US President Donald Trump says the opportunity for Russia to play at the 2026 World Cup could be an "incentive" to end the war in Ukraine.

@Mudkip So by your logic Russia is OK to invade Ukraine because its more powerful ? That's a bit 1800s isnt it ?

@Captain both are sovereign countries, right? By my logic, zelensky should understand they can't win a war against Russia. Instead he insists in keeping the war going but on the dime of the US. Something Trump won't do like sleepy Joe.

@Mudkip So might is right then - if a country can do it - its OK to do it ?I dont agree with that. You're logic implies we should arm the UN to be the strongest military in the world to defend international peace and justice. If not, whis going to stop China and then India from becoming bigger and more powerful than the US ? Is that what you want ?

@Mudkip 3 years in and you're still claiming a win. What next, are you going to claim you are bored of winning?

@MarkPaul 10+ years and a man still lives in your head rent free? Notice how my comment got your reaction, you people are so predictable.

@Mudkip 15+ years and you still don't understand the point of a public discussion forum as you get validation, enjoyment, entertainment, satisfaction, and a sense of victory because you think you "owned the libs." Notice how my comment made you feel so enthusiastic. You (and you alone) are so easily manipulated. Use that as a life-lesson.

@Mudkip So let me understand, if a bunch of beefed up guys invaded your home and demanded you to give up your bedroom and your living room because clearly from your look on your PFP you wouldn't survive one single punch from any of them, you'll give them half your house without putting up a fight?

@Elessar I know you're not saying that with those chicken legs of yours lol. If Russia wants to invade Ukraine, so be it. US shouldn't provide them with even a dime. Mexico or Canada aren't invading the US any time soon and if they did, I'd be armed don't worry about me. Settle down child, you men are too emotional to even survive boot camp much less a "punch" from anyone. If you're not enlisted or haven't served any tours, I'd suggest to stay in your lane, kid.

@Elessar Neither Russia nor China would dare inavde Alska - what utter paranoid nonsense. That would be MAD (nutually ensured destruction).

@MarkPaul Well I wouldnt have been aggresive like that but there is no doubt that Republicanism in general and "America First" specifically are not conducive to a better world. Its simple logic. "America First" will precipatate "Everyone for themselves" in retaliation, and that is what we are seeing. The wealth of nations is generated by co-operaiton and diversivification leading to specialisation. Adam Smith was not wrong.

@CaptainNot in the current form but the current form is disappearing under our eyes if you haven't noticed.

A weakened balkanized/fragmented USA and/or one with a Russian-appointed government can definitely lose territory. MAD is only a thing so long as there's someone willingly to push the button at the other side.

The USSR lost major territories too amid its collapse, this wouldn't be anything new. The only difference is that Europe wasn't hostile to them and didn't seize their land, whereas they'll absolutely try a land grab if the opportunity arises.

@Elessar And America is clearly destabilizing Europe with its protectionsist trade policies and its medlding in European affairs trying to prevent Europe trade with China. So yes Europe is being weakened by America and Russia militarly may get and would then take the opportunity to expand, and China wull take the oportunity to become more involved in Europe. The Republicans dont seem to recoginise that this is the pattern from 1928 up to the seocnd world war all over again. The American curse was prohibition and race, now its all sorts, but its the American isolationism and protectionism that will drive these changes. Europeans natural allies should be America as its largely run by peoples of European stock but America time and again thinks its big enough to be self sufficient - and yet expects to be able to grow richer at the expesne of selling its over production to the rest of the world. What happens when the rest of the world is forced by these aggresive policies to stop buying ?

@Mudkip Russia is just looking to pause, re group renew and then it will go again. Russia will only change once Putin is gone - if it does at all. Peace will only come if the barriers of distrust between Russia and Europe are broken down. At the moment that seems father away than ever. When goods stop crossing borders, armies start corssing borders. Another forever truth.

@Mudkip And yet here you are assuming I'm a liberal with the same Red Hat mentality that has you quivering in your own self-imposed insecurities. You have such a need to feel like you are "owning" others that your capability to think for yourself, critically, is on permanent pause. I suspect you have dismissed yourself a long time ago and so you come here to dismiss others... random others... on the Internet to make yourself feel like you are achieving something in superiour fashion. Who am I to judge though... enjoy your Internet victories. In that light, you're a winner little man... I suppose.

@MarkPaul No one wins no one loses on the internet. Its what happens in real life that counts. I post here as much to learn as anything else. It has been very interesting seeijng how I post something about Trumpo and the world cup - really a Euro centric post as some have pointed out - and concerning Russia and Ukraine - a subject which Doianld trump himself thinsk should be Europe vs Russia, and so many people have attackjed me for passing judegment on American politics, when this topic is clearly multinational. That's proabbly the biggest takeaway I have, that republicans, as they did when they stopped the Nexperia take over of Newport - are thinking they dont only control the US but they have a right to make the other big desicison sfor the world eg UK and Dutch tech companies cant be funded by Chinese money for one. Isolationism and megalomania combined - what. a toxic brew that is.

@Captain Very true. It seems to me that people jump to conclusions that favour their manufactured positions rather than test their positions to see if they are able to stand on their own. Perhaps it is the human condition as it does not only happen on the Internet.

In the current obsession over isolationism, multinational issues are seen as taboo and pushed from the centre spot as people are categorized and labelled one thing or another. It's not only toxic, but self-defeating.

@MarkPaul Its not just international. Re my post on Dr Who. You cant talk these days about positive discrimination etc. All discrimination is bad end of. The goal has to be equality of opportunity. And the fact that after 40 years the first unnecessary sexual relationships in a scifi that used to go heavily on theoretical physics and old mythologies has to be gay, and the second, and the third. Dr Who didnt need any sex in it at all, it should have been talking about nutinos fluctuating in flavour and things like that - as it used to be.

@Captain Well, it's the fear of conflict and difference of opinion that is seen as criminal. Even here with this discussion, perhaps it's just for me, but the site keeps throwing up a warning that it's primitive AI "has detected that this conversation may contain hostile language, insults, or attacks."

The warning expresses the possibility its assessment could be wrong, the option to continue, so there is no suppression of free speech, and ends with a threat of penalties if the assessment is correct. No doubt, the site owners have a vested interest to avoid hostility breaking out among its members, but the heightened fear over a difference of opinion promotes an environment where no extreme position is ever taken, nothing controversial is ever expressed, and that the only flavour acceptable is vanilla.

To me, this seems to be a microcosm of the current world order. There seems to be a global desire to force superficial consensus without any effort to achieve it as a way to feel some control over a world that feels out of control.

@MarkPaul Well I certainly agree with that. Forcing blind obediance upon all of us by a mix of fake news, d notices, and social Enigneering.

@Mudkip And now I see the new labour government in the Uk has carried on the tradition of all post war governments save for Gordon Borwn and allowed you genetically modifed beef into our country while making permenant a traiff on British car exports into the US even thouhg we have nothing reciprocal. So you've screwed us even more. This is what you do to your friends and allies isnt it ! The BBC cut to Starmer pretenidng it was a good deal for us before the oppositon (if we have any) said well its more tariffs then we had before. So screwed screwed screwed by you lot as usual. Theres one thing wrong with July 4th. We Brits don't celerbate it enough !