The biggest obstacle to a successful defeat of Russia in Ukraine is the United States. For now, it has to be sidelined by Europe and allies like Canada, as Americans aren't interested in much resistance to the regime. The US will then have no say in Ukraine matters or the war's outcome; the US needs to be ostracized from all civilized nations.
BUT, let us NOT FORGET: 48.5 percent of us DO NOT WANT TRUMP, according to how we voted in November. And that percentage has now exceeeded 50, and is GROWING.
Take notice Donald: INCREASINGLY WE HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU.
Well said -- but remember, far more that the 48.5% of us that formally voted against Trump do not want him. Almost 1/3 of possible voters did not vote at all. And of the ~third of voting voters who voted for him, many now regret that vote because they voted for lies. This is the reality.
Remember when Timothy S. wrote in his column here of the Russian view that "Ukraine had no history, no culture, no language, and so on."?
That's also the view of all schools where nobody reads any novels, memoirs, histories, or biographies. In those schools, people as individual don't exist anywhere. Standardized tests exist, of course, as the billionaire and oligarch classes need those instruments to whittle down people, to reduce them all to the abstractions, categories, and group logic all those schools serve.
MAGA logic -- the billionaires' vulgarity -- now rules the U.S.
It, with oligarchs, autocrats, dictators, and religio-nationalists around the world now rules most of the world.
That's just what I was going to say. The maggats and the billionaires are responsible for this. I can understand that perhaps the maggats have no education, but my guess is that the billionaires probably went very good schools, but apparently are incapable of learning. People like me, who don't have much money, but have an education, and spend much of our time reading everything, have no respect for this leadership that only values wealth, not intelligence or achievements.
I agree with you but there doesn't seem much initiative to diminish their influence and wealth; and until we do, by confiscating or taxing it to smithereens, we are all doomed to be serfs in their feudal world.
Even pacifists must sometimes take up arms to prevent atrocity. The Buddha once threw a man overboard because that man was planning to encourage a boatload of pirates to board, rape and pillage the ship. He supposedly observed that he'd 'take the karma' to prevent that from happening. And then there's the Bhagavad Gita, when Krishna told Prince Arjuna to take up arms against some of his cousins, who were trying to grab territory. There have even been fighting Quakers among us. We are meant to see clearly and act appropriately from a place of great love. Period.
Even a cursory glance at the past 3 or 4 hundred years, maybe especially including the past couple of dozen years, reveals that the Russian people have tolerated, because they knew nothing else, brutal absolute autocracy throughout their history as a nation. Sometimes because they would be killed for any form of objection, much less fiercer resistance. For which fealty millions have been killed anyway. So they have collapsed, essentially beaten into submission. Like an abused spouse, they have allowed the violence to escalate into many and increasingly dangerous forms and believed the lies and distortions coming out of their partner's mouth, because doing otherwise would lead to broken bones. So much for them. But us? Who the hell wants to permit all that gaslighting, disrespect for our intelligence and autonomy, to our very existence to take hold here? God bless the Ukrainians for slowing the juggernaut.
Beautiful. In a world torn apart I take the side of Reality and Stand with Ukraine. Thank you Professor Snyder. I understand better, what it means that Ukraine is a borderland. A Place and A People which everyone tries to pull yet Ukraine Affirms It's Sovereignty and shows us Ukraine is For Freedom and Democracy. I appreciate that in these past 3 years I have learned that though Jewish, I also have a Ukrainian soul and soil in my blood. Much Love Slava Ukraine
The brave people of Ukraine have been writing Dr Snyder's eventual book. It's his longstanding knowledge, transcendent but disciplined intellect and his deep humanity that put their experience and values made flesh into words that we can and need to understand.
They also wrote one of his earlier great books, "Bloodlands."
Please remember that 90 years ago Henry Ford and the Ivy League elites who ran Standard Oil, Firestone, A.T.&T., General Motors, and the biggest banks on Wall Street all invested in the industrial arms of Hitler's Waffen SS.
