Welcome to the Precious Metals Bug Forums

Welcome to the PMBug forums - a watering hole for folks interested in gold, silver, precious metals, sound money, investing, market and economic news, central bank monetary policies, politics and more. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Why not register an account and join the discussions? When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no Google ads, market data/charts, access to trade/barter with the community and much more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

Exclusive: Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines​

  • Russian sources indicate Putin ready to halt conflict at front
  • Putin to take more land to pressure Kyiv to talk: sources
  • Does not want another national mobilisation: sources
  • Putin has no designs on NATO territory: sources
  • Russia concerned about nuclear escalation: sources
MOSCOW/LONDON, May 24 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.
Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin's entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decision to rule out talks.

More:

 

Exclusive: Putin wants Ukraine ceasefire on current frontlines​

No unresolved issues between Russia, Belarus — Putin

The Russian leader added that if necessary, some things would be agreed on during the current negotiations.

"My colleagues and I held a meeting yesterday before coming here and I heard a report on certain areas of development. In my view, there are basically no unresolved issues, which is what I get from reports," Putin pointed out.

Putin arrived in Minsk on Thursday night. He held a brief meeting with the Belarusian president at the airport, where security issues were discussed. Friday is the main day of the visit; the parties are expected to address economic cooperation.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel

 

Patrick Lancaster: Live from Russia/Ukraine Eastern Front​

 
West in disarray as Moscow seizes initiative in Ukraine, says Russian intel chief

According to Sergey Naryshkin, after a year and a half of "droning on about Russia’s so-called strategic defeat on the battlefield," Western politicians find themselves in a much different position today.

"Mixed and often conflicting statements and assessments regarding developments in Ukraine are coming from the West. The reason is that Western elites are pretty much in disarray after realizing the fact that all the strategic initiative on the battlefield has passed to the Russian Armed Forces," he pointed out.

t.me/ForeignAgentIntel
 
China builds infrastructure and then leaves.

The west builds infrastructure and stays to influence the politics of the area to the detriment of the locals.

NATO's Outdated Policy | Col. Jacques Baud​

Jacques Baud is a former member of Swiss strategic intelligence, a specialist in Eastern European countries and head of United Nations peace operations doctrine. He was engaged in negotiations with top Russian military and intelligence officials right after the fall of the USSR. Within NATO, he participated in programs in Ukraine and in particular during the Maidan revolution in 2014.
18
 
Can't comment as to the veracity of this report.

Life on Ukraine’s front line: ‘Worse than hell’ as Russia advances​

Ukraine's soldiers talk of exhaustion, faith, personal loss and a perilous shortage of munitions as Russian forces take new ground. Reuters traveled along the front line, where Ukrainian troops say Vladimir Putin must be beaten back. Otherwise, said one, "he’s not going to stop over here."

The artillery fire begins just before dawn. A soldier steps into a darkened trench and lights a cigarette, carefully cupping the flame with his free hand. A boom and crackle of outgoing fire sound in the distance.

Viktor, the infantryman, ducks his head under a canopy of camouflage netting and looks up at the brightening sky. The incessant buzz of a drone sounds overhead, moving a dozen meters from one end of the trench to linger just above him.

Viktor swallows. A moment later, the buzzing sound moves on.

“One of ours,” the 37-year-old soldier says, bringing the cigarette back up to his lips.

The sun finally rises and the noise of war picks up. For weeks, Viktor has barely slept as Russian drones and artillery continually target his position. During the day, he watches for any attempts by Russian troops to cross a minefield that separates the two sides. At night, he picks up a shovel to dig and fortify his trench.

“They’re constantly firing, constantly probing,” he says. “We have to survive somehow and we have to hold the line.”

It is the start of another draining day on Ukraine’s eastern front line. Monitoring his scratchy radio, Viktor will try to move as little as possible in a trench less than 800 meters from where Russian soldiers are amassed. For seven months, Viktor’s unit has held this sector of the front, repelling a relentless onslaught of Russian assaults.

