When I read articles by the neo-cons that want more support for the Ukraine War, I have to ask "How many people need to die before they figure out that this war is a waste of time?"
Seriously, I think the neo-cons would be cheering the war on if 80% of the Ukrainians were dead.
The thing that strikes me about the support of the war the most is that since the Ukrainian counter-offensive failed in 2023, the people advocating for the war don't even suggest a path to victory. It's the straight-up, South Park Underpants Gnomes version of warfare....
Step 1: We keep pouring hundreds of billions into Ukraine, which is only allowing them to MOSTLY, but not entirely stalemate the Russians.
Step 2: ???????????????????????????????
Step 3: Russia gets entirely pushed out of Ukraine forever. Ukraine wins the war! Yes!!!!
NOBODY in the government, in Ukraine, in Europe or advocating the war is coming up with a plausible step 2. They don't even try -- and if there is no step 2, then the smartest thing to do is make peace as soon as possible to save money, save lives and give Ukraine the best bargaining position possible.
One conspiracy theory I've read (I don't fully believe it) is that the global elites want us to burn up so much of our American weapons by sending them to Ukraine that when China makes its move on Taiwan, we won't have enough weapons to deter China.
Just a crazy theory, until it happens.
Harris not getting elected might have screwed that plan up.
Certainly a President Harris would have kept shoveling money and weapons to Ukraine.
I sure don't expect Europe or Asia to do much of anything should China make a move on Taiwan.
It isn't hard to imagine Russia and China planning this whole thing out before the war in Ukraine even started.
I think it may be more basic than that. Politicians and pundits advocated for the war, their plan failed, but they don't want to admit defeat. So, there's no amount of blood and treasure they wouldn't spend to avoid being branded as having made the wrong call -- and if there is a peace plan, a lot of people are going to assume just that. It's going to be, "So, we spent 175 billion and all those people died in return for what?"
It's also worth noting that Elon called for peace talks at practically the perfect time, around the 2023 counter offensive, and many of these people shouted him down as a pro-Russian idiot even though he was providing Starlink to Ukraine. In other words, are there people in DC willing to waste hundreds of billions and watch hundreds of thousands of people die rather than admit they may have made a bad call? Yeah, I think a lot of them are...
If the Washington establishment can somehow blame Trump for the failure in Ukraine, that might be the way that establishment finds a way to weasel out of this quagmire.
Here's my prediction: the Democrats and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) make up a story that the failure in Ukraine is all Trump's fault.
The story will be that if Trump hadn't stuck his nose into the whole mess Ukraine would have beaten Russia, but since Trump is "Putin's puppet", Trump handed his buddy Putin a victory in Ukraine.
The Washington establishment would happily waste hundreds of billions of dollars if they can make Trump look bad.
Good essay, John. In a situation of hard choices on the opposite side of the world, a peace treaty makes all the sense in the world. We don't have to like it, but unless we had some vital American interest at stake, we are not going to invade Russia. I suppose if we attacked Kamchatka we could draw off some of the Russian army, but what would be the end game? I agree that if Europe feels that Russia is an existential threat, they could and should gear up and defend Ukraine. I seem to recall that the EU economy combined is nearly the size of the US, time for them to step up. One of our heroes, Douglas MacArthur, said, "you can't win a land war in Asia." Vietnam certainly proved he was right. I believe Anthony Blinken was a big trigger for this war, with his idiot statements about bringing Ukraine into NATO, that and our fossil fuel companies looking for new markets. Russia/USSR has been plagued with evil leaders, Stalin being the worst, but Putin is a greedy gangster like the Nazis were.
Having watched Russia's military perform in Ukraine, we can now pretty definitively say Russia's conventional military is no longer an existential threat to Europe -- and yes, Blinken and Biden do bear some responsibility for all of this. Ukraine going into NATO was a red line for Russia. That doesn't mean Russia was right to do what they did, but would the war have happened without the Biden administration running their mouth about bringing Ukraine into NATO? Doubtful.
Russia "didn't go into NATO" the NATO imperialist tried to push their client parastate into NATO. It started selling off huge parcels of land to corporate and banking interests. Russia was very right to push back and as a consequence emerges the victor once again and rightfully so.