Have U.S. elites always been at war with normal Americans? Always by tax breaks for themselves and by fighting regulations on their criminality sought to grow their wealth at the expense of American working classes?
Maybe not after WWII, when tax rates at 90% and union growth both grew the American middle class.
But ever since the Powell memo of 1971? Haven't U.S. elites rather assiduously been working to ally themselves to all vulgarity worldwide?
Ukraine does not owe USA any rare earth minerals or, in fact, anything! Ukrainian grandmothers, children, infants and brave soldiers have died as USA’s and Europe’s proxies. We owe them everything.
A symptom of the trump disease is "get something for nothing". That lake is starting to dry up. The EU ship is large and has leaks on the windward side. It is slow to answer the helm. But can it muster the power it needs? We watch and wait as we muster our own resources of opposition. The dragon also watches and scratches its itches.
Excellent column, and a striking way of framing Putin's view towards Ukraine. As we're living in our own chaos, we can't let Trump sell out Ukraine, which reminds us of the honor and courage that the US used to strive for.
Good piece. They are obviously not alone, but perhaps there is a particular Russian skill in cultivating murderous delusion. I am thinking, in particular, of the "Protocols."
My recent exchangerwith a prevaricating Trump voter who used to be sensible:
100% AGREE [THAT TRUMP HAS TURNED ON UKRAINE AND IS ACTIVELY PUSHING THEM TO SURRENDER] THIS PART BAFFLES ME AND LIKE A LOT OF TRUMP'S BURPED OUT FOREIGN POLICY UTTERANCES SEEMS WAY OVERLY PUNITIVE AND GREEDY - IF TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
I now take everything seriously. I think the burps, including the tariffs, Greenland, Canada, Panama, and selling out Ukraine, are intentional. The only burps he has not acted on since he got power in 2017 are the ones where he was stopped by superior political forces or that turned out to be against his interests (e.g. Canada). He means what he burps.
BTW ”way overly punitive and greedy” is bad enough, but the real downside is “against our interests.’
MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT TRUMP IS TRYING TO SCRAMBLE THE SITUATION TO PUT PRESSURE ON ZELENSKY TO SETTLE.
I agree. That is the heart of my dismay. Ukraine, with one arm tied behind its back, has held Russia to a draw for three years and destroyed the better half of their army, and they are chewing up the other half while we call them names. If we step up now with serious aid, Russia will be over a barrel. Europe is scared and will contribute more. Settlement talks should wait until we get back in the saddle.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE METHOD OR MESSAGING OF HIS APPROACH FOR A MINUTE, MY QUESTION IS: IF THERE IS NO CHANCE THAT UKRAINE CAN DEFEAT RUSSIA AND TAKE BACK CRIMEA AND THE DONBAS,
I do not buy the premise. I think there is a reasonable chance that Ukraine can win if they have the resources. There is no guaranty but if the west ACTUALLY WANTS to win, it holds the upper hand.
IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO WHAT WE SHOULD SPEND TO HELP THEM KEEP THE WAR GOING?
There is a limit somewhere for the US. At $185 billion over three years (including at least $80 billion ascribed to obsolete military hardware already in our inventory) I do not think we have even come close to the limit. By throwing around his $500 billion claim, Trump is misleading everyone to suit his own purposes.
IF THE ANSWER IS NO, I’M NOT ONBOARD BECAUSE, I DON’T SEE PUTIN’S EXPANSIONIST CAPABILITY AS CREDIBLE HITLER. IF I DID, IT WOULD CHANGE MY THINKING.
Just because Putin is not Hitler is not a reason to stand down. Putin invaded a neighboring country whose independence we guaranteed in exchange for their nuclear disarmament in 1990. If he is allowed to keep it, the precedent is going to destabilize the entire world and have a ruinous effect on our credibility. It will only make matters worse when we plunder Ukraine to pay off their $500 billion “debt” and signal to the aggressors we are open for business. Wars, and the settlement thereof, speak louder than words, or burps.
