Ukraine- the situation is VERY serious

woodenspoon your comments about Zelenskyy enjoying having to go from place to place to try to gain/keep support for his country are extraordinary! The whole notion that anyone would see this as a "perk of the job" is totally ridiculous. Saying it doesn't always need to be done in person is obviously true - but sometimes you do need to actually go somewhere, "press the flesh" and look into someone's eyes you know.

If you are desperate I think you will do more of this to reinforce what you have, push for more.
... Meeting in person allows more fluidity and nuance in conversation and you are more likely to build and strengthen positive relationships.

We often hear of calls to/from him. He has video linked into numerous meetings that the public is aware of (and probably more that we dont).

Also the description of his wife... She seems a totally committed spouse and mother and to refer to her only as "glamourous" does her a disservice.

What is your evidence for his trips being "jollies"?

...maybe you are making these comments to just stir the pot? I'm sorry but I cannot honestly believe anyone thinks like this.
Apologies if you really do!

Wyllow3

mums net/Ukraine stuff
www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5273635-deleting-the-regular-information-roundup-on-the-ukraine-war-threads

Thank goodness for that. The threads were invaluable

Europe puts boots on ground, and attacks Russia. This would probably end up with Putin deploying targeted nuclear missiles. Thousands and thousands of dead, thousands sentenced to illness and inevitable death, land unusable for the foreseeable future.

hope this doesn’t happen

I worried greatly about this at the start of the Ukraine war and when Putin was making nuclear threats. I concluded that the MAD theory would take care of that as there would be a strong prospect of US retaliation.

But now?

(Sorry)

mums net/Ukraine stuff
www.mumsnet.com/talk/site_stuff/5273635-deleting-the-regular-information-roundup-on-the-ukraine-war-threads

woodenspoon

It’s not about the UK being invaded though is it? And if it were, do you honestly think in a country at war that the leader should be jetting about all over the world while the country burns and the soldiers die? I think there is something about all this that is very strange. And I don’t mind at all being told that I’m a lone voice on here where opinions on every subject are so very entrenched. If Trump brings an end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza by whatever means, surely that is a good thing. All those billions we have given Ukraine could be put into this country. Rebuild these awful hospitals, schools, care, that we all read about every day. But no, let’s keep giving billions to wars that don’t benefit this country at all. And no, if push came to shove, I don’t believe for one minute that our so called friends in Europe would help us. They’d be only too glad it was us and not them.

Yes woodensppon of course a UK leader would travel to other countries to get support if we were invaded. What a truly distorted sense of reality to suggest otherwise.

ronib

Exactly who do you have in mind as the invaders? Willow3. The Uk is more liability than asset at the moment.
And best stop reading the Express and Mail. Wait for the real news… doubtless some press conference in the fullness of time on what has actually been agreed/announced. It’s at the dystopian fiction stage today and probably for a few weeks.

I'm suggesting the BBC newsfeed is giving "real news". As it happens.

Notagranyet24

A lot of wise and thoughtful exchanges on GN.
What I find extraordinary and alarming is that there is not a single active thread on this situation on Mumsnet? I find myself thinking that anyone under 40 or 50 seems to have no sense that the current situation is so dangerous.
I've searched under Politics and there are a handful of threads posted in the early hours. Weird.

Mumsnet had a very active set of posters on the subject of the Ukraine war when it first started. Multiple posts I wonder if it got shunted off into a separate forum (as they did with Brexit)

But I haven't visited Mumsnet for a couple of years now.

LizzieDrip

I’m sure, as part of Trump’s deal, Ukraine’s precious minerals will be in his sights.

”The country has titanium reserves, mostly located in its northwestern and central regions, while lithium is found in the centre, east and southeast. Ukraine's reserves of graphite, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represent 20% of global resources”
(Reuters)

In the lead article in the Times it suggests the USA would offer air support to "keep the peace" on whatever deal they do, in return for access to those minerals. But surely this would mean US staying in NATO? Also, is the US really going to withdraw from its European bases in Europe? there are 9 US garrisons.

It’s not about the UK being invaded though is it? And if it were, do you honestly think in a country at war that the leader should be jetting about all over the world while the country burns and the soldiers die? I think there is something about all this that is very strange. And I don’t mind at all being told that I’m a lone voice on here where opinions on every subject are so very entrenched. If Trump brings an end to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza by whatever means, surely that is a good thing. All those billions we have given Ukraine could be put into this country. Rebuild these awful hospitals, schools, care, that we all read about every day. But no, let’s keep giving billions to wars that don’t benefit this country at all. And no, if push came to shove, I don’t believe for one minute that our so called friends in Europe would help us. They’d be only too glad it was us and not them.

