Dominionists that are behind Project 2025 have been saying that they want to do for the last twenty years.
Because they're all owned by the richest man in the world. Who is not Elon it's Putin.
Comments
Putin attacked, because there was no serious reaction to 2014 and there was no reaction to 2014 (or Syria), because US squandered its political capital in Iraq.
There isn't any doubts, America is compromised, it is now the enemy. And American Civil War 2.0 is near
All they're "afraid" of is NATO stopping RUSSIAN expansion
#Appeasement
Trump cannot sell us out to Putin, because we are not for sale.
The only thing this does is isolate the US.
Using or posting on X is a National Security issue.
Same extends to Meta.
Or deep dependance on Microsoft is a big problem.
Trump and his regime of oddball acolytes are Russian assets, of this I have no doubt and they are ushering in a new world order.
War is afoot, the most alarming thing is nobody can decide between whom and for what.
“We will stay in Europe if you give us Greenland”
“Western reporting suggested that the United States intends to ease sanctions on Belarus. Russia uses Belarus as a staging ground for its military against Ukraine and NATO and as critical tool in its sanctions evasion schemes.”
https://www.criticalthreats.org/analysis/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-february-16-2025
“Deputy Assistance Secretary of State Christopher Smith told CNN on February 12 that he led a US delegation to Minsk and met with "Belarusian counterparts" to secure the release of several political prisoners.[36] “
36] https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/12/europe/russia-citizen-exchange-marc-fogel-intl/index.html
https://bsky.app/profile/convolutedname.bsky.social/post/3lif7l5bgik2o
Seems a good bet.
The point is that it would be operationally necessary to secure a stable (if possibly temporary) peace in Ukraine in order to free up enough troops for an operation against the Baltics.
They will attack before they are fully prepared, and then just throw meat wave assaults at us until we cave.
One year.
it's been 8 years since the us elected a president who stated very clearly that he would not defend US allies
lithuania has been preparing, but many others in europe have not been
"Can we please get back the money we spent on assisting the USA after 9/11?
To help finance Ukraine against its aggressor"
https://rustavi2.ge/en/news/306461
Additionally, they have a demographic crunch.
How could they get back on their feet to fight all of NATO (or Europe and their allies)?
Unless the prediction is the next war will be automated: Drones and ai driven drones will be the platform for weapons, not people.
I can imagine using asym weapons, but is it fair to say that because of the demographic crunch, making Russia is troop poor, occupation isn’t the final goal (except for select lucky territories)?
zero media literacy zero inoculation,
fat and stupid
Russia think they'll be a non-military response from NATO nations, because they don't think the west will risk Nuclear war.
Also, isn’t Russia almost running out of able bodied men?
And even if it does, N. Korea has't run out
We'll be in land war in Europe in less than a Decade.
And who will be responsible? Trump.
*Apologies for language but it’s all I currently have.
Really.
Name it the Soviet Union, or name it Russia, this still holds true.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTCI8JIAzqg
He heard LOTS more stuff about Trump but only included facts that he could verify from more than 1 trusted source,
QED the pee tape is real as well
I want to know what he heard and didnt include.
He’s definitely destroying everything he touches
The article, along with added extra links, is in this Bluesky thread. Tap above the 'article pic' and scroll ⏬
It couldn't be done, it's too late for that kinda thinking.
So if the US pulls out no problem.
And if one day the US is attacked they are on their own.
Trump is simply capitulating
Trying to figure out if it’s worth it to open a Swiss bank account. The US banking system will collapse if Trump/Musk axes the FDIC. I’m not rich but I have some savings.
I am trying to think what's the deal here?
I mean... Ruzsa is brocken economicaly. Are they being supported enough to take Europe.. with the USA?
What does Ruzzja have to make a deal?
I somehow hope we don't have to find out.
Imagine the Kremlin running America. What would be their end game for us? Complete and irreparable destruction?
I'm angry as hell because I'm scared as hell.
Not a even a hint of resistance. For all the talk of democracy and freedom, Americans appear to be the most domesticated cattle in the western world.
Things are slowly falling apart and when the tipping point comes it will happen really fast.
Interesting times are a curse.
#JointChiefsOfStaff
#StopTheRussianCoup
#StopTheCoup
Something tells me that an emboldened Putin, free from the threat of US military, with the 80yo president onside, will already be planning the next one..
Because they're all owned by the richest man in the world. Who is not Elon it's Putin.
If not, possibly a very large compound on a bit of beautiful Russian real estate for his family if things go south.