OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

Legume

Gulfcoastguy said:

Well when you only have the House, and by a narrow majority all you can do is say no. In the British parliament once under similar circumstances a member of the minority party was asked about his party’s goals.  He responded “ We are the opposition party, by definition we oppose “.  For the next 2, 4 , or 6 years any laws passed would be those proposed by the Democratic Party. If the Republican House passes a law it will be without a single Democratic vote and it would die in the Senate.

Now might be a good time to get our heads back to bipartisanship.

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The U.S. is considering sending Bradley armored fighting vehicles to Ukraine, President Biden confirmed yesterday. According to one defense official, the transfer of Bradley vehicles could be announced in coming the days or weeks as part of the U.S.’s next Ukraine security package. Oren Liebermann and Betsy Klein report for CNN. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched a warship armed with advanced hypersonic missiles on a mission through the Atlantic Ocean, Russian state media reported yesterday. The frigate Admiral Gorshkov set off from an unnamed northern Russian port after Putin spoke with the ship’s commander and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu via video link. “The main efforts during the campaign will be focused on countering Russia’s threats, maintaining regional peace and stability together with friendly countries,” Shoigu said in the TASS news agency report. Brad Lendon and Anna Chernova report for CNN. 

Ukraine carried out a string of artillery attacks on Russian barracks in the first days of the year, killing or wounding more than 1,000, according to Ukrainian officials. The Russian military has confirmed one of the three waves of claimed strikes but gave a much lower death toll than Ukraine. Social media posts, reports from residents, and Russians who blog about military affairs offered partial confirmation of the other strikes claimed by Ukraine but did not corroborate the number of casualties. Andrew E. Kramer, Anatoly Kurmanaev and Christiaan Triebert report for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

Friday Russia- Ukraine update:

"Russia yesterday announced a 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine. The cease-fire would coincide with the Eastern Orthodox Christmas and would be the broadest truce since Russia’s invasion. Both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy and President Biden have expressed skepticism about the cease-fire, which began at noon local time and will end tomorrow at midnight. Anatoly Kurmanaev reports for the New York Times. 

Both the U.S. and Germany have said they will send armored vehicles to Ukraine. They also plan to join together to supply Kyiv with a second Patriot missile battery, according to a joint statement released yesterday following a phone between Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Erika Solomon and John Ismay report for the New York Times. 

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense announced that it is continuing to increase its joint military grouping with Russia in Belarus. “Personnel, weapons, military and special equipment of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to arrive to the Republic of Belarus,” the ministry said in a statement. The ministry also announced upcoming joint air force exercises between the two countries. Uliana Pavlova and Sarah Dean report for CNN. 

The first group of Russian prisoners recruited to fight in Ukraine has been pardoned, the head of Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group said yesterday. This is according to a report by Russian state news agency RIA, which published a video showing Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin congratulating about two dozen men for completing their military contracts. It is unclear whether the pardons are real as under the Russian Constitution only the president can pardon a prisoner. Anatoly Kurmanaev and Alina Lobzina report for the New York Times. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the possibility of negotiations with Ukraine depended on Kyiv accepting “new territorial realities.” This is according to a statement from the Kremlin, released after a phone call between the two leaders. According to a Turkish government readout, Erdogan urged peace and negotiations, saying they should be supported by a unilateral declaration of ceasefire and a vision of “a fair solution.” Uliana Pavlova and Ipek Yezdani report for CNN. "

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia’s self-declared 36-hour cease-fire expired with little letup in the fighting. The ceasefire was supposed to run until midnight on Saturday, but Ukrainian officials reported casualties across front-line regions on Saturday. In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his view that the ceasefire was a ploy.“The world was once again able to see today how false any words…from Moscow are,” he said. Ian Lovett and Ann M. Simmons report for the Wall Street Journal. 

Two thermal power plants were damaged by Ukrainian shelling in Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, Moscow installed officials said yesterday. Initial information suggested that some people working in the plants had sustained injuries and that one person had been killed. Russia’s state news agency TASS said that the strike was carried out using a multiple rocket launcher system. Reuters reports. 