More:

 
It's a two-way street.

However, Ukraine press gangs are pulling farmers and folks off the street and sending them to 'fight' with barely any training.
 

Why do some European and NATO leaders support Ukrainian strikes on Russia with Western arms?​

May 29, 2024 #russiaukrainewar #Ukraine #nato

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday spoke in favor of allowing Ukraine to attack Russian positions inside Russia with Western weapons. "We think that we should allow them to neutralize military sites where missiles are fired, from where ...
Ukraine is attacked," Macron said at a joint press conference alongside the German chancellor following talks at Schloss Meseberg near Berlin, the official state guest house of the German Federal Republic. At the same time, he stressed that "we should not allow them to touch other targets in Russia, and obviously civilian capacities. "Macron’s comments came on the third and final day of a state visit to Germany.
Scholz was more cautious, but said he had no legal objections to Macron's approach. He emphasized that as long as Ukraine respected international law and the conditions of countries supplying the weapons, it was "allowed to defend itself." Germany and other countries have made the transfer of weapons to Ukraine subject to strict conditions, such as that they may not be used to attack targets in Russia over fears that would lead to an escalation. Scholz noted recently when saying Germany would not be sending long-range Taurus missiles to Ukraine that they would be capable of striking Moscow from Ukrainian territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of "serious consequences" if Western countries allowed Ukraine to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia.

11:33
 

"NATO is cooking up something big" and Putin is ready for all out war | Redacted News​

17
 
the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations
He's not wrong on that. There coulda been peace in April of '22, but our so called leaders wanted war instead.
 
Why do some European and NATO leaders support Ukrainian strikes on Russia with Western arms?
Because they are war mongering idiots, most likely.


Ukraine, simply put, is not worth the risk our idiot leaders are insisting on taking in this matter.

Do you honestly believe that a corrupt pos half assed nation like Ukraine is worth risking everything for? I don't. It ain't worth risking anything for.

Edited to add: if you notice, none of this bs was going on with Trump in office, and there's a damn good reason why, too.
 
Every president of every nation should serve in war. Actual war, not the "I'm the King's son so I get a cushy appointment!"

That would solve a great deal of world conflicts.
 
Every president of every nation should serve in war. Actual war, not the "I'm the King's son so I get a cushy appointment!"

That would solve a great deal of world conflicts.

Agree with this on a large scale.

I've always thought that since the prez is the commander and chief of our military that he or she should have at least served in the military in some capacity. In my opinion that would go a long way in shaping how they think about, deal with and use with our military men and women.

Mandatory military or national service in some capacity would go a long way in bringing people down to reality on a big scale.

jm2c
 

GAO Report on U.S. Funding for Ukraine​

JUNE 4, 2024 11:44 AM

The following is the May 30, 2024, UKRAINE: Status and Use of Supplemental U.S. Funding, as of First Quarter, Fiscal Year 2024.

From the report​

Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has caused tremendous loss of life, created a humanitarian crisis, threatened democracy, and exacerbated global challenges such as food insecurity. In response to these devastating consequences, Congress has appropriated more than $174 billion under five Ukraine supplemental appropriations acts. About $113.4 billion was appropriated in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 under four initial Ukraine supplemental appropriations acts (Ukraine acts).

The majority of these funds were specified for the U.S. response to the Ukraine crisis and some of the funds were for other purposes. Some of these funds have expired and some remain available for future use.

Division M of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, included a provision for us to conduct oversight of the assistance provided in the Ukraine acts. This report is part of a series of reports that we have underway evaluating U.S. agencies’ implementation of these funds. This includes the Departments of Defense (DOD), State, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Energy (DOE).

More:

 
Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine has caused tremendous loss of life, created a humanitarian crisis, threatened democracy, and exacerbated global challenges such as food insecurity.
Until they admit it was NOT an invasion, but a LIBERATION there is no point entertaining their opinion.
 