Sure, you russian idiot. The history of russia shows they have been genious while the U. S. have been stupid, idiot. And that´s why the russians escape to the U. S. while nobody wants to go to russia. And even if somebody says the live in russia is OK its only after the naive Americans gave them their technologies. Cause the russians are so stupid and uncapable that even the huge natural wealth must be drilled with the Western machinery, you idiot! :-)
Sure, you idiot. "Nazi" president of Ukraine was democratically elected which is something you can hardly imagine in russia. The "Nazi" is a Jew, you idiot. But the Wagner Group, russians sent to murder Ukrainian civilists is named after the favorite composer of Hitler and was established by a man who had "SS" signs tatooed on his neck. A nazi deputy elected to the Ukrainian parliament was one. The nazi groups in russia represent, if I´m not mistaken, the biggest number of a national nazi group in the world.
The good thing is that the russian shits showed their weaknesses, their unchanged idiotism when attacking Ukraine in so stupid way that it failed just after the first attempt and were forced to purchase weapons from North Koreans. And even your pride, the new missiles, need parts from the West, you smelling idiot :-).
"I seem to recall that the EU economy combined is nearly the size of the US..."
Yeah, but unfortunately, GDPs don't win wars, the ability to produce massive quantities of weapons with your economy does. And both the EU and the US have fallen sadly short in that arena over the past couple of decades.
And that's my point. If Europe really believed that Putin was an existential threat, they could convert to a wartime economy, but they don't want to. They'd rather keep their social welfare democracies and have America convert its economy. I don't disagree with you, I recently bought defense industry stock, BTW. Sorry, but I misquoted MacArthur; he actually said; "Never fight a land war in Asia."
If you´d offer a policy based on a war-time economy, you would never win elections in EU. The Europeans are so stuck to their welfare state "sureties" that they would vote for them even if the russians were just bombing their houses.
The only bombing that's been done is by western Europeans invading Russia. Time and again. It doesn't work...never will. The euro nazis will lose every time. You need to sit back and think about the deeper pathological causes of Russophobia...the disease is in west europe and must be treated there.
I see... I thought you were meaning the comments here seriously. Now it looks like a joky game. Maybe your TV does not show the destroyed civil buildings in Kiev. And maybe you need to deserve your reward by writing these idiotic nonsenses.
It was probably a bad luck when the Americans refused to bomb russia when the Americans had the nuclear monopoly. And that´s it. The "evil beasts" of the West have been always helping the russian drunk idiots, providing them with technologies etc. And still, you were not able to even use it fully to reform your economy. The richest russians go to the West to buy houses there. In the "bad sick West," you idiot :-).
You're probably right, and there's the rub. If Europe, aware and complaining that they are potentially in the direct path of Putin's invasion, still refuse to change course and build a strong defense, I guess I'd ask, how, and why, are we supposed to do it for them? One of the reasons I subscribe to Culturcidal is that I see this kind of left wing foolishness all around me, and some people are so self-indulgent that they simply refuse to accept reality, until it hits them in the face. I hope Trump and DOGE can free up some of the billions we currently waste, but with a $36 trillion deficit, I don't know how much money we have to supply arms to Europe, sorry to say.
I fully agree with you. That´s why I was critisizing that. And that´s why the European states started to increase their budgets and send weapons to Ukraine with the total support (for the EU as a whole) exceeding that of the USA.
A civilized nation keeps some continuity of its foreign policy. Still in the times of GWB, the American deputy to NATO called a summit to express the US´ disillusionment from then attempts of some of the people in the EU to separate the EU´s security staff´s structure from the common NATO structures including even the USA. Now, we can see denial of all values on which the West civilization was built. And the US president, instead of taking his natural position of the leader of the West, is shaking hands with the Lucifer in Kremlin, throwing the attacked and crippled nation of Ukraine overboard. Why, if refusing the real help to Ukraine, is Trump fullfilling every dream of the Kremlin beasts by refusing to use the words "russian aggression" in the resolution to the 3rd anniversary of the russian aggression and calling it a "Ukrainian conflict" instead? This is far behind the only passive refusal to continue with the help to the attacked nation. Trump and his doggies is making new friends of the russian bastards.
