UPDATE: Trump ally says Ukraine focus must be peace, not territory

[Emrys]

Earlier today, I posted a BBC article titled "'Crimea is gone': Trump adviser says focus must be on peace over regaining territory in Ukraine": https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219692227

Now the same URL I cited in that OP - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czxrwr078v7o - leads to a substantially updated and extended version that might as well be a whole new article, hence this OP.

The first main change is that they now point out from the start that Bryan Lanza is a former adviser to Trump, so was in effect just being a loudmouth as I guessed in my first OP, and isn't even a congressman.

The new version adds this immediately after quoting Lanza's "Crimea is gone" remark:

A spokesperson for Trump distanced the incoming president from the remarks, saying Mr Lanza "does not speak for him".

After Lanza's nonsense about "... if that is your priority of getting Crimea back and having American soldiers fight to get Crimea back, you're on your own", it now adds:

The US has never deployed American soldiers to fight in Ukraine, nor has Kyiv requested American troops fight on its behalf. Ukraine has only requested American military aid to arm its own soldiers.

The new version also adds some responses from the Ukrainian side:

In response, Zelensky's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn characterised Mr Lanza's remarks as placing the pressure for peace on Ukraine when it was "Putin who wants more war".

"Putin loses most of his people in assaults at the front. What does this indicate? It is obvious that he wants to fight on," he said.

"Ukraine has been offering peace since 2022 - there are quite realistic proposals. And it is Russia that must be made to hear that peace is needed and that peace must be reliable, so that there is simply no repetition of Russian strikes."

And then this:

A spokesperson for Trump's transition team - which prepares the incoming administration for office - said Mr Lanza was "a contractor for the campaign", but "does not work for President Trump and does not speak for him".

So the first version of this story - the BBC was far from the only outlet covering Lanza's outburst, but hearing it on this morning's Radio 4 news spurred me to post about it - was so far fom being the full story that it was downright misleading. The BBC's addition at the article's end - "Clarification: This article has been amended to reflect that Bryan Lanza stopped working as an adviser to the Trump campaign after the election." - hardly does justice to the scope of the alterations. It's actually a much more detailed and better article now (not to mention a tad more accurate), so better late than never, I suppose. It may be timely given the meeting between Zelensky and Trump that's slated to happen soon.

One factor that may work in Ukraine's favour in a twisted way is that Russia and its media mouthpieces have declared it and North Korea have no interest in negotiating (with the US is the implication so far), and in fact have ramped up their bloodthirsty ravings, so there may be less scope for hanging Ukraine out to dry. Meanwhile, the rhetoric, at least, from Ukraine's European partners has been resolute. Recent covert Russian attacks on other countries haven't exactly convinced anyone of Putin's good intentions and value as a negotiating partner.

The full article can be read here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czxrwr078v7o

[Sogo]

1. " It may be timely given the meeting between Zelensky and Trump that's slated to happen soon."

WTF??

The policy has always been that we have one President at a time, and that is the administration that conducts foreign policy.

[Emrys]

5. I know.

From today's Kyiv Independent:

Efforts underway to prepare Zelensky-Trump meeting, minister says

The teams of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will start preparing a meeting between the two leaders, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Nov. 9.

"A dialogue between President Zelensky and President-elect Trump has already been established," Sybiha said in Kyiv at a joint press conference with the European Union's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell.

https://kyivindependent.com/dialogue-underway-to-begin-organizing-zelensky-trump-meeting-minister-says/

The Kyiv Independent article parrots Lanza's "Crimea is gone" remark (I did mention that had been widely reported) but it does flesh out some of the discussions Trump has been having with some European leaders, who I'm pleased to see are holding the line for now.

I don't know whether the consent of the Biden admin for the gazillion phone calls Trump has been reportedly making has been sought or granted. Trump hasn't yet even signed important paperwork that would allow the transition to proceed properly.

[qazplm135]

2. Conservatives all share the same weakness

A rush to take everything they can right away, whether it's here or Russia or anywhere.

This almost always leads to recoil and loss.

So just like I expect Dems to rebound because Republicans won't be able to help themselves over the next couple of years, it's also possible Russia goes overboard so much that even Republicans are like wait a minute.

When Trump doesn't need someone anymore, they are dead to him, and he really doesn't need Russia anymore. Or Republicans for that matter.

He got a second term which means he's never going to jail.