Moscow claimed to have killed 600 soldiers in a strike on the eastern Ukrainian town of Kramatorsk yesterday. However, the town’s mayor denied this claim, saying there had been no deaths from strikes over the weekend. There are several reasons to doubt the Russian version of events, including Russia’s clear motive to claim retaliation following an attack that killed a cluster of Russian soldiers last week. Emma Graham-Harrison provides analysis for the Guardian. 

The U.S. announced its largest Ukraine aid package yet, worth $3.75 billion, which includes Bradleys and other armored vehicles as well as $907 million in more financing for Ukraine and its neighbors to buy American-made weapons and equipment.

The new U.S. military drawdown — worth about $2.85 billion and featuring 50 M2A2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles armed with anti-tank missiles — is aimed at getting as much to Ukrainian forces as possible during the winter months, before spring sets in and an expected increase in fighting begins.

Pentagon officials say the provision of several hundred armored vehicles, along with plans for U.S. training of Ukrainian troops on combined arms as well as operations and maintenance of the Bradleys, offer Ukraine a chance to retake territory from Russia’s invasion force. The vehicles are expected to help Ukraine’s infantry accompany its fast-moving armored forces."

lousubcap

For those across the pond or planning to travel there:

Single-use items like plastic cutlery, plates and polystyrene trays will be banned in England, the government has confirmed.

It is not clear when the ban will come into effect but it follows similar moves by Scotland and Wales.

Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said the move would help protect the environment for future generations.

Campaigners welcomed the ban, but called for a wider-ranging plastic reduction strategy.

Government figures suggest that 1.1 billion single-use plates and more than four billion pieces of plastic cutlery are used in England every year.

Plastic waste often does not decompose and can last in landfill for many years.

Although it might be useful in terms of food hygiene, it can also end up as litter, in turn polluting soil and water.

The confirmation of the move from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) follows a long consultation, which will be published on Saturday 14 January.

Each person in England uses an average of 18 single-use plastic plates and 37 items of plastic cutlery every year, according to Defra, while just 10% of those are recycled.

Ms Coffey is set to ban a range of single-use plastic items mainly relating to takeaway food and drink.

"I am determined to drive forward action to tackle this issue head on. We've already taken major steps in recent years - but we know there is more to do, and we have again listened to the public's calls," she said."

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The docking of a Russian merchant ship last month at South Africa’s largest naval base has prompted questions from U.S. officials. The ship, whose owner has allegedly carried weapons for the Kremlin, turned off its transponder before surreptitiously docking at the base, where it delivered and loaded unidentified cargoes, according to witnesses and a senior U.S. official. South Africa has declined to say what the ship was carrying or what was loaded onto it at the Simon’s Town navy base. Gabriele Steinhauser and Benoit Faucon report for the Wall Street Journal. 

A senior U.S. official yesterday told reporters that the Wagner Group, a Russian paramilitary organization, had begun using recruited prisoners as cannon fodder. According to the official, the prisoners are being used to draw fire while the group's more seasoned fighters move in behind them to claim ground. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy plans to send more troops and weapons to the eastern region of Donbas. The reinforcements will include “new combat means and equipment,” including those received from Ukraine’s allies, Zelenksyy said in his nightly address. Carly Olson, Megan Specia and Ivan Nechepurenko report for the New York Times.

The U.S. is considering sending Stryker armored combat vehicles to Ukraine in an upcoming aid package. No final decision has been made and the administration could announce the package, with or without Strykers, late next week around the time of the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting in Germany. Lara Seligman, Lee Hudson and Paul McLeary report for POLITICO."

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1613004679880876035?s=20&t=LJvlXdvJMGbuARBAbgLotQ

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group claimed victory in the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar yesterday. The claim that the town is now under the control of Wagner Group mercenaries could not be verified and was rejected by Ukrainian officials. However, prior to the emergence of Wagner Group’s claims, the U.K. defense ministry said Russian forces and the Wagner Group were likely in control of most of Soledar. Megan Specia, Ivan Nechepurenko and Matthew Mpoke Bigg report for the New York Times. 