All the work of DOGE and the policies of returning to the common sense and responsible fiscal policies were making me happy and full of hope. But building a strong nation with healthy budgets is important, among other reasons, also to have a sufficiently long whip to beat the bastards whenever they appear. And they did. But Trump´s team is kissing their assholes which is unamerican behavior and the russian rats have new bunch of good jokes about the American idiots who buy everything they offer them.
Not sadly short...fortunately! The Euros have shown time and again they collapse into violence when the slightest scratch on the surface of their mostly Germanic totalitarian impulses is infected. Morgenthau was right about Germany when he and FDR agreed...that Germany should be broken up into states and should involve themselves in agriculture "potato farmers" FDR put it. Sadly FDR died and Truman got hooked up with treacherous pro German lobbyists and Germany is back creating havoc.
this is the most shameful comment I have ever read from you. Actually, I don´t remember any shameful comment by you and rather thought you were a REAL conservative, meaning all you believe in is deeply rooted in morale principles.
This article is not only a disappointment. Its a denial of all principles you have been writing about for years.
I hate the Ukrainians. They are typical East-Slavs, drunk, stealing, anarchists. But with the very first moment they were attacked by the beast of russia, proving they are the same regardless of what regime they currently have, the Ukrainians demonstrated their braveness like heroes of Hollywood action movies. The differnce is the self-loving Hollywood idiots don´t have probably a fraction of the Ukrainians´ braveness and honor. The USA signed the Memorandum of Budapest. They obliged to respect the Ukrainians borders in the state of 1997, which means including Crimea.
If the USA was not able or willing to provide all neccessary means to protect Ukraine´s borders, they should not sign the memorandum nor they should support Ukrainians in their resistance against the rats from the East. The USA should tell Ukrainians openly with the very first moment of the attack that they will not get any material support from America. And, that they should give up. At least, it would be frank and both sides could save people´s lives. Instead, America was all about "sending weapons but..." Like "no, missiles never!" - "OK, we´ll send missiles but we´d shorten their range" - "OK, we´ll not shorten their range but will not allow to use them against the russian basements in the russian theritory..." You gave everything, gradually, but only when it was too late. How not to remember Ronald Reagan´s words about the federal government´s attitude to economy which contains the same principle: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."
When the UK was attacked by Germany the situation was looking lost for so long. It seemed like no resistance has any sense. But then, the U. S. supported their British "older brothers" and though it still took some times the nazis were fought. In those times, America worthed respect.
I´m from Czechia, part of former Czechoslovakia. Not only the Czechs and Slovaks compare the current shameful behavior of Trump and his little dogs to the betrayel in Munich where our allies, the French, sold us thinking they saved peace for Europe. We all know how naive this dreamy thought was. Unfortunately, the current Trump´s cabinet is much worse. It does not act being forced by a stronger enemy, trying to save peace. It acts as a self-centered profiteer, taking no regards on crippled Ukrainian children whose sacrifice is made useless and without any sense now.
I was an actively publishing eurosceptic, critisizing the EU for its attempts to rather balance (instead of support) the U. S. power. I feel betrayed as well, now. How can I defend my eurosceptic and pro-American views after all these shameful moves of America?
The lesson of the story for people who were against our joining the West (and now, I have to admit they are right) is clear: the West betrayed us in Munich in 1938, the West betrayed Ukrainians now, the West would betray us always. The Ukrainians know they should have keep their nukes in 1997 and not to trust America. And it seems these views start to spread in more countries which have no plans about building their own nuclear weapons.
America worthed respect in the times it supported the Brits against the nazis. Because America had men of honor. Now, when even a conservative author with so fine texts on the troubles and ways to heal America, like you, is pissing on the graves of your national heroes and the graves of those in Ukraine who respected the values so close to the old heroes of America and were fighting cause they believed and trusted to the matter of Justice, America worths no respect at all. Because it misses the men of honor.