Even though Putin is, arguably, weaker than Hitler in relative terms, if he takes Ukraine, and reaps a political reward, Russia will grow fast because the sanctions will come off as part of the deal and the Chinese will back him. His weakness is a reason to act now, not a reason to stand down and allow his power to grow exponentially.
THE ARGUMENT THAT IF UKRAINE FALLS, TAIWAN FALLS IS ALSO TALKED ABOUT A LOT. AGAIN, I LOOK TO THE TAIWANESE AS THE BEST BAROMETER OF THIS. THEY HAVE ONLY GIVEN 125MM TO UKRAINE.
This is just that: an argument. Taiwan's behavior has been in the context of assurances from the US. Without credible assurances their behavior will change. The question (in my opinion) is not how much Taiwan has or has not contributed, it is whether our complicity in the fall of Ukraine will embolden China to make a run at Taiwan.
SO, IF THERE IS SOME LIMITING PRINCIPLE, WHAT IS IT?
The limiting principle is, for me, our long-term interests. I think, simply, that Russian success at aggression is against our fundamental security and economic interests on a dozen different levels, and stopping it now is worth a sizable chunk of our national treasure. There is still time to turn this around.
Settlement ideas:
If we did get back in the saddle what might a multilateral negotiation look like? I would start with:
Russia gets Crimea
Maybe a demilitarized land bridge with strings attached
Sanctions come off
Russian reaffirmation of Ukrainian sovereignty.
Kidnapped Ukrainians come home on day one.
NATO membership for Ukraine and major NATO presence in the Donbas. We deal with the risks.
NATO members make near term specific and realistic military commitments, not measured by money but by manpower, readiness and hardware purchases achievable by each country.
Major economic payment from Russia to Ukraine, maybe in the form of gas.
Other security protections for Europe
Western aid for Ukraine.
Face saving gestures for Russia
US does not plunder Ukraine.
Trump stops burping
Something like this could be done with US leadership and commitment. At least then we could argue with a straight face that crime doesn’t pay. Political leadership from Republicans is needed here.
"THE ARGUMENT THAT IF UKRAINE FALLS, TAIWAN FALLS IS ALSO TALKED ABOUT A LOT. AGAIN, I LOOK TO THE TAIWANESE AS THE BEST BAROMETER OF THIS. THEY HAVE ONLY GIVEN 125MM TO UKRAINE."
It's clear that this person does not have an understanding of how one country goes about supplying arms and money to other countries. There are many factors to consider, one of which is the complicated networks both within and outside of the donor country. Also there's the question of how much Taiwan is spending on its own defense, and how much it can afford to give to Ukraine. The leadership of Taiwan has repeatedly and publicly begged the West to come to Ukraine's aid because it understands that Taiwan could be next.
The person's comments tell me that he hasn't spent the requisite amount of time trying to understand Russian and Ukrainian history in general, or the war specifically. I can always tell how much people know about the war by the comments they make and questions they ask. There's no sin in not knowing about a subject; none of us can know everything. But there is a difference between that and not knowing the limitations of one's knowledge about a subject, then making the mistake of commenting on it anyway.
Finally, making the amount of the Taiwanese government's donations to Ukraine the barometer of whether or not China invades Taiwan is really quite silly--so silly that I'm going to give this person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the person hadn't yet had his first cup of coffee in the morning and for that reason wasn't fully awake.
I had to come back for a P.S.: "IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO WHAT WE SHOULD SPEND TO HELP THEM KEEP THE WAR GOING?"
Again, this person does not understand that the goal is not to "help them keep the war going," but to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to WIN, which includes long-range weapons. This could have been done by Biden and Europe, especially Germany under Scholz, in 2022, but they chose not to. There is a very real possibility that the war *could* have been over in the autumn of 2022 had the requested weapons in the requested amounts and ranges been provided. Not knowing this basic fact gives people who don't follow the war closely the mistaken impression that that the reason the war isn't over is because of something Ukraine did or didn't do, and it's maddening.