The Kremlin has tempered the Wagner Group’s announcement on the capture of Soledar. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that whilst there is a “positive trend,” “success in military operations will be achieved when we fulfill the goals set by the Supreme Commander [Putin].” Anna Chernova and Seb Shukla report for CNN. 

Russia’s artillery fire is down nearly 75% from its wartime high, U.S. officials have said. Whilst U.S. and Ukrainian officials don’t yet have a clear explanation for this, the striking decline is further evidence of Russia’s increasingly weak position on the battlefield nearly a year into its invasion. Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann, Alex Marquardt report for CNN. 

The U.S. will train roughly 100 Ukrainian troops to use the Patriot missile system at a U.S. military base, the Pentagon said yesterday. The training, which will take place at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, will begin as early as next week and will take several months. Nancy A. Youssef reports for the Wall Street Journal. 

There has been a “substantive” change in the type of weaponry the U.S. and its allies are providing to Ukraine, according to two senior U.S. officials. This change reflects the nature of the battlefield in Eastern Ukraine and a belief that Ukraine sees a window to regain territory before Russia regroups. One official also noted that reservations about sending more capable systems have been tempered by Ukraine’s decision to abide by limitations on the use of the weapons provided by the West so far. Jim Sciutto reports for CNN. "

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Russia has replaced the general in charge of what the Kremlin calls its “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced yesterday that General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, would become the overall commander of the campaign, with the current commander, Sergey Surovikin, becoming one of his three deputies. It is the second time in just three months that the ministry has replaced the chief of the war effort. Tim Lister reports for CNN.

Poland and Britain are considering sending main battle tanks to Ukraine. The move would end the West’s nearly yearlong refusal to deploy some of its most advanced weaponry against Russia and would ratchet up pressure on other allies of Kyiv to follow suit. Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times. 

Russia has committed a “litany of violations of international humanitarian law,” during the war in Ukraine, according to Human Rights Watch. The group's annual report said that evidence of war crimes in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, is part of a pattern that “has been repeated countless times.” It also highlighted the bombing of a theater in Mariupol, despite signs that children were sheltering there, as well as strikes on other civilian targets. Jack Guy reports for CNN.

Russian oil revenues are falling due to the price cap that Western countries imposed on its crude oil shipments, a US Treasury official said. The Kremlin said it had not yet seen any cases of price caps on Russian oil.

Estonia has told Russia to reduce the number of diplomats at its embassy in Tallinn by February.

The European Union is prepared for a long war and will support Kyiv for as long as it takes, Sweden’s foreign minister, Tobias Billstrom, said."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Russian defense ministry said this morning that its forces had taken control of the eastern Ukrainian town of Soledar. According to the ministry, this will make it possible to cut off Ukrainian supply routes to the larger town of Bakhmut and trap the remaining Ukrainian forces there. Russia’s claim could not be verified, and earlier this morning Ukraine said that its forces were still holding out in the town. Reuters reports. 

The U.N.’s atomic energy agency is set to deploy international inspectors at all of Ukraine’s nuclear plants. The deployment will dramatically expand the International Atomic Energy Agency’s role in the war, with Kyiv hoping that increased U.N. presence will deter further Russian attacks. Drew Hinshaw, Laurence Norman and Joe Parkinson report for the Wall Street Journal. 