I don't hate the Ukrainians and I would prefer to see them push Russia out of their country. However, the only likely way that would happen would be if we put American boots on the ground. We very explicitly told them from the beginning, long ago, that we wouldn't go that far and I have no interest in doing it today. Even if we keep pouring money into Ukraine long-term, they're still very unlikely to win and the most likely outcome is they'll lose a war of attrition and Russia will take their whole country. The best time for Ukraine to have made peace would have been right before their failed counter-offensive in 2023. Since then, their position has gotten slowly, but surely weaker and is likely to continue to do so.
I totally understand the, "So what? Fight to the end, no matter what," perspective and I would have the same one if I were from Ukraine, but I am not. I'm American and I understand how all of this works. We've given more to Ukraine than any other nation in the world and we're trying to get a peace treaty for them. This is despite the fact Ukraine isn't even an ally of our country. The appreciation level for all of this will be zero because people will imagine that in 2032, MAYBE, after spending another half a trillion, Ukraine could have turned it around if anyone was still left alive there by then. I'd rather just bow out now and if Europe and Ukraine want to do this without us, God bless them.
Its a black-white clear Good and Evil. And I fully understand that the U. S. does not want to send their troops there. But nobody asks for that.
I have been critisizing the European NATO members, including my country, for not matching their fiscal treaty obligations. Yes, we were the black passengers and it´s shameful.
But will it help America in any way if the resolution at the anniversary of the ruskies´ brutal attack would exchange the words "russian aggression" for "Ukrainian conflict" as the Trump´s guys push for? Would it help America in any way if the russian murderers would be welcomed again into G7 as Trump is pushing for?
And, as I described the U. S. way of support - "no, Ok so yes but with shortened range, no to hitting targets in russian territory..." What was that? Bad jokes? Russian bastards had airfields just behind the borders used for planes dropping bombs to Ukrainian cities. But the Americans forbade to use the U. S. missiles against such targets. What was that? What the U. S. guys really wanted? We don´t need to be the West Point´s graduates to understand that with these prohibitions the U. S. weapons were a bit impotent.
In the WWII., America saved Europe and Asia. Now, America was only feeding the hopes which are betrayed now. It would be better for accepting to see America is sorry but can´t increase its support for Ukraine than to see the U. S. president and his loyals to say lies about Zelensky while fulfilling all the russian bastards´ dreams. As I wrote yesterday, if America loses in the morale battle, we all lose.
America was a sign of just the opposite to Chamberlain selling Czechoslovakia to nazis. Since now, America will be remembered everywhere as yet worse betrayer than poor Chamberlain who looks weak and simply stupid. The U. S. will not leave the world - you are too big to play on your own playground only. But it will be more difficult now when the world cannot trust you any more.
If Biden were in the White House and kept funding Ukraine for four more years, at the end of that time, odds are that Russia would be deeper into Ukraine than they are today if they hadn't captured the whole country by then. Yes, American troops on the ground could stop that and push Russia out, but that was very explicitly never promised and there is absolutely zero appetite for that in the United States. Russia can maintain this a lot longer than Ukraine even with the US aiding them. Believe it or not, even the United States has limits on what we can do and the fact that no matter what we do, Ukraine is going to lose and we're going to get blamed despite doing far, far more than anyone else is just another reason for us to end this.
Jiri is clearly being very emotional, but not very rational. Saying the Nazis lost because they got froze in Siberia is just ignorant, they didn't even get into the Urals, Siberia was still over a thousand miles away. Lots of name calling and attempts at shaming, with her only answer about why we have to defend Europe is because "they don't want to spend their money doing it." Thanks, John.
I have already described the idiotic Biden´s policy for Ukraine. We hoped Trump would change that and use the common sense. Nobody expected the US to send its troops to Ukraine. It was all about sending needed armory with no stupid limits. The work with it would be on the Ukrainans, of course.
The EU as a whole sent more support to Ukraine than the US. I guess its quite fair to compare comparable.
