Ok, not football at all, but it matters, eventually.

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Feel free to step up.

Some estimates are that we've sent the corrupt, crooked country $500,000,000,000 with no accountablity. No problem however since zelensky's wife just bought a 4 million bughatti and has a billion dollars in the bank. I"m sure they'll take your pounds just as easily as they take dollars.

I've noticed that Europe is full of big talk until it comes time to get your wallet out. Then you end up with the T rex arms. Let the "cowardly yanks" pay for it. Enjoy your brave talk when it comes time to start paying for your defense. It's a big ticket item. You know what's gutless and cowardly? when it's time to step up and defend your homeland and pay for it and you count on another country to pay for it. Enjoy spending your own money to fight off the Russians, Chinese and the religion of peace.

The days of the yanks paying for everything are over. The world is going to be a lot different and, frankly, a lot more peaceful without us acting as the worlds policeman.

People who do little in practice tend to speak a lot, often those who take decisive action say little.

The EU has a lot of noisy leaders ??

[Francewhite]

Global aid committed, not spent, on Ukraine is 430 billion dollars. The US has committed 128 billion and the EU 124 billion. The US expenditure to date is about 60 billion so where the 500 billion comes from is hard to see. Maybe the same source that said Mrs Z had spent 4 billion on a Bugatti which prompted Bugatti to to take the unusual step of saying that she has definitely not bought a Bugatti and the suspicion is that the usual Russian trolls are behind the rumour.

[Orgoner]

Global aid committed, not spent, on Ukraine is 430 billion dollars. The US has committed 128 billion and the EU 124 billion. The US expenditure to date is about 60 billion so where the 500 billion comes from is hard to see. Maybe the same source that said Mrs Z had spent 4 billion on a Bugatti which prompted Bugatti to to take the unusual step of saying that she has definitely not bought a Bugatti and the suspicion is that the usual Russian trolls are behind the rumour.

It certainly wouldn’t surprise me if the Bugatti story was entirely made up, but the earlier numbers don’t seem to make any sense either?

If the US and EU have, between them, committed 252 billion, where does the additional 178 billion come from?

I can’t see many other countries giving much of a stuff about the fate of Ukraine (there really aren’t too many countries outside of the US and EU with significant excess funds surely?), so are those funds from private individuals/organizations?

This conflict didn’t start well (do they ever), but it doesn’t look like it’s going to end well either.

[spaldy]

Yeah, I guess you missed the 200 billion they rushed through the last 30 days of Biden

Your numbers look fair to me. We are the majority contributor to a country that?s half a world away and contributes nothing to the US. Ask for some minerals as payback and get told by the little dictator that?s a no go.

Zelenskys honest and responsible with the money he?s been given. The $68,500
Per taxpayer we?ve given Ukraine is a great investment.

I?m sure the Bugatti story is just as honest as the billions in offshore bank accounts they?ve squirreled away.

[whitestomper45]

Get a grip and stop falling for Russian propaganda, much as you want to believe this rubbish ffs

[Orgoner]

Wars are often thinly veiled excuses for financial shenanigans.

What the wars are supposedly about often seems totally irrelevant (except to those poor souls at the pointy end of them).

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

Whatever the exact figure they are still huge sums of money when all those countries are indebted and have domestic problems to solve.

That is not to say they should not stand up for Ukraine but just pumping money in without an end in sight does seem not the best way to go.

[Francewhite]

The "missing" money in my post is the money given by non US and non EU countries e.g. Japan, Australia etc. which adds a further few hundred billion dollars.

[Monaco_Totty]

As for exactly what are the arms the USA, UK & other nations are supplying Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62002218

See enclosed United States Department of State official link regarding Ukraine.
https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-poli...l%20assistance.

Meanwhile, Reuters reporting all today on the Germany elections pivotal voting starting on Sunday.
Germany has certainly emptied their wallet on the Ukraine conflict & their election result could be key, too. 😞

As Germans prepare to vote on Sunday with their countrys sluggish economic growth being top of their agenda along with immigration & the Ukraine war scenario, too.

A fiscal mechanism known as the 'debt-brake' strictly limits German government borrowing & has become a 'fault-line' in current German politics with the last governments collapse blamed on that sole issue.

The worlds third largest economy shrank for the second straight year as its politicians are asking whether the fiscal straightjacket of the debt-brake is hindering its investment that could boost its growth if it was relaxed.

To make matters worse, Germanys population is ageing with the number of people older than 64 is being projected to grow by 41 percent to 24 million by 2050, accounting for nearly one-third of the population.
So the ratio of working to retired people will fall, which will lead to a shrinking tax base.

But many working-class Germans especially in parts of former East Germany faced with rising living costs are highly dissatisfied with what they consider to be too much money being spent on ?foreigners? & on 'support for Ukraine'.

