Ukraine Watch...

[BritDownUnder]

I suspect it will be just too hard for the extraction of rare earths and they would just get sent to China to be purified. From the little I know about it it involves nearly millions of chromatographic steps to separate them from each other. Read up on the process how some of the Manhattan project uranium was purified in Tennessee during WW2.

I never thought I would say this but credit where credit is due for President Macron correcting President Trump at a press conference. Some of his English was not quite right but probably better than Trump's French (although apparently he can speak some Scottish Gaelic inherited from his mother). I don't think you will get the same corrections from Starmer.

[Ralphw2]

So, the US gets a nice new source of rare minerals in a remote country that can't defend itself, Europe gets the cost of defending the country from the competitor to the east, china gets a nice big contract to build the processing plants, and Ukraine sees it most fertile agricultural soils poisoned forever by the tailings, and Putin still gets everything he wanted with the best industry in the Donbas, Crimea, Ukraine a puppet state (of the US), and NATO alliance shattered.

Good job Donald. DRC anyone?

[mr brightside]

Isn't this just a load of squabbling over the last of the precious things? Something any powerswitcher would have seen coming anyway? Just looks like the capitalist machine in its death throes to me.

[Ralphw2]

Yes it is squabbling over the dregs, but it is industrial society which is coming to an end, not just capitalism. I had hoped we would transition more slowly, with not such a steep Seneca cliff, and without war in our backyard.

Unfortunately "intelligent" life is just proving to be the most efficient entropy generating engine after all, no Maxwells Demons to cheat heat death for while longer.

[clv101]

This is just getting weirder and weirder. As far as I've been able to figure out, Ukraine isn't thought to have any *any* significant reserves of rare earths. What's going on!? Maybe the deal is really for more regular mineral rights, bauxite, titanium, salt etc with Trump and the media just saying 'rare earths' in their ignorance?

[Ralphw2]

The Guardian's assessment of Ukraine's reserves

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/ ... -want-them

very few of them are rare earths. Most of the lithium is already under Russian control.

[mr brightside]

Maybe the deal is really for more regular mineral rights, bauxite, titanium, salt etc...

Cassiterite, Galena?

[Mark]

What I am saying is that we are seeing a cultural divergence which probably cannot be undone. Ultimately we may need to change sides ourselves. Our future may lie closer to China than America.

George Orwell's 1984 being played out in front of our eyes....

[Mark]

Some of Trump's minions are now calling for Canada to be expelled from the 5eyes intelligence group. Presumably so that they cannot see the US forces massing on the border ready for the drive north.

I've been having some really weird/vivid dreams about the US invading Canada....
Not sure whether they've been somehow triggered by reading this post, but it seems very plausible....
Canada would struggle to defend itself, and the US would physically join up with Alaska...
Don't think the French Canadians would be very impressed though...

Maybe that's what Putin has on Trump ?
Trump turns a blind eye to Russia invading Ukraine because he knows that he's got his own eyes on Canada ??

[UndercoverElephant]

Trump turns a blind eye to Russia invading Ukraine because he knows that he's got his own eyes on Canada ??

I have recently run into quite a few Canadians who believe that to be the case.

[clv101]

And why not? What's the point of overwhelming physical power if you can't use it to bend the world to your advantage? The question is, is it to US advantage to invade and conquer Canada? Greenland?

Greenland seems like an obvious yes, every man, woman and child could be bought off with $million each, easy to win a popular referendum. Greenland is of strategic importance.

Canada is much less obvious as their large population are unlikely to accept the loss of nationhood!

[UndercoverElephant]

Greenland seems like an obvious yes, every man, woman and child could be bought off with $million each, easy to win a popular referendum.

I am not so sure. If everybody in Greenland was given $1m, then who would do all the work that needs to be done? Who would staff the supermarkets and do all the other jobs nobody actually wants to do? Doesn't work.

Apparently Zelensky is going to America to sign a "very big deal". Is Trump going to guarantee Ukraine's security? Putin won't be happy....

Trump is playing Ukraine and Russia off against each other to see who will give him the best deal, just like it was a property transaction. The problem is this isn't a property transaction. In this case the loser doesn't just walk away without a deal.

[clv101]

In that situation I'd expect most of the 50k or so Greenlanders to move to continental US and the island to become essentially a military and industrial settlement.

[BritDownUnder]

What I am saying is that we are seeing a cultural divergence which probably cannot be undone. Ultimately we may need to change sides ourselves. Our future may lie closer to China than America.

George Orwell's 1984 being played out in front of our eyes....

I don't think the UK will join China or whatever it was called in 1984 (Eurasia?). You will forever be Airstrip One!

It would be interesting if the US claims resources in the whole of Ukraine including the Russian occupied parts. Might be an interesting confrontation between American geologists and Russian soldiers.

Don't forget Russia also has most of the best chernozems and agricultural land.

[Ralphw2]

As far as I can tell, the mineral deal is purely Trump extorting money for the aid that Biden gave freely, with no guarantee of anything, and definitely no long term US military support guarantees. It says absolutely nothing about how the war is going to end, or any ceasefire. Trump may be rather surprised that Russia suddenly switches his missiles towards mines and related infrastructure (if there is any left worth bombing). Neither side is suddenly going to stop fighting.

Russian advance to Povrosk has fully stalled. Ukraine making small recaptures in the area.