'Old Donald' often says that liberating Iraq without getting its oil resources was one of America's biggest foreign policy blunders. He has a chance to avoid a similar mistake in Ukraine.

Ukraine is not only the breadbasket of Europe; it is also a mineral superpower, with some of the largest reserves of 117 of the 120 most widely used minerals in the world.

Ukraine possesses the largest reserves of uranium in Europe; the second-largest reserves of iron ore, titanium and manganese; and the third-largest reserves of shale gas ' as well as large deposits of lithium, graphite and rare earth metals, according to a 2022 report by the Canadian geopolitical risk-analysis firm SecDev.

Does he want Russia and China to get that treasure trove of natural resources? Or does he want to develop them with Ukraine to the benefit of the American people?

Were Ukraine's mineral wealth to fall into Russian hands, it would be a strategic and economic boon to China, which has established a 'no limits' partnership with Russia. Meanwhile, the United States needs friendly, reliable sources of these critical minerals. If we help Ukraine secure and develop its natural resources, we can also deal a strategic blow to Beijing and Moscow, while bringing enormous financial benefit back to the American people. Story continues below advertisement

A stable, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine will be an essential partner for America in extracting this natural resource wealth. An unstable Ukraine under constant threat from Russia will lead to a resumption of war when Trump leaves office, and ultimately allow Putin to seize that wealth for Russia and China's benefit.

The Ukrainian leader’s tally could not be verified independently, and it differs sharply from estimates by U.S. officials and military analysts, who have put the number of dead much higher. U.S. officials said in August 2023 that close to 70,000 soldiers had been killed, a figure that has probably increased significantly since then.

Yuri Butusov, a Ukrainian journalist with close ties to the army, shared a similar figure last week, adding that 35,000 soldiers were also missing in action.

Land we control must be taken in by NATO

Keith Kellogg, has drawn scrutiny for his proposal to cut US military aid to Ukraine to push for peace negotiations with Russia. Kellogg, 80, a trusted adviser during "Old Donald's" first administration, outlined the plan in a paper co-authored with former "Old Donald" aide Fred Fleitz. The strategy advocates halting weapons supplies to Kyiv unless Zelensky agrees to peace talks. Simultaneously, Russia would face a warning that rejecting negotiations would result in increased military aid to Ukraine

Both Russia and Ukraine have been escalating their bloody conflict, now past the 1,000-day mark, seeking maximum advantage before Jan. 20, when 'Old Donald' will take office and probably bring a different U.S. policy toward the war.

The reason for this surge in fighting is clear: 'Old Donald' seems inclined to strike a quick deal to end the conflict once he takes office.

Not only Putin. An abandonment of Ukraine ' or a deal that leaves Ukraine untenably territorially diminished ' would signal to dictators around the world that Western resolve comes with an expiration date. Imagine how Xi Jinping would take a Western retreat from Ukraine as he contemplates taking Taiwan or the atolls and shoals in the oil-rich South China Sea. It's not too soon to wonder ' and worry ' whether Kim Jong Un regards his army's mission against Ukraine as preparation for a military move of his own on the Korean Peninsula.

Ukraine fires US-supplid long-range missiles into Russia

Biden administration makes controversial decision on new metal mine: 'This is going to put us back on the map'

The U.S. official said late Tuesday the United States sought commitments from Ukraine on how it will use the antipersonnel mines, with the expectation they will be deployed only on Ukrainian territory in areas where Ukrainian civilians are not living.

Key "Old Donald" surrogates, including his son, hardline congressional Republicans, and other backers have accused Biden of seeking to spark 'WW III' before "Old Donald's" presidential inauguration in January.

U.S. Embassy and other missions shut down in Kyiv over attack fears - Kyiv says Russia fired intercontinental ballistic missile in Ukraine attack

Russian forces pummeled Ukraine with waves of self-destructing drones and missiles overnight on Wednesday - a regular occurrence since September. Ukraine's air force said that of 122 drones launched at targets across the country, 56 were shot down and 64 failed to reach their targets.

'Old Donald' told Putin that his administration was considering giving weapons to Ukraine. “What do you think?” 'Old Donald' asked, to which Putin said it would be “a mistake.” Whatever America gave the Ukrainians, he said, they would ask for more.

'Old Donald', who came to the meeting armed with hawkish talking points drawn up by his advisers, never pushed back, according to three American officials who were in Hamburg for the summit.

The meeting is something of a historical footnote to the 'Old Donald' presidency. It has long been overshadowed by the summit with Putin the next year in Helsinki, when 'Old Donald' famously said he took the word of Putin over his own intelligence agencies on the question of whether Russia had interfered with the 2016 presidential election.