Russia’s replacement of its commander in charge of the war in Ukraine likely reflects “systemic problems” in the Russian army, a Pentagon spokesperson said yesterday. These include “logistics problems, command and control problems, sustainment problems, morale and the failure to achieve the strategic objectives that they’ve set for themselves,” spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder added. Anushka Patil reports for the New York Times."

lousubcap

More on the Russia-Ukraine front:

"

January 13, 2023 Russia and Ukraine's militaries both claim to hold the embattled eastern city of Soledar, about six miles from the Donetsk city of Bakhmut, which has seen fierce fighting since at least May. Moscow's defense ministry claims to have "liberated" Soledar on Thursday evening using "air, missile, and artillery strikes," followed by paratroopers who swept in thanks to a "stealth maneuver" to claim the territory, according to Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov.  Ukraine's military, however, described the action around Soledar as "hot," and said battles there are ongoing. "The enemy threw almost all the main forces in the direction of Donetsk and maintains a high intensity of the offensive," said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar, writing early Friday on Telegram. "Our fighters are valiantly trying to hold the defense," she said, calling this "a difficult phase of the war, but we will win."  The view from Washington: "The fighting in areas around Bakhmut and, now, this town called Soledar has been significant and severe, and the fighting has been sharp between both sides," John Kirby of the White House's National Security Council told reporters Thursday. "This is the Donbas area…It's a lot like Kansas," he said. "It's farmland. It's open ground. And so we want to make sure that we are providing the kinds of capabilities to Ukraine to be able to succeed in that environment. That's why Bradley Fighting Vehicles were part of the package" that the U.S. announced late last week.  As for Soledar, "We believe that the Russian interest in it is sort of twofold," Kirby said. "One, because they see securing it as key to their ability to secure and then to hold Bakhmut. There's also salt mines there. So we also think that there's a bit of an economic incentive" for Russia's invasion forces to seize Soledar.  "But even if both Bakhmut and Soledar fall to the Russians, it's not going to have a strategic impact on the war itself," said Kirby. "And it certainly isn't going to stop the Ukrainians or slow them down." Meanwhile in Kyiv: Ukraine's president says his military is now prioritizing "modern tanks and effective artillery…to drive the Russian army out of our land," he said Friday to an audience of Lithuanian lawmakers. "And we need an international tribunal, which will bring to justice those whose evil minds gave birth to this crime, this war," he said. "When the revanchists from present-day Moscow will face a fair trial, it will be a historic punishment for those revanchists who tried to break our freedom a generation ago."

JohnInCarolina

Worth your time:

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/02/trapped-in-the-trenches-in-ukraine

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"At least 44 people were killed by a Russian strike on an apartment building in Dnipro over the weekend, the city’s mayor has said. The strike, which hit a nine-story apartment building, is one of the single deadliest attacks for civilians since the war began. In his evening address yesterday Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack by Moscow a “war crime,” and pledged to bring its perpetrators to justice. Maria Kostenko reports for CNN. 

Russia and its ally Belarus launched a series of air-force exercises yesterday along the border with Ukraine. The day before the exercises Belarusian Security Council Chair Pavel Muraveyko said the country was ready to respond to any threats from Ukraine and that the situation on the border was tense. The exercises come ahead of what military analysts believe could be a fresh effort by Moscow in the coming months to increase its efficiency on the battlefield. Thomas Grove and Bojan Pancevski report for the Wall Street Journal. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to increase Russia’s armed forces to 1.5 million servicemen, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu said. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the decision was a response to the “proxy war” that the West is waging against Russia. The details of the military expansion are yet to be finalized, Peskov added. Anna Chernova reports for CNN. 

The Pentagon’s top general yesterday visited two sites in Germany used by the U.S. military to train Ukrainian troops. During his visit to Grafenwoehr, Gen. Mark A. Milley, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered encouragement to those on the training field and directed the American soldiers instructing them to squeeze as much into the newly established training program as possible. Milley also visited another Army headquarters in Wiesbaden where a planning conference with Ukrainian military officials was underway. Dan Lamothe reports for the Washington Post. 

A high-level U.S. delegation will meet today with top Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, to “reaffirm the U.S.’s strong and steadfast commitment to Ukraine,” the State Department said. The delegation includes Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer, and Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl. Jennifer Hansler reports for CNN. "

lousubcap

Wednesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The Pentagon is sending U.S. ammunition stored in Israel to help meet Ukraine’s need for artillery shells. Israel has consistently refused to supply weapons to Ukraine, and initially expressed concerns about appearing complicit in arming Ukraine if the Pentagon drew its munitions from the stockpile. Eric Schmitt, Adam Entous, Ronen Bergman, John Ismay and Thomas Gibbons-Neff report for the New York Times. 