Jiri, you like to bring up WWII, and yes the US saved the world by defeating the Nazis, in a giant military alliance that INCLUDED the Soviets, the Brits, the Free French, Canada, and everybody else we could get to join. Apparently you think the Ukrainians, with US weapons, could do what the Nazis could not, and defeat the Russian army in a land war. The Nazis were sure they would win, too, and for the first couple of years it looked like they might. And yes, the European powers, esp. Chamberlain, sold out Czechoslovakia by not including them in the peace conference, but the US is not doing that to Ukraine, instead we may have to do some sort of Korean peninsula thing using European troops in a DMZ? No matter how bad you think this makes us, you are not going to be able to "guilt" the Americans into prolonging this war. And the reasons we did not release long range munitions codes to Ukraine ought to be obvious, primarily if US weapons are striking Moscow, what's to say Putin doesn't decide to use Russian weapons to strike Washington? AFAIK, we don't have hyper sonic missile defense capabilities.
The Nazis got frozen, literally, in Siberia. The Ukrainians fuck Siberia. They want their own land only. BTW, the russians would do nothing without the US support for them...
Putin, the new friend of Trump, was talking all the time about that Maidan, the revolution against the pro-russian president Janukovitch, was organized by the US. So, either he´s right and so the US have the moral duty to help the Ukrainians, or Putin lies and than your president is making his honeymoon with the liar who offends America. Is it patriotic to kiss this liars asswhole as Trump does? Sorry, but people out of America can see it. Trump makes Amerika weak again. Like in the Carter´s era when he told Americans that America´s best years are gone. But in those times, there was Ronald Reagan. Brave man with sense of justice. Not a cold pragmatic lying about Zelenski.
You know that the Europeans are unable to do anything serious in security. And I have been critisizing their lack of responsibility even long before the russsian aggression to Ukraine.
How many hypersonic missiles the russians have, what you think? They are making threats like every feared weakling. How many of their "red lines" have been crossed and they did nothing? Now they and the rest of the world can see that they can do anything, lie about America, offend America, and the reaction of the White House is giving up and cowardly kissing russian legs. No more brave Americans, only pragmatic losers to russians.
Sorry, I did not want to offend America, I know we should be thankful for many things. But what the Trump´s team shows is much more than only attempts to end the war. They are serving to the russians. You have no imagination what this will result in in the stupid, devilishly proud brains of the russians.
It's in our - Europe and US - best interests to continue the war to weaken Russia. Putin crossed a red line when he invaded Ukraine under the cover of his threat to use nuclear weapons if anyone interfered. He doesn't hide his intention to reassert control over Eastern Europe, and if he succeeds in Ukraine it's likely he will repeat, more boldly the next time, to retake more territory. If we continue to supply Ukraine with the means to destroy Russia's military and energy infrastructure the likely outcome will be Putin getting exited from the picture and his successor adopting a policy of withdrawing behind that red line.
Let me keep this simple. First the alleged costs. Most of these numbers are pure BS. If the metric is going to be money Europe and the U.S. have contributed about the same amounts. On the US side there has been some very creative accounting as we have sent surplus equipment and like new prices plus shipping, handling and overhead.
If the metric is true combat equipment, we eventually sent 31 stripped down tanks, surplus old Bradleys and a trickle of 155mm artillery ammo. Our fear of escalation kept us from sending a single aircraft, no medium or long range rockets, no helicopters…. In short garage sale stuff. Enough talk about supplying them with the weaponry to win.
Yet, Russia was unable to win…. Every day Russia does not win works against Russia.
Severe sanctions on Russia? Name them. All symbolic and impotent.
Russia’s reasons for their invasion of Crimea? Who knows? But Putin claimed that Ukraine is neither a nation nor a culture or even a language. He claimed they are Nazi infiltrated based on photos of some militias and motorcycle gangs. I could make the same point with Photos in the US of some motorcycle gangs. I guess that is why they have a Jewish President? Putin further claimed NATO was moving closer to Mother Russia. He planned to erase Ukraine andabsorb it into Russia in which case his new borders would be closer to NATO nations. Pull out your map and check out nuclear missile ranges to Warsaw, Berlin, Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest from the Russian bases in Kaliningrad. Now you might note that Moscow is much further away. Does any rational person believe NATO has the desire or ability to invade Russia? Only a village idiot. Ukraine was never invited to join NATO. Like any sovereign nation they could apply once they were qualified. They did not meet membership criteria. As one who has regularly been to the Soviet Union 1981-84 and Russia and Ukraine 1995-98 I can assure you that no one wants to invade Russia. These are the rantings of a delusional, obese, bankrupt spinster who believes the professional football players want to party with the dusty old Harpie. One must ask why Putin kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children and transported them to Russia to be Russified?
