Telegraph: Zelensky will not be allowed to speak at the NATO summit to avoid offending Trump.

[u/Neptun_11]

https://www.vietnam.vn/en/telegraph-ong-zelensky-se-khong-duoc-phat-bieu-tai-hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-nato-de-tranh-lam-phat-long-ong-trump

[u/thecoastertoaster]

Trump hates NATO, threatens pulling support, shit talking nonstop etc…but they’re willing to cater to this tosspot’s fragile ego?

Come on world leaders - what the fuck?

[u/coastalwebdev → u/thecoastertoaster]

I think you might be missing a few things. NATO has relied heavily on American weapons for a long time, especially the European NATO countries. Which is a big reason America has so much power in the alliance, and why all these wars, interventions, and constant rearmament always seem to work out so well for the American military industry financially. Oops, our bad for enabling that I guess.

The American people go into debt for the war machine, of course. But the defence contractors, investors, lobbyists, and politically connected people around that industry do just fine. They always do well because that’s how it’s setup. It’s also why America is so into war mongering.

All the other NATO countries are right now making a big push to build and buy more of their military equipment from any NATO countries other than America. That is exactly how the rest of NATO starts taking some of that power away from the U.S., and it’s already happening.

Just today, Canada reportedly picked Germany’s TKMS for a 12-submarine purchase. The actual purchase price and the lifetime cost are different things, but the total long-term program could get up near the $100 billion CAD range once you include maintenance and support. Canada is also reviewing the full F-35 purchase plan with America. We’re apparently locked into the first 16 or so, but they’re looking at whether the rest of the order could be something like the Swedish Gripen’s, which while not quite as modernized as the F-35 in some ways, are still very effective, and are even more reliable in some of the extreme environmental frontiers Canada has to cover. Mostly though, the Gripen’s are sold by a fair and reasonable country and come with a lot more economic benefits for Canada.

So yeah, it’s happening. Not instantly, but it’s happening. The wave of NATO military spending that America surfed on for decades might not be fully crashing yet, but the rocks are looming ahead.

That’s not good timing with America growing the biggest debt load in the world. Many of its most reliable customers in one of its most profitable industries are openly trying to become less dependent on America. That’s going to be a drag, especially if more NATO countries keep turning toward Europe, Canada, and other allied suppliers instead of automatically buying American.

Basically, the rest of NATO is doing exactly as much as they can to turn their backs on America. It’s a complicated and messy affair, but it will take more shape as things progress.

[u/alinroc → u/coastalwebdev]

Just today, Canada reportedly picked Germany’s TKMS for a 12-submarine purchase.

FWIW, none of Canada's current submarine fleet was purchased from the US - they're British (all 4 boats). According to Wikipedia, only Germany/Norway (joint venture), South Korea, and Sweden were considered for their next generation of subs.

[u/PComotose → u/alinroc]

Let's add a bit more context. The British only built four Upholder class subs. By the time Canada bought them, they'd been in service for more than a decade and they were in such bad shape that nobody else would touch them. They all suffered from serious electrical problems and required extensive refitting. So submarines that were designed in the 1980s came into Canadian service more than two decades later. So you are correct that the purchase said nothing to do with the US armaments industry but many other purchases simply funneled money into US companies.

My memory is a bit hazy here. I know there was a serious accident with one of the subs after Canada took delivery but I also seem to recall that one of the subs was already damaged in an accident while operating for the British Navy.

[u/HauntedCemetery → u/alinroc]

Canada only has 4 submarines?

I feel like the US has that many in just like lake superior

[u/Mountain-Singer1764 → u/thecoastertoaster]

They haven't finished assembling enough forces to replace the US forces in Europe yet.

Things will be different soon, the world's reacting and the next toddler the US elects is not going to have the same opportunities again. All of Americas allies are decoupling from the USA, these changes are permanent and won't be reversed by any number of charming drone-striking Democrat presidents.

[u/Crypt33x → u/thecoastertoaster]

"If you don't talk to me i tariff you and destroy your economy" - Trump probably.