[2naSalit]

3. Some interesting

Info pertinent to today. The first is from the beginning of the invasion, the second from two days ago.

The Ukraine War From Russia's Perspective

(14:47)

Russia to Take Out the West's Internet?

(19:23)

[MontanaMama]

7. I had no idea we had

that much dependence on undersea cables. Good gawd.

[2naSalit]

10. I know!

Geeze!

How's your trip?

Everybody needed some downtime, perhaps your trip was better timed than you imagined originally?

[MontanaMama]

14. In Hawaii now.

It’s good to have distractions and Hawai’i is never a bad idea but damn…this is all still really hard. Trying to compartmentalize every micro trauma like everyone else.

[2naSalit]

16. Enjoy it whole you can...

This isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

[moondust]

4. The sooner TSF can force

Ukraine to surrender, the sooner his Vladdy Daddy can get to work taking Moldova, Georgia, Poland, Baltics, and others.

Russian imperialism

[DarthDem]

6. One thing we've learned

Is that the Polish military would most likely turn back any Russian attack instantly and start pushing towards Moscow like a hot knife through butter. I don’t believe Putin will be looking in that direction.

[Emrys]

8. Going west, Russia would almost immediately run into NATO countries

At the moment, even if the US withdrew altogether, I think there's a high degree of unity among the rest of that bloc (minus Hungary, of course, though Orban faces and election soon). That includes two nuclear powers and a lot of airpower.

Unless Russia did somehow manage to conquer Ukraine and assimilate its military, I don't see where Putin's going to get the troops from, let alone the equipment for them. North Korea's resources aren't endless. Meanwhile, unrest rumbles on in the outlying regions of Russia, and could erupt at any point, not to mention Iran becoming increasingly preoccupied with its own problems.

[Ontheboundry]

11. I follow the war close

Mostly due to family ties in the region

Russia would stop at the Dnieper and call.it a day. They need to catch their breath for a long time

Ukraine now is like Germany 1918 in WW1. Troops are still in the field but it's getting futile to keep throwing boys into the grinder. Their units are unable to rotate any longer for lack of reserves to rotate with, where Russian units are running in 6days up at the front 12 days in the rear.

Ukraine is simply facing fresher troops, who are experienced now at this type of fighting, and are able to reach critical strategic locations faster than earlier in the war

Again, I am just informed at what happening, six years in the US infantry helps me digest the info better easier.

I just seen no realistic path for Ukraine being able to stop what's happening rn short of a 3rd party intervention

The Dnieper is the last realistic natural.boundry that is there to help even the field for Ukraine

[Emrys]

12. A bit of background on Bryan Lanza

This is from 2018:

Former Trump campaign aide is helping Russian firm shed sanctions

Washington(CNN) A former senior campaign and transition aide to President Donald Trump recently inked a deal to help a Russian oligarch's conglomerate shed sanctions the Trump administration slapped on them last month.

Bryan Lanza, who is in regular contact with White House officials, is lobbying on behalf of the chairman of EN+ Group, an energy and aluminum firm presently controlled by Oleg Deripaska, according to several sources. Deripaska is a billionaire who is close to Russian President Vladimir Putin and was the target of US sanctions imposed last month. Lanza was a CNN political contributor but is no longer with the network.

Lanza is representing the chairman of EN+ Group, but not Deripaska directly. The company is seeking to reduce Deripaska's ownership in the company enough to be freed from US sanctions. Deripaska is expected to maintain a substantial stake in the company.

The moves by Lanza and Mercury Public Affairs LLC, the firm where he works as a managing director in its Washington office, on behalf of their client don't appear to be anything more than standard lobbying. But the deal is the latest brazen example of how Trump's "drain the swamp" campaign pledge has led to little change in a town where paying for access is a lucrative industry. In fact, Trump has presided over the expansion of a new generation of influence peddlers who have used their actual or perceived proximity to the President to line their pockets.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/12/politics/washington-lobbying-trump-era

[Jit423]

13. If NATO expects to survive a Trump presidency, will have to survive in unity.

There is no negotiating with a bully, only standing firm. In reality, bullies are usually cowards too.

[ancianita]

15. PEACE AT ANY PRICE, ON PUTIN'S LYING TERMS, IS AN UNJUST PEACE. That's what the Russian people already have --

NO SOVEREIGNTY & JUSTICE FOR UKRAINE, NO PEACE.