The attack was 'risky,' he continued, 'but it sent a very powerful signal and helped us change the narrative about Ukraine - that it is not able to win - and on the Russian red lines. Both narratives have been destroyed.'

Zelensky, on Tuesday used the Kursk incursion to argue against Washington's restrictions that bar Kyiv's use of Western weapons to strike deeper at military targets in Russia - such as the air bases Russia uses for its devastating glide bomb attacks.

The presence of Ukrainian troops in 15 to 20 'little known' villages in the Kursk region was of 'little significance' compared to Russian advances in Donetsk, Markov said. But if Ukraine occupied all of Glushkovsky district in Kursk or took the regional capital, Kursk city, 'this would be a very big loss' that could force Putin to change his approach, he added.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is advocating a peace deal to end the war in Ukraine, revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear that peace talks can only happen after Ukraine essentially surrenders.

The big talking point though - experts say - will be how the incresingly isolated nations can deepen their military ties, as Putin looks to shore up his supply of weapons and munitions for his war in Ukraine.

The visit follows Hanoi avoiding a Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland last weekend, while sending its deputy foreign minister to a BRICS meeting in Russia earlier last week.

That he sounds increasingly confident and determined not to back down. He seems to believe that in the current standoff between Russia and the West, it is the West that will blink first.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines, four Russian sources told Reuters, saying he is prepared to fight on if Kyiv and the West do not respond.

Three of the sources, familiar with discussions in Putin's entourage, said the veteran Russian leader had expressed frustration to a small group of advisers about what he views as Western-backed attempts to stymie negotiations and Zelenskiy's decision to rule out talks.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on X that the Russian leader was trying to derail a Ukrainian-initiated peace summit in Switzerland next month by using his entourage to send out "phony signals" about his alleged readiness to halt the war.

Ukrainian officials worry that if a re-elected 'Old Donald' kept to his vow to end the war quickly — he has suggested that he could end it in one day — it would allow Russia to keep the territory it occupies and leave it in a position to attack Ukraine again.

Zelensky said in a statement on Friday that he had underlined in the call “the vital bipartisan and bicameral American support for protecting our nation’s freedom and independence.” He said he and 'Old Donald' had agreed “to discuss at a personal meeting what steps can make peace fair and truly lasting.”

'Old Donald' as president, he had a private chat with Zelensky that culminated in a rare kind of presidential rebuke on Capitol Hill. Five years ago, a July conversation with Zelensky led to 'Old Donald'’s first impeachment in 2019. 'Old Donald' had urged Zelensky to investigate Biden, a political rival, while raising the possibility of a White House meeting Zelensky wanted — prompting a whistleblower complaint and an effort to remove 'Old Donald' from office that failed in the Republican-controlled Senate.nd Zelensky speak as election hangs over U.S. aid to Ukraine

Putin has said he will end the war only if Kyiv drops its efforts to join NATO and surrenders territory claimed by Russia — demands that Ukraine flatly rejects. 'Old Donald' said at a debate with Biden in June that Putin’s terms are “not acceptable,” but also emphasized the amount of U.S. money going to Ukraine and said he would push to end the war swiftly.

“I will have that war settled between Putin and Zelensky as president-elect, before I take office,” 'Old Donald' said, lamenting “people being killed so needlessly, so stupidly.” He did not explain how exactly he would broker such a peace and suggested Putin respects him more than Biden.

Vance, 'Old Donald'’s vice-presidential pick, has emerged as a leader of the GOP’s isolationist wing, concerning some hawkish Republicans who believe it’s important for the United States to aid allies abroad. Vance wrote an op-ed this spring arguing that the support the Biden administration urged would not defeat Russia.

Like Biden, Zelensky argued that Putin would not stop in Ukraine if unchecked and would go on to threaten NATO countries, forcing further U.S. involvement. The Ukrainian president acknowledged 'Old Donald'’s and Biden’s differences but said he believes Putin “will hate both of them.”

If these indications are accurate, it could mark a turning point in the war. It may also be a sign that traditional artillery is vulnerable to new weapons

Ukraine takes the gold

The alliance agreed to language declaring the country's membership in the alliance 'irreversible,' intends to provide $43 billion in military assistance next year, has started transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, and is sending dozens of air defenses including four Patriot missile systems to Kyiv.

In a joint communique, NATO members also condemned Moscow's nuclear saber-rattling, and called China the 'decisive enabler' in Russia's war against Ukraine - which is already bothering Beiging.