After the USA, Germany is Ukraines second-largest donor of military aid.
The AfD has been campaigning on reducing German military aid to Ukraine & for pressure to be placed on the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia. The AfD (Alternative for Germany) is a far-right & right-wing populist political party in Germany who are Eurosceptic & opposes immigration into Germany especially Muslim immigration.

So all of this is gonna put any German leader in a tight corner as they will need to balance international expectations with domestic pressures too.
Most German mainstream political parties have lost support while the far-right AfD have gained further ground in the latest polls just published before the election voting starts on Sunday.

So, all this is now pointing towards a likely tricky German coalition leadership in charge that could drag on for many more months causing more mayhem as the Worlds order pans out.

[spaldy]

I wish the US had a debt brake

Lifetime corrupt politicians without regard to the debt they leave the next generation results in 37,000,000,000,000 in debt. These amoral politicians discovered they could buy votes. They will gone when it all blows up

[hopelesslyoptimistic]

I wish the US had a debt brake

Lifetime corrupt politicians without regard to the debt they leave the next generation results in 37,000,000,000,000 in debt. These amoral politicians discovered they could buy votes. They will gone when it all blows up

The 1990s,2000s and 2010s may come to be known as the selfish generation years where the generation that had it all in the West forgot about the younger generations and looking after them.

[ozleeds]

The 1990s,2000s and 2010s may come to be known as the selfish generation years where the generation that had it all in the West forgot about the younger generations and looking after them.

I thought it was the other way around the younger generation looking after the oldies hummm Instead there running around with machetes breaking into people homes stealing cars and riding e scooters with no helmets.

[ozleeds]

As for exactly what are the arms the USA, UK & other nations are supplying Ukraine.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-62002218

See enclosed United States Department of State official link regarding Ukraine.
https://www.state.gov/bureau-of-poli...l%20assistance.

Meanwhile, Reuters reporting all today on the Germany elections pivotal voting starting on Sunday.
Germany has certainly emptied their wallet on the Ukraine conflict & their election result could be key, too. 😞

As Germans prepare to vote on Sunday with their countrys sluggish economic growth being top of their agenda along with immigration & the Ukraine war scenario, too.

A fiscal mechanism known as the 'debt-brake' strictly limits German government borrowing & has become a 'fault-line' in current German politics with the last governments collapse blamed on that sole issue.

The worlds third largest economy shrank for the second straight year as its politicians are asking whether the fiscal straightjacket of the debt-brake is hindering its investment that could boost its growth if it was relaxed.

To make matters worse, Germanys population is ageing with the number of people older than 64 is being projected to grow by 41 percent to 24 million by 2050, accounting for nearly one-third of the population.
So the ratio of working to retired people will fall, which will lead to a shrinking tax base.

But many working-class Germans especially in parts of former East Germany faced with rising living costs are highly dissatisfied with what they consider to be too much money being spent on ?foreigners? & on 'support for Ukraine'.

After the USA, Germany is Ukraines second-largest donor of military aid.
The AfD has been campaigning on reducing German military aid to Ukraine & for pressure to be placed on the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia. The AfD (Alternative for Germany) is a far-right & right-wing populist political party in Germany who are Eurosceptic & opposes immigration into Germany especially Muslim immigration.

So all of this is gonna put any German leader in a tight corner as they will need to balance international expectations with domestic pressures too.
Most German mainstream political parties have lost support while the far-right AfD have gained further ground in the latest polls just published before the election voting starts on Sunday.

So, all this is now pointing towards a likely tricky German coalition leadership in charge that could drag on for many more months causing more mayhem as the Worlds order pans out.

Woah Germans have come out and stated they are going way from USA model and want nothing to do with them. All pointing to what we already know world war 3 and the end of the world as we know it not far away.

Merz took to the stage to declare victory and warn Europe was in peril and must urgently strengthen its defences and potentially even find a replacement for the NATO military alliance ? within months.

?My absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA,? Germany?s chancellor-in-waiting said.

?I never thought I would have to say something like this ... but after Donald Trump?s statements last week at the latest, it is clear that the Americans, at least ? this administration, are largely indifferent to the fate of Europe.

[spaldy]

Was going to crack a joke about "do people wear helmets on e-scooters" and then remembered some of those things go over 30mph. They can really move.

[ozleeds]

Was going to crack a joke about "do people wear helmets on e-scooters" and then remembered some of those things go over 30mph. They can really move.

Lol they pass cars on the Highways here and no joke spaldy and they zig zag between traffic with out a care in the world and with out looking.
How on earth this things even allowed beats me. Ohhh and the batteries catch fire with out warning lot's of houses have burned down here due to them.