Ukraine Opens Up on Belgorod || Peter Zeihan​

From the beginning of the Ukraine War, the Western nations have placed restrictions on how their weapons donations to Ukraine can be used. Specifically, Western nations have been concerned that if Ukraine targets Russian forces within Russia, escalation may be unavoidable. But recent events have forced a change of calculus in the West.
7m
 

Giving Ukrainians Weapons to Strike Inside Russia is the ‘Right Thing to Do’, Says NATO Official​

JUNE 10, 2024 4:39 PM - UPDATED: JUNE 10, 2024 11:35 PM

Ukraine striking airfields and logistics hubs inside Russia “is the right thing to do,” the head of NATO’s Military Committee officer said on Friday.

Adm. Rob Bauer from the Netherlands said Kyiv’s choice comes down to “kill the arrows or kill the archer.” He added, that it is possible within the laws of war to use donated weapons across borders because Moscow was the aggressor with its February 2022 invasion.

“What we’re seeing is Russia has to bring back [from the Ukrainian border] its logistics” from 10 kilometers to 50 or 60. That shift is slowing the advances the Kremlin made during the more than six months Congress debated approval of a $60 billion aid package and other nations waited for Washington to act.

More:

 

Report to Congress on U.S. Policy and the War in Ukraine​

JUNE 11, 2024 7:18 AM

The following is the Congressional Research Service report, Russia’s War on Ukraine: U.S. Policy and the Role of Congress.

From the report

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a country Russia first invaded in 2014 and has partially occupied for a decade. The war has led to hundreds of thousands of killed or wounded, according to U.S. and other estimates, and the displacement of more than nine million people as of May 2024, according to international humanitarian organizations. In 2024, Russia has conducted multiple offensives, seizing some additional Ukrainian towns and settlements. Ukraine continues to wage defensive operations, bolstered by military assistance mainly from the United States and Europe.

“The General Assembly … reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine [and] declares that the unlawful actions of the Russian Federation … have no validity under international law.” U.N. General Assembly Resolution ES-11/4, Oct. 12, 2022
More:

 
US to Zelensky... "Yeah, you now have permission to strike inside Russia (and start WWIII for us)".
 

G7 leaders seek deal to use interest from Russian assets for Ukraine​

BARI, Italy, June 13 (Reuters) - Group of Seven leaders will aim to boost funding for Ukraine in its war with Russia and offer a united face in confronting China's political and economic ambitions at their annual summit in southern Italy on Thursday.

For a second year running, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend the summit, taking part in talks on Thursday, and he is due to sign a new, long-term security accord with U.S. President Joe Biden.

The G7 leaders look likely to announce they have agreed at least in principle on plans to issue $50 billion of loans for Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets frozen after its invasion of Ukraine to back the multi-year debt package.

More:

 
WTF is this all about?
 

The Heat | Hard Battle For Vovchansk | Russia Is About To Cut Donbas. Military Summary 2024.06.15​

20
 

Ukraine's international bond rework derailed as deadline nears​

LONDON (Reuters) -Ukraine has not been able to reach an agreement with a group of bondholders over restructuring some $20 billion of international debt during formal talks, it said on Monday, raising the spectre that the war-torn country might slip into default.

An agreement with holders of international bonds that allowed Ukraine to suspend payments after Russia's invasion of the country in 2022 ends in August.

Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said talks would continue and he expected the government to reach an agreement by Aug. 1.

The country's dollar-denominated eurobonds fell by as much as 1.7 cents in morning trading in London, though they recovered slightly by 1500 GMT. Near-term maturities are trading at deeply distressed levels between 26-30 cents on the dollar.

Formal talks with the ad-hoc bondholder committee have been underway for nearly two weeks, as Ukraine seeks to rework its debt in order to retain access to international markets while meeting International Monetary Fund (IMF) demands to restructure.

However, the government's proposal and a counter proposal by bondholders showed how far apart the parties are and the uphill struggle Ukraine will face to get the debt restructuring over the line in the coming weeks.

More:

 

PREPARING FOR TOTAL ANNIHILATION - SITREP 6.20.24​

30
 
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…