The other myth is of the oppressed ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine who just happened to vote to leave the Soviet Union when it imploded. Putin could have asked for a plebiscite which he did not. He knew he would lose. So the insurgency was initiated and resulted in Ukrainians departing for ten years before the ethnic Russians started to become a larger minority. Even now Putin would not ask for a plebiscite because he might still lose.
The Budapest agreement had the U.K., US and Russia guarantee Ukraine’s borders. The return of Soviet Nuclear weapons was urged by U.S. and we convinced Ukraine they would not be a threat to Russia. Worst deal ever agreed to. I do not have the time to explain how nuclear weapons can be used even if you do not have the codes…
In the end the Russians moved to invade and we offered Putin a flight out.
European military preparedness is pathetic. No excuses. They are communists, socialists and pacifists.
Let’s look at our own military capabilities. How long would it take to put US boots on the ground in Ukraine? I mean a mechanized Corps? We can’t. Nor would I advocate a single U.S. soldier go to Ukraine.
While all the unicorns bellow for peace does anyone have any idea what that would look like? Of course not. Just peace and sunflowers all around? Here is what the next Russian invasion would cause: 10 million refugees pouring into Europe and then the genocide would begin in earnest. Aw gee, too bad.
If I were Ukraine I would let the Russians and US agree to my eradication but damn if I would be a party to my own extinction. How long after that would the Russians decide to solve the problem with the Baltic Triplets?
If we are to believe that Ukraine does not matter to US interests how does Gaza or Taiwan matter?
Also there's no stalemate...Russia has repeatedly made known its operation would be limited...to protect innocent people in the eastern regions. Russia could have steamrolled and takrlen over ukraine in 3 days but that was never the goal. Somebody should return to the Russian statements to see the truth.
"Eleni" - you are russian, aren´t you? Cause you either lie or are mistaken. From the first second, the russians targeted even Kiev. Zelensky was their target. Putin was talking about the "fascist" Zelenski government. Zelenski is a Jew, while the russian´s "Wagner Group´s" chief boss and founder beared "SS" tatoos on his neck. And they were sent to fight against the Jew who is the head of the "fascist government," you genious. The russians are so stupid that they say even clear and obvious lies and don´t get it.
Are you really that sclerotic that you don´t remember the russian military convoy stopped in the easiest possible way, simply by destroying the first tank, knowing that there was no possibility to go out of the ways in that weather? You really think the russian stupids would get it in three days if they are fighting three years there and a long time ago they had to start purchasing military equipment from Iran and now even from poor and hungry North Koreans?
I am almost 100% sure you are russian. Its impossible for any other nationality with IQ = 80 and higher to write such obvious untruths.
When I read articles by the neo-cons that want more support for the Ukraine War, I have to ask "How many people need to die before they figure out that this war is a waste of time?"
Seriously, I think the neo-cons would be cheering the war on if 80% of the Ukrainians were dead.
The thing that strikes me about the support of the war the most is that since the Ukrainian counter-offensive failed in 2023, the people advocating for the war don't even suggest a path to victory. It's the straight-up, South Park Underpants Gnomes version of warfare....
Step 1: We keep pouring hundreds of billions into Ukraine, which is only allowing them to MOSTLY, but not entirely stalemate the Russians.
Step 2: ???????????????????????????????
Step 3: Russia gets entirely pushed out of Ukraine forever. Ukraine wins the war! Yes!!!!
NOBODY in the government, in Ukraine, in Europe or advocating the war is coming up with a plausible step 2. They don't even try -- and if there is no step 2, then the smartest thing to do is make peace as soon as possible to save money, save lives and give Ukraine the best bargaining position possible.
