It's OK @Philippa. trump's behaviour gives Ukraine the right to renege on any agreements when it suits them. Let us hope, in the meantime, that the EU gets together enough to help Ukraine with, or without mineral treaties. It's in their own interests, especially for the old eastern bloc countries on Russia's border. I am now waiting for American women to realise the new rules about ID documents having the same name as your birth certificate mean women who have changed their name thru marriage or any other means will not be able to vote - unless they're aware enough to buy a passport in time.
@Tidemark I don't know why they put themselves thru all the cr*p. Surely wiser in the long run to make new deals with everyone except the States and China to trade goods, expertise and mineral resources amonst each other. Clearly any deal with trump can be abandoned when he gets bored or upset so best to avoid him altogether. I see China - whom I can still admire at the mo tho I wouldn't trust them either - has cancelled contracts to buy billions of dollars' worth of Boeing planes, this putting factories at risk of closure and jobs at risk. It's also swapped USA beef for Oz beef, thus exposing USA farmers (most of whom apparently voted for him) to bankruptcy and having to sell their land cheaply. I see the perpetrator in the latest mass shooting in Florida is the son of a deputy - white and not an immigrant or a trans gender or any of the other things they're trying to quash and deny freedoms.
@Obelix-Vendée Agree in part but so far the EU as a whole seems to be dragging it's feet a bit on Ukraine. Not sure they all have either the wherewithal or the desire to provide the armaments needed to push Russia back. It doesn't look like any solution is going to be arrived at in the near future. US farmers voting for Trump is on par with UK farmers voting for Brexit - both lost out and live to regret it. @Tidemark I think we can take the a**e licking for granted on all sides - it's the rest of it we need to know
@Philippa - individual EU states are helping. eg Norway is to train 3000 or more Ukrainian soldiers in certain combat techniques, Sweden is giving military, humanitarian support, Estonia is purchasing military goods to send to Ukraine, Lithuania is providing financial aid, Poland supplies weapons and ammunition. EU countries together have contributed more aid than the USA since the war started but not so much the decisive military aid they need to defeat Russia. However, what is needed is a clear EU statement of intent and the passing of current plans to give official EU financial and military support and not leave it all to each country to do its bit as they see fit or can afford. Putin is a coward and would muchrather pick states off one at a time and he has, of course, been surprised and frustrated by Ukraine's resistance. This makes him angry and perhaps more dangerous, hence the need for a united front.
You can supply Ukraine with weapons, but at some point they are going to run out of men, what happens then?
I see Vance managed to get his photo with the Pope, to impress the Catholics back home. However, I wonder whether many of them are actually aware of the ‘branch’ of Catholicism he professes to be a member of? I think it might be a struggle to actually recognise it as even being a Christian religion. I thought it was overly diplomatic of the Pope saying that they agreed to disagree. Is it possible that Putin’s puppet, Trump, might actually be the lesser of two evils? If Vance gets into power, be afraid, be very afraid.
@pete they have women too you know! Do you not know enough Britis history of female heroines in WW2 and before and since? @NigelJ there was a Songs of praise today featuring an RC church in London where one dressed up priest thingy talked aboyt people who came to church for the first time and left, devoted Catholics, the next day. Clearly long enough to gain a deep understanding of catholicism and all its cl*ptrap. It has 24 groups and all based on St Peter, a know misogynist, so is clearly enlightened, objective and relevant in modern society.
‘Vance, who converted to Catholicism in 2019, identifies with a small Catholic intellectual movement that is viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings and often described as “post-liberal”. Post-liberals share some longstanding Catholic conservative views, such as opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. They envision a counter-revolution in which they take over government bureaucracy and institutions such as universities from within, replacing entrenched “elites” with their own and acting upon their vision of the “common good”.’ Vance had defended the administration’s America-first crackdown by citing a concept from medieval Catholic theology known in Latin as ordo amoris. He said the concept delineated a hierarchy of care – to family first, followed by neighbour, community, fellow citizens and, last, those elsewhere. From The Guardian.
Whatever next women fighting; well that will have Boudica and Queen Penthesilia spinning in their graves won't it.
My brother had similar views when he first "discovered" Christianity, no idea about his current opinions. These days he's some sort of evangelical Baptist. Yes I know I'm going to burn in hell; mercy and forgiveness seems to have gone overboard in many Christian sects.
As a lapsed catholic of over 40 years, I reckon I’m still more catholic than Vance. Sounds like he is as cavalier with his attitude to the teachings of the Catholic Church as he is to the American Constitution. Or the Ten Commandments. Just pick the bits you fancy, and ignore the rest. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours goods, minerals, land etc, springs to mind.
And what happens when they are all gone as well. It cant go on, what I'm saying is at some point it will be put up or shut up. Just keep on providing armaments without proper backing isn't working. Its called making the bullets for someone else to fire.
