NATO - Russia relations:

IMO mostly ammo. Most of eastern european armies still use soviet stuff. That should be in million of dollars.

I would have thought most eastern european countries would be making their own ammo if they are still using soviet calibres... otherwise the US would be pressuring them into switching to their calibres and their weapons rather than buying ammo for them...

Equally I would think they would buy Soviet ammo like 7.62 x 39mm ammo and 7.62 x 54mm ammo for their surrogate terrorist groups around the world from those same eastern european countries... as a reward for changing sides.

Spare parts for vehicles/planes/helis.

That would make more sense... parts for Hips in Afghanistan etc etc.

According to an article from Al Jazeera, the UK is to lead the struggle to contain Russia so that the US can focus on China...yeah baby!

Which is good news for Russia as it means toothless UK is going to be more of the same, and the US is going to be distracted with other stuff.

Most of the sanctions were led by the US, or should I say pushed by the US... and implemented by the EU, because the UK and US don't have huge ties with Russia, so I wonder how the US thinks the UK is going to influence the EU when they can't even agree fishing rights and border agreements...

They can't contain illegal immigration let alone Russia.

If the US stops looking I suspect Johnson might try to start getting more trade with Russia with potentially lucrative oil contracts etc etc rather than less relations... but either is fine.

Yeah until they see the price for switching all their weapons for NATO ones.

Which would be why they need to keep their own ammo factories running, though it must be worth while to start making HATO standard ammo to sell to HATO partners because there is likely a good margin for sales involved for the makers.

Producing its own ammo isn't cheap. Even France can't. You need to invest a lot but also have many clients to make sustainable. Few countries do it.

If you don't have it then setting it up is complex and expensive, but for instance Yugoslavia made good ammo... the ironically named Privi Partizan ammo I have for my Mosin rifles is rather nice brass soft nose stuff. I would think they would find it worth their while to make 223 and 308 even just in the civilian hunting configuration let alone the HATO standard.

But as mentioned I would think spare parts for equipment used by allies like Afghanistan (Hip replacement parts are expensive... ask any pensioner... ).

I suspect most of the ammo goes to ISIS or the Kurds in Syria and a dozen other "freedom fighting terrorists" around the planet... but I wonder why they buy from Russia rather than their new eastern european allies... they certainly wouldn't give money to Russia if they didn't have to... which makes me think it is more likely stuff they don't make like engine parts and aircraft parts etc.

flamming_python wrote:

This is no longer just a social problem, but a question of national

I suspect the Americans will only be deploying missiles there if Russia proceeds with equipping the Zirkon on its SSGNs

Because that situation will also give Washington absolutely no warning; a Russian sub can launch a salvo of Zirkons at Washington D.C from 600-700km off the eastern seaboard of the US and hit all the targets they wish withing 5-6 minutes of launch

This is probably what is being discussed between Putin and Biden, one of the issues

I believe the US is more afraid of the Circons in the SSGN because it poses a huge threat to the US Navy. This missile offers tremendous potential for VMF. They are not about ground-based targets at CONUS.

Kiev is the wests problem... Russia should not invade or interfere unless they do something stupid like what Suckarse Milli Vanili did in South Ossetia.

Because Girl you know it true...

The suffering in the Ukraine is not Russias problem, the west can spend some money and fix them up... that is what allies are for.

Russia just needs to point out that any attack from Ukrainian territory will be considered an attack from HATO so all HATO targets become targetable in response... including the holders of the leash in the US...

The real difference between missiles in the Ukraine hitting Moscow in 5-6 minutes and Russian hypersonic missiles hitting Washington in 5-6 minutes is that Moscow has an ABM defence system operating 24/7 to shoot that sort of crap down... Alaska is on the wrong side of the US of A to stop a Zircon from a Yasen in the North Atlantic from hitting the Pentagon or White House.

The Kremlin is aware of this. So, why doesn't the Kremlin take hard steps against Ukraine, using tactical nukes and maybe Sarmats, to finish off the threat? Is it because Russia is complicit, somehow, against China, just buying time to reach the point of Chinese impatience over Taiwan?

What is this?

The article outlines that Britain and the US were destroying each other and trying to destroy Russia for their own selfish purposes and then it asks why Russia does not eliminate Ukraine... the west really does not care even a tiny amount about the Ukraine so Russia defeating them is an irritation only to the west, it would take energy and effort and money and time to roll over the rest of the Ukraine but it is pretty obvious even to the writer of this article that this conflict is not about the Ukraine, it is about the US and to a lessor extent the UK.

The UK is finished, it is never going to be the great power it was and in the future it is going to find that most of its commonwealth no longer want it to be mother any more... the interest in the Monarchy is mostly dying of old age and young people can't relate to a King or Queen any more.

The US is the worlds bully who remains powerful because everyone uses their currency which makes their money powerful and desirable but the bullying of Russia and China now is showing the world that the US uses its money and power as a weapon which effectively destroys their weapons because they were always symbolic and using them renders them useless and destroys them.

Russia does not need to defeat Kiev... Kiev is burning through the military resources of the west which has to be replaced and will be at top dollar price for expensive new ammo that they are all going to have to buy now which will take years to replace what they have already sent to Kiev let alone prepare for anything new.

The middle east and rest of the world should be pleased the west is having its teeth removed and more promises made all at a time when they are borrowing more when interest rates are going up making more borrowing the last thing anyone should be doing.

As the use of the US dollar declines Americas power is going to be undermined and its grip on international organisations including WADA and various international organisations will be sorely effected... especially the ones they abuse.

Russia needs to continue this conflict at least till after new US elections because Biden is the driving force of the wests support for Kiev... he has skeletons in the closet and lots of people who know where the bodies are buried... but more importantly every few months the west has to ramp up their sanctions which are making Russia more independent and stronger and is damaging the west more and more, both directly and indirectly in the way the rest of the world sees the west.

The two faced nature of the west is clear for all to see and them pushing themselves away from Russia is the best thing for Russia because given the choice they would rather have good relations with the west which gives the west power and control over them... as limited as it is.

A continuing conflict means the gap between the west and Russia will only get bigger and Russia will need to find its own way forward... a more conservative way that will probably appeal to the rest of the world more than the liberal BS the west has become.

Russia is not going to become the US and impose Russian values on the world... they are talking to China... a communist country, to Iran... a religious regime, to democracies like India, dictatorship monarchies like Saudi Arabia... they talk about trade and cultural ties... what they don't do is tell other countries how to behave and what political or economic system they must have... unlike the west which demands the rest of the world conforms to their values and morals or else.

Russia is not going to demand China deal with their Taiwan situation in any way at all... that is Chinas business... if China asks for advice I am sure they will offer their views and opinions but it is Chinas business and not for Russia to interfere, and China understands the same situation with Ukraine... they are suggesting peace solutions but not making demands or issuing threats or using leverage... why should they... they want peace, but they also know a forced peace will just turn into war further down the track... and often a more bloody war too.