One conspiracy theory I've read (I don't fully believe it) is that the global elites want us to burn up so much of our American weapons by sending them to Ukraine that when China makes its move on Taiwan, we won't have enough weapons to deter China.
Just a crazy theory, until it happens.
Harris not getting elected might have screwed that plan up.
Certainly a President Harris would have kept shoveling money and weapons to Ukraine.
I sure don't expect Europe or Asia to do much of anything should China make a move on Taiwan.
It isn't hard to imagine Russia and China planning this whole thing out before the war in Ukraine even started.
I think it may be more basic than that. Politicians and pundits advocated for the war, their plan failed, but they don't want to admit defeat. So, there's no amount of blood and treasure they wouldn't spend to avoid being branded as having made the wrong call -- and if there is a peace plan, a lot of people are going to assume just that. It's going to be, "So, we spent 175 billion and all those people died in return for what?"
It's also worth noting that Elon called for peace talks at practically the perfect time, around the 2023 counter offensive, and many of these people shouted him down as a pro-Russian idiot even though he was providing Starlink to Ukraine. In other words, are there people in DC willing to waste hundreds of billions and watch hundreds of thousands of people die rather than admit they may have made a bad call? Yeah, I think a lot of them are...
If the Washington establishment can somehow blame Trump for the failure in Ukraine, that might be the way that establishment finds a way to weasel out of this quagmire.
Here's my prediction: the Democrats and the mainstream media (but I repeat myself) make up a story that the failure in Ukraine is all Trump's fault.
The story will be that if Trump hadn't stuck his nose into the whole mess Ukraine would have beaten Russia, but since Trump is "Putin's puppet", Trump handed his buddy Putin a victory in Ukraine.
The Washington establishment would happily waste hundreds of billions of dollars if they can make Trump look bad.
Good essay, John. In a situation of hard choices on the opposite side of the world, a peace treaty makes all the sense in the world. We don't have to like it, but unless we had some vital American interest at stake, we are not going to invade Russia. I suppose if we attacked Kamchatka we could draw off some of the Russian army, but what would be the end game? I agree that if Europe feels that Russia is an existential threat, they could and should gear up and defend Ukraine. I seem to recall that the EU economy combined is nearly the size of the US, time for them to step up. One of our heroes, Douglas MacArthur, said, "you can't win a land war in Asia." Vietnam certainly proved he was right. I believe Anthony Blinken was a big trigger for this war, with his idiot statements about bringing Ukraine into NATO, that and our fossil fuel companies looking for new markets. Russia/USSR has been plagued with evil leaders, Stalin being the worst, but Putin is a greedy gangster like the Nazis were.
Having watched Russia's military perform in Ukraine, we can now pretty definitively say Russia's conventional military is no longer an existential threat to Europe -- and yes, Blinken and Biden do bear some responsibility for all of this. Ukraine going into NATO was a red line for Russia. That doesn't mean Russia was right to do what they did, but would the war have happened without the Biden administration running their mouth about bringing Ukraine into NATO? Doubtful.
Russia "didn't go into NATO" the NATO imperialist tried to push their client parastate into NATO. It started selling off huge parcels of land to corporate and banking interests. Russia was very right to push back and as a consequence emerges the victor once again and rightfully so.
Sure, you russian idiot. The history of russia shows they have been genious while the U. S. have been stupid, idiot. And that´s why the russians escape to the U. S. while nobody wants to go to russia. And even if somebody says the live in russia is OK its only after the naive Americans gave them their technologies. Cause the russians are so stupid and uncapable that even the huge natural wealth must be drilled with the Western machinery, you idiot! :-)
Zelensky and the nazi ukes are finished bozo. It's 1945 for the nazis once again.
Sure, you idiot. "Nazi" president of Ukraine was democratically elected which is something you can hardly imagine in russia. The "Nazi" is a Jew, you idiot. But the Wagner Group, russians sent to murder Ukrainian civilists is named after the favorite composer of Hitler and was established by a man who had "SS" signs tatooed on his neck. A nazi deputy elected to the Ukrainian parliament was one. The nazi groups in russia represent, if I´m not mistaken, the biggest number of a national nazi group in the world.