The U.S.’s top general met with his Ukrainian counterpart in person for the first time yesterday. The meeting between Gen. Mark Milley, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen Valeriy Zaluzhny, the leader of Ukraine's military, took place at an undisclosed military base in southeastern Poland. Eric Schmitt reports for the New York Times. 

President Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke on the phone yesterday to discuss military support for Ukraine. According to a spokesperson for Scholz, both leaders agreed that their support “must be effective, sustained, and closely coordinated.” The conversation came ahead of talks in Germany this week. Claudia Otto and Nadine Schmidt report for CNN. 

During this trip to the U.S., British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged the West to increase its support for Ukraine.  Speaking before a meeting with his American counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Cleverly told reports, “we have started to see a slowing — an ossification — of the line of contact.” That is why “we think now is the right time to intensify our support for Ukraine,” he added. Dan De Luca and Abigail Williams report for NBC News. 

NATO defense ministers will meet in Brussels today and tomorrow to discuss how best to support Ukraine. On Friday they will be joined at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany by officials of a broader group of nations that has coordinated aid to Ukraine. U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin will lead the discussions, which will focus on the types and amounts of weaponry to supply. Steven Erlanger reports for the New York Times. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to address the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today. In his nightly address yesterday Zelenskyy said that Kyiv was “lobbying for increased global pressure” on Russia while at Davos. Carly Olson reports for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

And more Russia-Ukraine today (Wednesday):

"According to Britain's military chief, Russia "has now lost over 1,600 main battle tanks in Ukraine since the start of the invasion," Ben Wallace told the House of Commons on Monday. "But if we're to continue helping Ukraine seize the upper hand in the next phase of this conflict, we must accelerate our collective efforts diplomatically, economically, and militarily to keep the pressure on Putin."

Said Britain's top ground forces officer: "Giving away these capabilities will leave us temporarily weaker as an army, there is no denying it." However, General Sir Patrick Sanders said in a message to troops obtained by Sky News, "Ukraine needs our tanks and guns now. I know they will put them to good use; and there can be no better cause."

"Putin believed the West would get tired, bored and fragment," Defense Minister Wallace said Monday. But "Ukraine is continuing to fight and, far from fragmenting, the West is accelerating its efforts," said Wallace, who is traveling to Estonia before dropping in for the contact group meeting at Ramstein. 

The Brits are also sending more drones, missiles, artillery rounds, and "around 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns, operated by five gunners," Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Saturday. Training on both the Challenger II and AS90 systems will begin "in the coming days, as part of wider UK efforts which have seen thousands of Ukrainian troops trained in the UK over the last six months," said Sunak. He's also sending his top diplomat to Washington and Ottawa this week "to discuss closer coordination on international sanctions and our coordinated effort to boost our support to Ukraine," according to Sunak. "

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"The U.S. is warming to the idea of providing Kyiv with the weapons it needs to target Crimea, according to several U.S. officials. Whilst the U.S. has always held that Crimea is still part of Ukraine, the Biden administration has refused to assist Kyiv in striking the Russian sanctuary for fear of escalating the conflict. However, the administration has now come to believe that if the Ukrainian military can show Russia that its control of Crimea can be threatened, that would strengthen Kyiv’s position in future negotiations. Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes report for the New York Times. 

The U.S. is set to finalize a huge military package for Ukraine totaling approximately $2.5 billion worth of weaponry. The package will include, for the first time, Stryker combat vehicles, two sources said. The inclusion of Strykers combined with more armored Bradley Fighting Vehicles is a significant escalation in the armored vehicles the U.S. has committed to Ukraine. Alex Marquardt and Oren Liebermann report for CNN. 