Interesting read. Like the thought put into it. Your last sentence kills it. There is no world, and hasn't been for some time, where Republicans have offered "political leadership".
Russia gets nothing. You don't get Crimea if you start an illegal war of aggression. You don't get face-saving gestures if you start an illegal war of aggression. Russia is guilty.
We are witnessing one of the great betrayals in world history. A viciously ignorant criminal, chosen by the American people to act as president, has directed his UN ambassador to vote against freedom, truth, and democracy in favor of lies, oppression, and criminal aggression perpetrated by a murderous dictator. Trump and MAGA have brought nothing but disgrace and shame on America.
"Trump and MAGA have brought nothing but disgrace and shame on America"?
No, Steven -- they have also brought vulgarity, violence, hate, fear, intolerance, paranoia, racism, misogyny, dehumanized schools, increased gerrymandering, voter suppression, a hobbled legacy media, an impotent Dem party, a corrupted, sycophant Republican party, and an even-more-corrupted, perjured Clarence court.
The biggest obstacle to a successful defeat of Russia in Ukraine is the United States. For now, it has to be sidelined by Europe and allies like Canada, as Americans aren't interested in much resistance to the regime. The US will then have no say in Ukraine matters or the war's outcome; the US needs to be ostracized from all civilized nations.
U.S. just voted in U.N. against condemning Russia for invasion. Beyond shameless. Grotesque and damnable.
INDEED.
And this is America UNDER Trump.
We have become a nation I hate to call my own.
BUT, let us NOT FORGET: 48.5 percent of us DO NOT WANT TRUMP, according to how we voted in November. And that percentage has now exceeeded 50, and is GROWING.
Take notice Donald: INCREASINGLY WE HAVE HAD IT WITH YOU.
Well said -- but remember, far more that the 48.5% of us that formally voted against Trump do not want him. Almost 1/3 of possible voters did not vote at all. And of the ~third of voting voters who voted for him, many now regret that vote because they voted for lies. This is the reality.
I could almost live with the lies. But why does he have to break everything he touches? Everything he turns his attention to turns to merde.
The US is a pariah amongst nations.
It's the MAGA U.S., Terence.
Remember when Timothy S. wrote in his column here of the Russian view that "Ukraine had no history, no culture, no language, and so on."?
That's also the view of all schools where nobody reads any novels, memoirs, histories, or biographies. In those schools, people as individual don't exist anywhere. Standardized tests exist, of course, as the billionaire and oligarch classes need those instruments to whittle down people, to reduce them all to the abstractions, categories, and group logic all those schools serve.
MAGA logic -- the billionaires' vulgarity -- now rules the U.S.
It, with oligarchs, autocrats, dictators, and religio-nationalists around the world now rules most of the world.
That's just what I was going to say. The maggats and the billionaires are responsible for this. I can understand that perhaps the maggats have no education, but my guess is that the billionaires probably went very good schools, but apparently are incapable of learning. People like me, who don't have much money, but have an education, and spend much of our time reading everything, have no respect for this leadership that only values wealth, not intelligence or achievements.
I agree with you but there doesn't seem much initiative to diminish their influence and wealth; and until we do, by confiscating or taxing it to smithereens, we are all doomed to be serfs in their feudal world.
I used to be a pacifist, but Ukraine is so worth fighting for!
Even pacifists must sometimes take up arms to prevent atrocity. The Buddha once threw a man overboard because that man was planning to encourage a boatload of pirates to board, rape and pillage the ship. He supposedly observed that he'd 'take the karma' to prevent that from happening. And then there's the Bhagavad Gita, when Krishna told Prince Arjuna to take up arms against some of his cousins, who were trying to grab territory. There have even been fighting Quakers among us. We are meant to see clearly and act appropriately from a place of great love. Period.
