Political impacts of Ukraine war

[daftandbarmy]

I'll write this in my "shit that isn't going to happen" notebook lol

It would be incredibly impractical and cost prohibitive.

The gauge difference is 9cm approx. Every rail would need to be ripped up and redone. Bridges would need to be rebuilt in some cases.

Rough estimate: replacing just the rail alone would cost between $2-$4billion. We won't even talk about everything else.


I could see them possibly building a dedicated line that is on European gauge. Doubt they replace everything else though.

An Estonian example....

Estonian Railways CEO estimates switch to standard gauge would cost €8.7bn​

The move has been proposed by the European Union following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Estonian Railways CEO estimates switch to standard gauge would cost €8.7bn

Estonian Railways CEO says that converting the country from 1520mm-gauge to 1435mm-gauge tracks would cost around €8.7bn.

www.railjournal.com

 

[Colin Parkinson]

You could do it in sections near the European countries and build the switching gear to be able to be relocated as required. map shows operating railways as of 2015.

 

[RangerRay]

Putin is not taking the talks in Turkey seriously. Are we to believe that Trump will get tough with his BFF?

Well, Putin Certainly Believes Trump Is Full Of Sh@t

First Signs, As Always, Are That Trump Will Defend Putin

phillipspobrien.substack.com

 

[lenaitch]

There are truck-swapping/gauge changing/sliding truck operations at several locations around the world. We used to do it with the Newfoundland RR. They add to the cost of and slow shipping. As far as I know, it is not possible to this with motive power.

There are also multi-gauge trackage but with such a small difference in gauge it would not be possible.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Start the gauge swap on dedicated passenger lines first, then do you gauge changes from West to East. You already have to swap gauges to move freight onto European rails. Look at the main distribution points of freight and do the gauge change to those points first.

 

[RangerRay]

The “peace talks” in Istanbul were a farce.

Weekend Update #133: The Istanbul Talks

How Did We Get Here, What Happened, What Did They Reveal. Also A Revealing Trump Interview

open.substack.com

A summary:

• Last weekend European leaders threatened Putin with super-duper new sanctions if the Russian leader did not agree immediately to a condition-free ceasefire. The Europeans also thought they had Trump’s support for this.
• Putin, having no intention of agreeing to the European demand, and feeling confident that Trump was on his side, rejected the demand and instead offered to have talks that week in Istanbul.
• Trump immediately piled in and supported Putin’s call for talks and made it sound (as always) like Zelensky was the real impediment to peace.
• Zelensky wrong-footed both Putin and Trump by agreeing personally to take part in such talks, and saying that Putin and Trump should join in.
• Putin and Trump had no intention of actually taking part in the talks and so panicked. Trump pretended like he might come (but he never would as he was hoovering up billions for the Trumps in the Middle East) while Putin simply refused in the end.
• The Ukrainians named a high-level delegation to the talk with some of the key figures in the government, including Zelensky’s chief adviser Yermak, and the Defense and Foreign Ministers.
• Putin named a delegation of flunkies who have no real power.
• At one point Trump seemed poised to send almost everyone but himself (Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, etc) but in the end it was just Rubio—who seems very much to have evolved into the “beard” Trump wears to try and seem respectable.
• The talks eventually happened on Friday, were very short and achieved little (more on that below).
• Trump admitted that the talks, which he had pushed Zelensky to attend, were unimportant and that all that mattered was what he would decide with Putin—and that he and Putin would talk Monday (tomorrow). This then became the official position of the USG, and was quickly endorsed by Rubio.

Trump wants whatever Russia wants, and Europe is too feckless to be effective.

 

[KevinB]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1924131561357648033

 

[Eaglelord17]

If the US wants Russia to end the war sooner they should start dumping arms into Ukraine. Let them know there is no victory other than the diplomatic route.

 

[Blackadder1916]

If the US wants Russia to end the war sooner they should start dumping arms into Ukraine. Let them know there is no victory other than the diplomatic route.

Except there is no "US policy" as we used to envision it, only whatever is floating around in the big orange ball on the top of Trump's fat carcass being encouraged by the lickspittles in his entourage.

 

[suffolkowner]

Russias negotiating stance is that Ukraine must give up more territory lol and that it wants Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea
I wonder if Ukraine is willing to lose any of those?
Trumps position?

 

[RangerRay]

Trumps position?

“Just give it to them. Do you know how many brave Russian soldiers died for that land?”

 

[suffolkowner]

“Just give it to them. Do you know how many brave Russian soldiers died for that land?”

he certainly has a Russian biased opinion compared to my Ukrainian biased one. Plus all the wailing about people dying? Why does he care? Would he say the same if China was bleeding out trying to take Taiwan?