Poland would supply Ukraine with German-made Leopard tanks without Germany’s consent, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saidyesterday. Poland has offered 14 Leopard tanks but wants to donate them in concert with other countries willing to hand over some of theirs, such as Finland. However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is unwilling to provide the permission needed to send these tanks, unless the U.S. agrees to send American-made Abrams battle tanks. Drew Hinshaw reports for the Wall Street Journal. 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will meet today with the German defense minister before convening a meeting of the Ukraine Contact Group tomorrow to discuss aid for Ukraine. Austin plans to press Germany to allow their Leopard tanks to be transferred to Ukraine, a senior defense official said. “We are very optimistic that we will make progress on this requirement by the end of the week,” the official added. Michael Callahan reports for CNN.

The head of Russian paramilitary organization Wagner Group has claimed that its fighters have captured the village of Klishchiivka, southwest of the key city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian forces had deemed the village crucial to the defense of Bakhmut because it lies on high ground directly east of roads into the city. The loss of the village could endanger Ukraine’s ability to hold on to Bukhmut by severing supply lines to the city. Ivan Nechepurenko and Thomas Gibbons-Neff report for the New York Times. "

lousubcap

A sidebar from the World Economic Forum today: The tank pi$$ing contest-

"DAVOS, Switzerland — One of the most significant moments at the World Economic Forum happened out of sight in a quiet room: OLAF SCHOLZ, the German chancellor, told the American congressional delegation that he won’t send Leopard tanks to Ukraine until the U.S. agrees to transfer its Abrams tanks.

The exchange in Davos, described by four people with knowledge of what was said, including Rep. SETH MOULTON (D-Mass.), was respectful in tone but showed just how far apart Washington and Berlin are on a tank deal.

Moulton said Scholz made a “fairly reasonable” request because Germany relies on the U.S. for nuclear deterrence and the Germans “are much closer to this fight than we are.”

Scholz was “pretty direct,” one person said. The lawmakers in the room — which included Moulton alongside Sens. CHRIS COONS (D-Del.), JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) and MARIA CANTWELL (D-Wash.) — were surprised to hear the remark as they felt more progress has been made on the issue, two people said.

Asked about the conversation on the sidelines of the glitzy gathering, Coons, the delegation’s leader, declined to confirm the exchange. But, he made sure to say, “we need to find a way to move forward together.”

A German spokesperson also declined to provide details.

A number of American lawmakers who aren’t in the swanky Swiss ski town are infuriated with Germany’s decision.

“The allies have lost focus on the nature of the problem. You either win or you lose,” Sen. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-S.C.) said in a phone interview. “I can’t believe we’re still arguing among ourselves.”

Officials in Kyiv have been pleading for the West to send modern battle tanks ahead of an expected spring offensive by Russia. Meanwhile, a group of European nations — likely to be led by Poland — is working to form a coalition to pressure Berlin to allow them to send their Leopards, since Germany has to sign off on the deal.

Graham called on the Biden administration to send M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine immediately because it “will open up the floodgates” by compelling Germany to greenlight the Leopards.

German officials have taken the same stance as Scholz in the last few days. By saying the U.S. must move first, they’re trying to fend off pressure from European allies who want to send the German-made tanks to Ukraine but need export approval from Berlin.

Scholz also told President JOE BIDEN that the U.S. has to give the Abrams first, according to German media reports."

nolaegghead

Those Leopard 2 tanks are THE best tanks made.  The M1 Abrams are a distant second - leopard has a much better main gun, is much more reliable and doesn’t have a gas guzzling turbine driving it.  

I support throwing a proverbial sh!t ton of tanks into the mix.  Faster Ukraine can go on the offensive, the less time Russia has to get their act together.  

fishlessman

nolaegghead said:

Those Leopard 2 tanks are THE best tanks made.  The M1 Abrams are a distant second - leopard has a much better main gun, is much more reliable and doesn’t have a gas guzzling turbine driving it.  

I support throwing a proverbial sh!t ton of tanks into the mix.  Faster Ukraine can go on the offensive, the less time Russia has to get their act together.  