Exactly who do you have in mind as the invaders? Willow3. The Uk is more liability than asset at the moment.
And best stop reading the Express and Mail. Wait for the real news… doubtless some press conference in the fullness of time on what has actually been agreed/announced. It’s at the dystopian fiction stage today and probably for a few weeks.

woodenspoon

Much of which doesn’t need to be done always in person. He likes the jollies and the travel.

Just can't believe you actually wrote that 'he likes his jollies'

just disgusting and vile.

woodenspoon

As an aside, what I’ve never understood from the start of this war is how a president whose country is at war can fly from country to country, meeting to meeting, continent to continent. Billions have been spent on this war, for what real purpose? How many lives have been lost unnecessarily? Meanwhile, their president is high profile and continues to travel, with his glamorous wife, all over the world. Are there many countries or meetings where he hasn’t popped up? And I don’t mean the Trumps.
It’s all very strange.

If the UK is ever invaded, we just give in?

woodenspoon it’s called diplomacy.

A lot of wise and thoughtful exchanges on GN.
What I find extraordinary and alarming is that there is not a single active thread on this situation on Mumsnet? I find myself thinking that anyone under 40 or 50 seems to have no sense that the current situation is so dangerous.
I've searched under Politics and there are a handful of threads posted in the early hours. Weird.

'He likes the jollies and the travel' Really???! I am lost for words!

ronib

What is really chilling is the condemnation of a plan we know nothing about. So quick to condemn. So very BBC.

"So very BBC?" have you seen todays papers? The Express, the Mail?

BBC I player has an excellent hour by hour account of what's happening as the Security talks begin.

Much of which doesn’t need to be done always in person. He likes the jollies and the travel.

woodenspoon

As an aside, what I’ve never understood from the start of this war is how a president whose country is at war can fly from country to country, meeting to meeting, continent to continent. Billions have been spent on this war, for what real purpose? How many lives have been lost unnecessarily? Meanwhile, their president is high profile and continues to travel, with his glamorous wife, all over the world. Are there many countries or meetings where he hasn’t popped up? And I don’t mean the Trumps.
It’s all very strange.

He has had to keep his country afloat.

I am sure he doesn’t enjoy what is tantamount to begging other world leaders for aid, weapons and support.

Whitewavemark2

Ladyleftfieldlover

My immediate reaction from reading today’s news is that we must choose Europe. We are part of Europe even if not in the EU anymore. trump is abandoning Europe. There are difficult days ahead.

I strongly agree.

And so do I.

As an aside, what I’ve never understood from the start of this war is how a president whose country is at war can fly from country to country, meeting to meeting, continent to continent. Billions have been spent on this war, for what real purpose? How many lives have been lost unnecessarily? Meanwhile, their president is high profile and continues to travel, with his glamorous wife, all over the world. Are there many countries or meetings where he hasn’t popped up? And I don’t mean the Trumps.
It’s all very strange.

Whitewavemark2

Putin knew that all had to was to hold out until Trump got back in.

It is a win/win for them both.

Putin gets a whole swath of land and Trump gets the developers in to rebuild Ukraine.

Ukraine soldiers will feel that they fought for bugger all, and Europe will feel less secure.

I am rather conflicted over this.

There are three solutions as I see it.

Putin withdraws all troops and gives back land taken, excluding Crimea as that ships well and truly sailed.

not going to happen

Europe puts boots on ground, and attacks Russia. This would probably end up with Putin deploying targeted nuclear missiles. Thousands and thousands of dead, thousands sentenced to illness and inevitable death, land unusable for the foreseeable future.

hope this doesn’t happen

Ukraine giving up the territory Russia now controls, a peace keeping agreement including peace keepers patrolling the new border.

I am not for appeasement, but honestly cannot see any other workable solution, without the loss of 1,000’s more lives

I’m sure, as part of Trump’s deal, Ukraine’s precious minerals will be in his sights.

”The country has titanium reserves, mostly located in its northwestern and central regions, while lithium is found in the centre, east and southeast. Ukraine's reserves of graphite, a key component in electric vehicle batteries and nuclear reactors, represent 20% of global resources”
(Reuters)

He is British/Hungarian/American, and appears to have scooped up the worst traits from each nationality. All done with a British accent.

What is really chilling is the condemnation of a plan we know nothing about. So quick to condemn. So very BBC.

Jane43

Iam64

I’ve just watched Victoria Derbyshire interviewing Sebastian Gorky, Trump’s senior director for counter terrorism on Newsnight. What an arrogant bully the man is. Typical of what’s happening in the Trump White House. Normal communication, civil discussions no longer expected

It was shocking, he was vey rude and I don’t know how Victoria remained so polite and calm. Trump has surrounded himself with arrogant, belligerent men, Pete Hegseth was obnoxious at NATO saying he was going to speak first.

I watched it too. What an absolutely vile man, so arrogant. If these are the kind of people that surround Trump, it's no wonder he thinks he's the next messiah. Chilling.