The reality is there is bad, evil. We cannot tolerate it.
So Buddha was a utilitarian. Nice to know.
Even a cursory glance at the past 3 or 4 hundred years, maybe especially including the past couple of dozen years, reveals that the Russian people have tolerated, because they knew nothing else, brutal absolute autocracy throughout their history as a nation. Sometimes because they would be killed for any form of objection, much less fiercer resistance. For which fealty millions have been killed anyway. So they have collapsed, essentially beaten into submission. Like an abused spouse, they have allowed the violence to escalate into many and increasingly dangerous forms and believed the lies and distortions coming out of their partner's mouth, because doing otherwise would lead to broken bones. So much for them. But us? Who the hell wants to permit all that gaslighting, disrespect for our intelligence and autonomy, to our very existence to take hold here? God bless the Ukrainians for slowing the juggernaut.
We have become lazy. With plenty to eat too many of us have rested our brains in the pillows of entertainment.
So true! We are complacent.
Beautiful. In a world torn apart I take the side of Reality and Stand with Ukraine. Thank you Professor Snyder. I understand better, what it means that Ukraine is a borderland. A Place and A People which everyone tries to pull yet Ukraine Affirms It's Sovereignty and shows us Ukraine is For Freedom and Democracy. I appreciate that in these past 3 years I have learned that though Jewish, I also have a Ukrainian soul and soil in my blood. Much Love Slava Ukraine
The brave people of Ukraine have been writing Dr Snyder's eventual book. It's his longstanding knowledge, transcendent but disciplined intellect and his deep humanity that put their experience and values made flesh into words that we can and need to understand.
They also wrote one of his earlier great books, "Bloodlands."
Please remember that 90 years ago Henry Ford and the Ivy League elites who ran Standard Oil, Firestone, A.T.&T., General Motors, and the biggest banks on Wall Street all invested in the industrial arms of Hitler's Waffen SS.
Have U.S. elites always been at war with normal Americans? Always by tax breaks for themselves and by fighting regulations on their criminality sought to grow their wealth at the expense of American working classes?
Maybe not after WWII, when tax rates at 90% and union growth both grew the American middle class.
But ever since the Powell memo of 1971? Haven't U.S. elites rather assiduously been working to ally themselves to all vulgarity worldwide?
Ukraine does not owe USA any rare earth minerals or, in fact, anything! Ukrainian grandmothers, children, infants and brave soldiers have died as USA’s and Europe’s proxies. We owe them everything.
A symptom of the trump disease is "get something for nothing". That lake is starting to dry up. The EU ship is large and has leaks on the windward side. It is slow to answer the helm. But can it muster the power it needs? We watch and wait as we muster our own resources of opposition. The dragon also watches and scratches its itches.
And then there is the wind and the clock.
Excellent column, and a striking way of framing Putin's view towards Ukraine. As we're living in our own chaos, we can't let Trump sell out Ukraine, which reminds us of the honor and courage that the US used to strive for.
He's a criminal, Jill. Please remember -- a convicted criminal, that fat, fat orange guy.
Well beyond your usual brilliance, Prof. Snyder! What's your prescription?
Good piece. They are obviously not alone, but perhaps there is a particular Russian skill in cultivating murderous delusion. I am thinking, in particular, of the "Protocols."
Well said.
Jean Monnet wrote in his memoires: "..my mother learned me that you can't build anything if you don't accept reality."
Surely the Trump presidency (either one!) and the entire MAGA movement is a refutation of that delightfully sanguine reflection?
My recent exchangerwith a prevaricating Trump voter who used to be sensible:
100% AGREE [THAT TRUMP HAS TURNED ON UKRAINE AND IS ACTIVELY PUSHING THEM TO SURRENDER] THIS PART BAFFLES ME AND LIKE A LOT OF TRUMP'S BURPED OUT FOREIGN POLICY UTTERANCES SEEMS WAY OVERLY PUNITIVE AND GREEDY - IF TAKEN SERIOUSLY.
