they have to pretend they give a fuck about Europe while pleasing Putin

trump is an idiot.

Europe just needs the courage and commitment to spend whatever it takes to stop Putin.

GD Evil Asshole Putin invading Europe and trying to take over the Planet is Sickening and Heartbreaking.

They are small countries who basically border just Russia, each other or the Baltic Sea, where Putin has an immense naval base and is brimming with weapons. Their topography can best be described as "flat as a pancake, come roll over us." Putin is not so weak that he couldn't invade and occupy any or all of them within 24-36 hours. He could block our naval forces from Kaliningrad, and keep us out for the few hours he'd need to make the occupation a "done deal, whatcha-gonna-do-about-it?" He'd hope we'd do another Sudetenland, 1938 pivot, and say, ahh, so what, that "faraway land," and write them off. He'd probably leave Poland alone, but take back Bulgaria and Hungary. Romania is the basket case it always was, and we probably couldn't pay him to take them back. Bulgaria is a mess, too, but it is too strategically located to ignore.

But if Putin wants to re-take Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, it would cost him more in PR than it would in men or matériel. I think it's only the resolve of France and Great Britain that is giving him pause. He certainly isn't worried about the USA or Germany. When the Soviet Union fell, and it turned out that much of the German anti-NATO "peace" movement had been organized and financed by the Soviet Union, the only ones who were "surprised" were the members of said movement, and I'd bet that it was only the rank and file who DIDN'T get any Soviet money who were the true believers. He could use a version of his current line on the Ukrainian invasion: protecting the downtrodden Russians who live in great numbers in those countries. Lithuania in particular is ripe for the taking because there is only a narrow 60km wide Lithuanian corridor between the Russian mainland and their Königsberg (Kaliningrad) enclave, which Putin has built up into sort of an immense arsenal with some residential areas.

There are thousands of NATO troops in the Baltic nations, plus Nordic, German and Polish air power, plus French and British nuclear armed subs.

Putin invading the Baltics would be a forceful test of both NATO and the EU, but even without the US, if the EU has the resolve, they would prevail.

Such an invasion would likely be the last desperate gasp of Putin’s tyranny- not only would he lose that invasion, but he would have to divert forces from the Ukrainian front, making it easier for Ukraine to retake lost territory.

You seem to have a lot of faith in Russia’s military capabilities, but the past four years has shown they are anything but capable.

is not fit to serve this country. He is an emasculated blob of inanity.

BTW has he sold his farm due to conflicts of interest? How and why are these greedy bastards profiting off taxpayers?

I’m sure NATO countries now fully understand Traitor will renege on our promise to honor our commitment with them too

the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA thing was NOT A HOAX

Putin must be very happy.

No surprise there. USA will be leaving NATO soon.

Europe is better off. They don’t need or want an American fascist government hanging around them anyway.

You heard Bessent, selling weapons is all USA will keep doing.

Our sole contribution to the world at-large, selling death and keeping our military industrial complex happy 🙄

That'd be Rubio and Hegseth's and they'd be more than happy to start a war

Just like Rumsfeld and Cheney--they might get rich off it, and only others will die. They have nothing to lose.

There is a little bit of Bormann v. Himmler action going on.

But as long as no one dares openly challenge the failed artist with the gift of gab (applies in both cases), the marriage of convenience will remain solid in public despite the complete lack of affinity between the two.

Even Rubio sees what an oaf Hegseth is. However, the chance that he will ever utter his true opinion on the matter is practically zero.

the dynamic between Trump, Vance, Rubio, and Hegseth is interesting. On paper Rubio has captured a lot of executive power into the Department of State and, specifically, into him. My understanding is he is on the most friendly terms with Trump in that he doesn't really make news and just toadies around the world.

Hegseth is, like you say, an oaf. Performative without substance, which annoys Rubio and Vance who are less media savvy and more intelligent.

But yeah, I think to understand the way this admin works, best to look at 3rd Reich Germany, with competing party structures vs. government structures vs. police apparatus, etc. etc. All this on top of the power of people that allow access.

To the OP, however, Bessent saying anything about foreign policy isn't his lane. He isn't doing such a smashing job domestically that he can riff on the portfolio of other assholes in government.

from the ass of the United States.

Nope. Then he needs to STFU and go far, far away. Preferably into another galaxy, and without a space suit.

about 3 years, I pray he either gives up, or the Europe/Canada/Aus/NZ alliance builds up enough of a deterrent on their own.

No integrity at all.

I'd call him an effing traitor, but some words cause important ideas to get lost in the filters, noise, etc etc etc.

don't realize that an emboldened Putin would have no qualms about kicking THEIR asses too.