We need to send both.  Last place I want to be in a war though is a tank

nolaegghead

Tanks are more and more obsolete relevant to defending the homeland.  This is the perfect use for them, sounds bad to say “proxy war” but that’s what it is.  Russia is out of control and they need to be stopped for the sake of everyone who likes, say, uncensored, free media.

nolaegghead

fishlessman said:

nolaegghead said:

Those Leopard 2 tanks are THE best tanks made.  The M1 Abrams are a distant second - leopard has a much better main gun, is much more reliable and doesn’t have a gas guzzling turbine driving it.  

I support throwing a proverbial sh!t ton of tanks into the mix.  Faster Ukraine can go on the offensive, the less time Russia has to get their act together.  

We need to send both.  Last place I want to be in a war though is a tank

WTF!?  How are you on a computer and not rubbing sticks together this late at night!?  You are right about the tanks.

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine and tanks update:

"CIA director William Burns, traveled to Kyiv last week for secret consultations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to two U.S. officials. During the meeting, Burns briefed Zelenskyy on his expectations for what Russia is planning militarily in the coming weeks and months. The pair also discussed continued U.S. and Western support for Ukraine, with Burns acknowledging that at some point assistance would be harder to come by, according to people familiar with the meeting. John Hudson reports for the Washington Post. 

The U.S. is stuck in a standoff with Germany over whether to send tanks to Ukraine ahead of a meeting of Western Defense leaders in Germany today. In recent days, German officials have indicated they won’t send their Leopard tanks to Ukraine, or allow any other country with the German-made tanks in their inventory to do so, unless the U.S. also agrees to send its M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv. However, the U.S. has said it has no intention of doing this given the logistical costs of maintaining them. U.S. officials familiar with the situation told CNN that the tank questions is still undecided going into today’s meeting and that they would be surprised if Germany changed its mind. Natasha Bertrand, Kylie Atwood and Oren Liebermann report for CNN. 

Russia’s state nuclear power conglomerate Rosatom has been working to supply the Russian arms industry with components, technology, and raw materials for missile fuel, documents show. A letter from a Rosatom department chief, dated October 2022 and obtained by Ukrainian intelligence, shows the state nuclear company offering to provide goods to Russian military units and Russian weapons manufacturers that are under sanctions. These new disclosures are likely to increase the pressure on Western allies to sanction Rosatom, which has previously escaped such measures due to its extensive involvement in the civilian nuclear industry. Catherine Belton reports for the Washington Post. "

Ozzie_Isaac

I am on a sharpening forum, an individual ordered some stones from a shop in Ukraine.  Here is how the package arrived:

JohnInCarolina

This episode of The Daily podcast from the NYT on the arms race in Ukraine is worth a listen:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/podcasts/the-daily/ukraine-russia-war-weapons.html

The NYT may be paywalled, but its podcast is not.  I listen to it a couple times a week on the drive to work and back (the episodes are typically 30 min or so).  Always very well done and professional.  Worth your time.

lousubcap

Related to the above and Russia-Ukraine:

The United States is sending more air defense weapons to Ukraine, including eight Avenger systems and more National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems. That's along with 59 more Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 90 Strykers, 53 more MRAPs, and 350 up-armored humvees. That's all part of the latest $2.5 billion arms package from Washington, which was announced Thursday evening by the Pentagon.  "Russia is running out of ammunition," Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Friday before the eighth meeting of the U.S.-led Ukraine Contact Group at Germany's Ramstein Air Base. "It's suffering significant battle losses, and it's turning to its few remaining partners to resupply its tragic and unnecessary invasion," Austin said.  But "Russia is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to re-equip," the defense secretary continued. "This is not a moment to slow down; it's a time to dig deeper. The Ukrainian people are watching us. The Kremlin is watching us. And history is watching us. So we won't let up, and we won't waver in our determination to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia's imperial aggression." But German officials still decline to authorize sending their tanks to Ukraine, as several Baltic states are trying to do. And this reluctance from Chancellor Olaf Scholz appears to be in sync with the will of voters in Germany, according to a recent survey from YouGov, which showed 43% of respondents opposed the idea of sharing tanks with Ukraine while 39% approved. State-owned broadcaster Deutsche Welle has more, here. (A second survey showed similar results—but shifted to 46% supporting the decision to share tanks with Ukraine, and 43% opposed. Tiny bit more on that from Reuters, here.)  For what it's worth, Germany's new defense minister says Berlin isn't standing in allies' way if they want to send tanks to Ukraine. "The impression that has occasionally arisen, that there is a closed coalition and Germany was standing in the way, this impression is wrong," Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Friday at Ramstein. That could be partly why a top Polish official said Warsaw may go ahead and send its tanks without a greenlight from Scholz and Pistorius. "I think that if there is strong resistance, we will be ready to take even such non-standard action," said Deputy Foreign Minister Pawel Jablonski on Friday. However, he cautioned, "At the moment we are trying to make Germany not only agree [to] these tanks being sent by Poland or other countries, but also to do so themselves."  There are reportedly more than 100 battle tanks Germany could send to Ukraine, and German companies are ready to do just that, according to Reuters, reporting Thursday. That includes Berlin's Leopard tanks as well as refurbished British-made Challenger 1 tanks. By the way: If Kyiv is looking for a "game-changer" in this conflict, German tanks aren't it,the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. "There is not a particular weapon system that is a silver bullet; a balance of all systems is needed," U.S. Army Gen. Christopher Cavoli, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters Thursday. "A tank comes down to a balance between firepower, mobility and protection," he said, and called those "the holy trinity of capabilities." One big problem is the associated supply chain and maintenance process for any tanks.That's partly why NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg told Reuters Friday, "We need also to remember that we need to not only focus on new platforms, but also to ensure that all the platforms which are already there can function as they should."  Denmark just announced it's sending all 19 of its French-made howitzers to Ukraine. At least eight other nations said they're sending more weaponry to Ukraine as well on Thursday, including Estonia, Latvia, and Poland sending Stinger missile systems, s-60 anti-aircraft guns, and more. "

Ozzie_Isaac

There is no better use for these weapons than by depleting Russia's fighting capabilities.  

No better test environment for weapons and tactics either.

HeavyG

Ozzie_Isaac said:

There is no better use for these weapons than by depleting Russia's fighting capabilities.  

No better test environment for weapons and tactics either.

However, it also gives your adversaries experience/knowledge of your capabilities/tactics/weapons/vulnerabilities from which they can derive future advantage.

And, the problem of running out of all ones conventional weapons is that, when backed into a corner, one is more likely to "take it to a higher(est) level".

Military action/weapons won't finish this war.

lousubcap

As @HeavyG said, I also believe military action likely won't finish this war but I also can't see a way out right now as this devolves further into a stalemate with neither side blinking. 
Putin has no exist ramps (and hasn't since he rolled in and failed to decapitate the government in short order) and rolling out the highest level of firepower would only complicate the outcome even more.  
We are less than two months from the Ides of March.  Someone needs to step up.  FWIW-

HeavyG

https://twitter.com/NOELreports/status/1616487784633466895?cxt=HHwWnoCwrevE9e4sAAAA

"Free the Leopards" protests.

U_tarded

JohnInCarolina said:

This episode of The Daily podcast from the NYT on the arms race in Ukraine is worth a listen:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/19/podcasts/the-daily/ukraine-russia-war-weapons.html

The NYT may be paywalled, but its podcast is not.  I listen to it a couple times a week on the drive to work and back (the episodes are typically 30 min or so).  Always very well done and professional.  Worth your time.

This has been one of my daily go to pods for my commute.  I also like to hit up the Wall Street Journals What’s News.  They do a morning and afternoon quick recap on top news topics of the day.  It is under 15 minutes per episode and I enjoy it during my morning coffee.  They touched on the tank debate for Ukraine this morning and I like their approach to reporting.