$200M a year, 700k tons of rice, space tech: deal for North Korea in joining war

Why would China invade Taiwan ?

Can’t they make do with the resources they already have ?

I also don't think the US and EU have pure motivations in any of this, particularly the US the EU just seems gullible.. the anti-Russia talk from the politicians is just fodder for the masses so the grift can continue as the actual actions and inactions tell a different story.. send complicated weapons systems ($$$), complicated weapons system doesn't work better start working on some new ones ($$$), oh that's some nice farmland you got there better let our corporations buy it up ($$$).

And Russia's "partners" are a shit country stuck in 1880 (North Korea) and, well, China. China's great at intimidating third world countries, but in reality their support and capabilities are limited. As for India, well, back in the old days India would have taken Eastern Russia, since the Russian armed forces are busy trying not to get killed.

At least China and India seem to have cooled down their border issues.

The undermined reputation came about because of a significant foreign influence effort that saw an agent hold the seat of power.

Almost nobody does even mandatory 2% GDP -> NATO flow, the only countries doing so are those treated brutally by soviets/russian in the past - Poland, baltic states. Heck, freakin' Germany is trying to put their highway maintenance costs into those 2%, since 'army anyway has to drive on them' - that's borderline treasonous behavior from Scholz in situation where enemy is at literal gates and repeatedly stated that it will wipe out half of population in nuclear strikes if they want to. Polish army can roll over wehrmacht anytime without breaking a sweat. Sane voices from former eastern bloc countries well-versed in soviet terror and brutality were completely ignored first months of war.

Leading countries in EU are still acting like there is some tiny annoying localized conflict far away and it will for sure end next month, and not like existential situation with many parallels with WWII and Hitler's behavior before and during it. They could have boosted their economies by diverting more money into defense, instead we get shooting in our own foot with endless green deal to kill half of European industry. Environmentally war on Ukraine is an utter disaster - we have some paper straws stupidities while they blow up 1 million plastic + chemistry + metal drones per year, on top of all other stuff blowing and burning to hell.

That's probably the only thing I agree with trump (those 2%), but then again its painfully obvious and Obama kept saying the same. With russians they understand only the rule of stronger, just like typical mafia. Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum.

/rant

We (US) could have and can stop the seizure of Ukraine fairly easily, imho. We have chosen not to do so directly in an effort to prevent WW3 and/or nuclear weapon use.

> No-one has convinced me yet that Putin isn't going to start executing generals (or falling from 3rd story) until one is willing to push the button when he's finally on his deathbed.

You’re not wrong, but his successor, or whoever thinks they may be his successor, will probably prevent that from happening. So many of them have czarist ambitions, and Putin has laid the groundwork.

we could, but evidently we are not willing to. If Taiwan were taken perhaps the response would be different and we would not be as passive anymore. One thing sure, Xi noticed the weak response in Ukraine.

Russian troops were in the Crimea back when British redcoats were stationed in New York City, so I don't know exactly when this "seizure" of the Crimea by Russia is supposed to have happened.

Taiwan is Kinmen island, which sits inside the harbor of the city of Xiamen in mainland China. The PRC, the US and the Taipei government all recognize Taiwan and the mainland as the same country. So I don't know how or why "we" would try to stop the Standing Committee from going into Taiwan - the island in their own harbor.

Kind of a laugh to look at the shock of a "payoff' by Russia, when the US is doing bigger payoffs to countries all around the world.

They have lost a vast number of troops, and have been having trouble recruiting more. There are still plenty of people available, but they mostly wanted to recruit prisoners and others that nobody would really miss. Going to North Korea can be read as an admission that they are running out of options.

As you say, it's not that many people. It won't change the situation on the ground. It just preserves the status quo, temporarily.

Which is all that's needed. The US is having an election which could have enormous consequences. There is a serious possibility that the US could cease to give aid to Ukraine, dramatically altering the balance of power.

If that doesn't happen, the outcome is murkier. It may be that they use the North Korean troops to give the best bargaining position for negotiation. Or they may fight until the new troops are gone, and then find more from somewhere.

Either way, it's a significant development, even though it does not in itself change the situation on the ground right now.

Cuban food shortages are a bit more understandable because they're in the western hemisphere surrounded mostly by countries friendly to the US, but North Korea?