I now take everything seriously. I think the burps, including the tariffs, Greenland, Canada, Panama, and selling out Ukraine, are intentional. The only burps he has not acted on since he got power in 2017 are the ones where he was stopped by superior political forces or that turned out to be against his interests (e.g. Canada). He means what he burps.
BTW ”way overly punitive and greedy” is bad enough, but the real downside is “against our interests.’
MY ASSUMPTION IS THAT TRUMP IS TRYING TO SCRAMBLE THE SITUATION TO PUT PRESSURE ON ZELENSKY TO SETTLE.
I agree. That is the heart of my dismay. Ukraine, with one arm tied behind its back, has held Russia to a draw for three years and destroyed the better half of their army, and they are chewing up the other half while we call them names. If we step up now with serious aid, Russia will be over a barrel. Europe is scared and will contribute more. Settlement talks should wait until we get back in the saddle.
NOTWITHSTANDING THE METHOD OR MESSAGING OF HIS APPROACH FOR A MINUTE, MY QUESTION IS: IF THERE IS NO CHANCE THAT UKRAINE CAN DEFEAT RUSSIA AND TAKE BACK CRIMEA AND THE DONBAS,
I do not buy the premise. I think there is a reasonable chance that Ukraine can win if they have the resources. There is no guaranty but if the west ACTUALLY WANTS to win, it holds the upper hand.
IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO WHAT WE SHOULD SPEND TO HELP THEM KEEP THE WAR GOING?
There is a limit somewhere for the US. At $185 billion over three years (including at least $80 billion ascribed to obsolete military hardware already in our inventory) I do not think we have even come close to the limit. By throwing around his $500 billion claim, Trump is misleading everyone to suit his own purposes.
IF THE ANSWER IS NO, I’M NOT ONBOARD BECAUSE, I DON’T SEE PUTIN’S EXPANSIONIST CAPABILITY AS CREDIBLE HITLER. IF I DID, IT WOULD CHANGE MY THINKING.
Just because Putin is not Hitler is not a reason to stand down. Putin invaded a neighboring country whose independence we guaranteed in exchange for their nuclear disarmament in 1990. If he is allowed to keep it, the precedent is going to destabilize the entire world and have a ruinous effect on our credibility. It will only make matters worse when we plunder Ukraine to pay off their $500 billion “debt” and signal to the aggressors we are open for business. Wars, and the settlement thereof, speak louder than words, or burps.
Even though Putin is, arguably, weaker than Hitler in relative terms, if he takes Ukraine, and reaps a political reward, Russia will grow fast because the sanctions will come off as part of the deal and the Chinese will back him. His weakness is a reason to act now, not a reason to stand down and allow his power to grow exponentially.
THE ARGUMENT THAT IF UKRAINE FALLS, TAIWAN FALLS IS ALSO TALKED ABOUT A LOT. AGAIN, I LOOK TO THE TAIWANESE AS THE BEST BAROMETER OF THIS. THEY HAVE ONLY GIVEN 125MM TO UKRAINE.
This is just that: an argument. Taiwan's behavior has been in the context of assurances from the US. Without credible assurances their behavior will change. The question (in my opinion) is not how much Taiwan has or has not contributed, it is whether our complicity in the fall of Ukraine will embolden China to make a run at Taiwan.
SO, IF THERE IS SOME LIMITING PRINCIPLE, WHAT IS IT?
The limiting principle is, for me, our long-term interests. I think, simply, that Russian success at aggression is against our fundamental security and economic interests on a dozen different levels, and stopping it now is worth a sizable chunk of our national treasure. There is still time to turn this around.
Settlement ideas:
If we did get back in the saddle what might a multilateral negotiation look like? I would start with:
Russia gets Crimea
Maybe a demilitarized land bridge with strings attached
Sanctions come off
Russian reaffirmation of Ukrainian sovereignty.
Kidnapped Ukrainians come home on day one.
