Subject: Re: U.S. and Russian Meeting
may consider russia has seriously turbocharged their own demographic collapse, w/ considerable higher fled and dead men <40.
this impact is the dominant factor on who\where putin may expand next, far outweighing all strategic blunders combined. (yes, even the famed 2-week police action conquest of ukraine)
[biggest strategic win : trump]

decades of corruption in russia's military has forced a very non-economic transition to a war economy, but waste here is ignored as long as sanctions are weakly enforced. interweb has a hilarious note on russian counterfeit\knock-off brands now the main consumer option, so the ruble fragile but useful there.

personally, i think the EU will support ukraine, allowing them not to concede to trump negotiating on putin's behalf. hegseth is too stupid to realize any escalated 'nato' spend will be in a form that allows resources to flex for europe acting for themselves.
quite a contrast to the blind loyalty shown for both Bush's fake middle east fiascos.