| Submit your comments on this article |
| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Elon Musk floats drastic measure against Ukraine that would 'immediately' end war with Russia |
| 2025-03-10 |
| [Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Tech titan Elon Musk has suggested crippling sanctions on Ukraine's oligarchs is the key to halting the nation's bloody conflict with Russia Musk, 53, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, called for sanctions targeting Ukraine's wealthiest elite in a post on X Sunday morning. The stunning intervention was a radical departure from the current strategy focused on punishing Russia for its unprovoked invasion of the country. 'Place sanctions on the top 10 Ukrainian oligarchs, especially the ones with mansions in Monaco, and this will stop immediately. That is the key to the puzzle,' Musk wrote bluntly. The remark comes at the end of a week of intensive debate in Washington over whether continued US financial and military aid to Kyiv is sustainable as the war drags on with no clear end in sight. Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) recently argued that the US shouldn't offer 'another penny' to Ukraine - a view echoed by growing segments of the American public weary of the seemingly endless bloodshed and multibillion-dollar aid packages. Facing a torrent of criticism for his stance, including accusations that he's gone soft on Russian aggression, Musk doubled down on his position, invoking his personal efforts to support Ukraine's defense. 'I literally challenged Putin to one on one physical combat over Ukraine and my Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army. Their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off,' Musk fired back at critics accusing him of siding with Moscow. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #9 Russia can make between 100-150 new tanks a year. They are losing that many each month. Without the Soviet stock they cannot continue to support operations at anything resembling the current pace. Agree on Russia's population decline. Which is another reason, IMHO, to bleed them out in Ukraine. Many of the men Russia is losing will not be replaced. Which means that Russia's ability to launch another war may very well disappear forever. At the very least the threat is reduced. |
| Posted by: Angstrom 2025-03-10 20:15 |
| #8 Some thoughts: Russia started manufacturing new tanks and things. Whether the quality is as good as what they had before this all started, I couldn’t say, but they aren’t just pulling the Cold War equipment out of the spare parts warehouses anymore. What should more concern President Putin is that he is burning through Russia’s breeding population, even as the most driven and productive have been escaping abroad. And Russia has been below replacement since the 1980s or the early 1990s. Even with the current drive to seduce the most conservative of Western Europe to move to Russia, that won’t be nearly enough to make up for the multi-decade population shrinkage that has led to the emptying of Siberia and the eastern part of the country. Russia might well win the current war, but if they can be fought to a standstill in Ukraine, what odds they would do better with what’s left of their military should they try to reach beyond? For all the tough talk in Europe, in their heart of hearts Europe must believe that, too, or they would have already begun frantically rearming and drafting men and women of war-fighting age, as does Israel as a matter of course, instead of waiting until bullied into it by President Trump. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2025-03-10 19:04 |
| #7 I really don't understand Trump or Elon on this. Sending Ukraine old equipment we were paying to store and eventually dismantle isn't going to break the bank. The numbers floating around of how many billions it's worth is misleading at best. An Abraham may have cost millions to make in the 80's, but it's just scrap now. Why not let the Ukrainians use it to to fight Russians? It's not like there are any good guys in the fight. Let them have at it for as long as they like. Also worth noting, the Russians will run out of Soviet hardware in 1.5-2 years. What happens then? I'm willing to find out. |
| Posted by: Angstrom 2025-03-10 12:36 |
| #6 If Putin was so dangerous the EU would have armed itself. Actions speak louder than words. |
| Posted by: The Walking Unvaxed 2025-03-10 12:28 |
| #5 Twitter is DOWN: Social media app crashes for thousands of users around the world |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2025-03-10 11:50 |
| #4 Europe: Always Wrong, Never in Doubt |
| Posted by: Grom the Affective 2025-03-10 11:16 |
| #3 I don't get it. If the current Rus v Ukr conflict is the first step in Darth Putin's plan to conquer Ukraine, then Europe, Earth, and finally the entire Solar System in order to spread Instead, we are all playing "Let's you and him fight!" by supplying weapons and ammo to the weaker side. Without this support, the game would have already been over due to Ukraine not being able to field a team. At the start of the war, I believe it was badanov here who correctly describe the conflict as a big Soviet army fighting a smaller Soviet Army. Spoiler Alert: the big army wins. With some plot twist like WWIII or a Trumpeus ex machina, it is inevitable. There simply are not enough Ukrainians. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2025-03-10 10:33 |
| #2 ^^^^ It's not our problem any longer. |
| Posted by: Crusader 2025-03-10 10:29 |
| #1 Putin doesn't want this to stop. The weaker Ukraine gets, the less likely he's going to "negotiate". Why should he? He wants it all and then some. Whatever "cards" Trump might have had, he gave them all away. Some "Art of the Deal". |
| Posted by: European Conservative 2025-03-10 09:29 |