NATO membership for Ukraine and major NATO presence in the Donbas. We deal with the risks.
NATO members make near term specific and realistic military commitments, not measured by money but by manpower, readiness and hardware purchases achievable by each country.
Major economic payment from Russia to Ukraine, maybe in the form of gas.
Other security protections for Europe
Western aid for Ukraine.
Face saving gestures for Russia
US does not plunder Ukraine.
Trump stops burping
Something like this could be done with US leadership and commitment. At least then we could argue with a straight face that crime doesn’t pay. Political leadership from Republicans is needed here.
"THE ARGUMENT THAT IF UKRAINE FALLS, TAIWAN FALLS IS ALSO TALKED ABOUT A LOT. AGAIN, I LOOK TO THE TAIWANESE AS THE BEST BAROMETER OF THIS. THEY HAVE ONLY GIVEN 125MM TO UKRAINE."
It's clear that this person does not have an understanding of how one country goes about supplying arms and money to other countries. There are many factors to consider, one of which is the complicated networks both within and outside of the donor country. Also there's the question of how much Taiwan is spending on its own defense, and how much it can afford to give to Ukraine. The leadership of Taiwan has repeatedly and publicly begged the West to come to Ukraine's aid because it understands that Taiwan could be next.
The person's comments tell me that he hasn't spent the requisite amount of time trying to understand Russian and Ukrainian history in general, or the war specifically. I can always tell how much people know about the war by the comments they make and questions they ask. There's no sin in not knowing about a subject; none of us can know everything. But there is a difference between that and not knowing the limitations of one's knowledge about a subject, then making the mistake of commenting on it anyway.
Finally, making the amount of the Taiwanese government's donations to Ukraine the barometer of whether or not China invades Taiwan is really quite silly--so silly that I'm going to give this person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the person hadn't yet had his first cup of coffee in the morning and for that reason wasn't fully awake.
I had to come back for a P.S.: "IS THERE ANY LIMIT TO WHAT WE SHOULD SPEND TO HELP THEM KEEP THE WAR GOING?"
Again, this person does not understand that the goal is not to "help them keep the war going," but to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to WIN, which includes long-range weapons. This could have been done by Biden and Europe, especially Germany under Scholz, in 2022, but they chose not to. There is a very real possibility that the war *could* have been over in the autumn of 2022 had the requested weapons in the requested amounts and ranges been provided. Not knowing this basic fact gives people who don't follow the war closely the mistaken impression that that the reason the war isn't over is because of something Ukraine did or didn't do, and it's maddening.
Interesting read. Like the thought put into it. Your last sentence kills it. There is no world, and hasn't been for some time, where Republicans have offered "political leadership".
Russia gets nothing. You don't get Crimea if you start an illegal war of aggression. You don't get face-saving gestures if you start an illegal war of aggression. Russia is guilty.
I have donated to United24 today.
https://u24.gov.ua/
I donated again To https://rolda.org/ a charity for animals
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/24/world/europe/europe-ukraine-anniversary.html If Europe does not step in, if Ukraine falls the specter of unimaginable horror as millions of Ukrainians flee. The entire economy of Europe will be unsettled - an understatement.
Much gratitude to the Ukrainian people.
We are witnessing one of the great betrayals in world history. A viciously ignorant criminal, chosen by the American people to act as president, has directed his UN ambassador to vote against freedom, truth, and democracy in favor of lies, oppression, and criminal aggression perpetrated by a murderous dictator. Trump and MAGA have brought nothing but disgrace and shame on America.
"Trump and MAGA have brought nothing but disgrace and shame on America"?
No, Steven -- they have also brought vulgarity, violence, hate, fear, intolerance, paranoia, racism, misogyny, dehumanized schools, increased gerrymandering, voter suppression, a hobbled legacy media, an impotent Dem party, a corrupted, sycophant Republican party, and an even-more-corrupted, perjured Clarence court.
Best read of this morning 🇺🇦