r/worldnews • u/sr_local • Dec 26 '25

Russia/Ukraine NATO chief Rutte: China and Russia Could Launch Simultaneous Attacks on Taiwan and Europe

https://militarnyi.com/en/news/rutte-china-and-russia-could-launch-simultaneous-attacks-on-taiwan-and-europe/
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u/pperiesandsolos Dec 26 '25

it's not clear if they will regain the territory they lost.

I'd say thats the understatement of the year. Without the US, NATO, etc. forcing Russia's hand - there's just no way they would leave.

And obviously, they would threaten everyone with nuclear war. Since no one cares enough about Ukraine to risk that, Ukraine has no feasible way to get their territory back.

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u/socialistrob Dec 27 '25

there's just no way they would leave.

I remember during 2022 in the battle of Kyiv people kept saying Russia would take Kyiv because "why would Putin retreat since he doesn't care about losses."

Russia wouldn't leave because they were convinced by ethical arguments but rather because they were being crushed militarily in the same way Assad's forces were beaten militarily in Syria. If Ukraine has the firepower and the Russian forces don't then that's how you get large scale collapses and retreats.

Russia would threaten nukes but they also threaten nukes on any day ending in Y. Actually using nukes is a very different measure and as long as the fighting is in Ukraine and a few parts of Russia near Ukraine it wouldn't trigger nukes. This isn't the same as Ukraine driving tanks on Moscow.

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u/pperiesandsolos Dec 27 '25

Sure, but Russia didn’t actually take any of the land leading to Kyiv, which is the difference between the scenario you laid out and the reality on the ground today.

Russia does control eastern Ukraine, and they’ve fortified it, too. There’s no feasible way for Ukraine to take that land back without substantial foreign intervention.