The good thing is that the russian shits showed their weaknesses, their unchanged idiotism when attacking Ukraine in so stupid way that it failed just after the first attempt and were forced to purchase weapons from North Koreans. And even your pride, the new missiles, need parts from the West, you smelling idiot :-).
"I seem to recall that the EU economy combined is nearly the size of the US..."
Yeah, but unfortunately, GDPs don't win wars, the ability to produce massive quantities of weapons with your economy does. And both the EU and the US have fallen sadly short in that arena over the past couple of decades.
And that's my point. If Europe really believed that Putin was an existential threat, they could convert to a wartime economy, but they don't want to. They'd rather keep their social welfare democracies and have America convert its economy. I don't disagree with you, I recently bought defense industry stock, BTW. Sorry, but I misquoted MacArthur; he actually said; "Never fight a land war in Asia."
If you´d offer a policy based on a war-time economy, you would never win elections in EU. The Europeans are so stuck to their welfare state "sureties" that they would vote for them even if the russians were just bombing their houses.
The only bombing that's been done is by western Europeans invading Russia. Time and again. It doesn't work...never will. The euro nazis will lose every time. You need to sit back and think about the deeper pathological causes of Russophobia...the disease is in west europe and must be treated there.
I see... I thought you were meaning the comments here seriously. Now it looks like a joky game. Maybe your TV does not show the destroyed civil buildings in Kiev. And maybe you need to deserve your reward by writing these idiotic nonsenses.
It was probably a bad luck when the Americans refused to bomb russia when the Americans had the nuclear monopoly. And that´s it. The "evil beasts" of the West have been always helping the russian drunk idiots, providing them with technologies etc. And still, you were not able to even use it fully to reform your economy. The richest russians go to the West to buy houses there. In the "bad sick West," you idiot :-).
You're probably right, and there's the rub. If Europe, aware and complaining that they are potentially in the direct path of Putin's invasion, still refuse to change course and build a strong defense, I guess I'd ask, how, and why, are we supposed to do it for them? One of the reasons I subscribe to Culturcidal is that I see this kind of left wing foolishness all around me, and some people are so self-indulgent that they simply refuse to accept reality, until it hits them in the face. I hope Trump and DOGE can free up some of the billions we currently waste, but with a $36 trillion deficit, I don't know how much money we have to supply arms to Europe, sorry to say.
I fully agree with you. That´s why I was critisizing that. And that´s why the European states started to increase their budgets and send weapons to Ukraine with the total support (for the EU as a whole) exceeding that of the USA.
A civilized nation keeps some continuity of its foreign policy. Still in the times of GWB, the American deputy to NATO called a summit to express the US´ disillusionment from then attempts of some of the people in the EU to separate the EU´s security staff´s structure from the common NATO structures including even the USA. Now, we can see denial of all values on which the West civilization was built. And the US president, instead of taking his natural position of the leader of the West, is shaking hands with the Lucifer in Kremlin, throwing the attacked and crippled nation of Ukraine overboard. Why, if refusing the real help to Ukraine, is Trump fullfilling every dream of the Kremlin beasts by refusing to use the words "russian aggression" in the resolution to the 3rd anniversary of the russian aggression and calling it a "Ukrainian conflict" instead? This is far behind the only passive refusal to continue with the help to the attacked nation. Trump and his doggies is making new friends of the russian bastards.
All the work of DOGE and the policies of returning to the common sense and responsible fiscal policies were making me happy and full of hope. But building a strong nation with healthy budgets is important, among other reasons, also to have a sufficiently long whip to beat the bastards whenever they appear. And they did. But Trump´s team is kissing their assholes which is unamerican behavior and the russian rats have new bunch of good jokes about the American idiots who buy everything they offer them.
Not sadly short...fortunately! The Euros have shown time and again they collapse into violence when the slightest scratch on the surface of their mostly Germanic totalitarian impulses is infected. Morgenthau was right about Germany when he and FDR agreed...that Germany should be broken up into states and should involve themselves in agriculture "potato farmers" FDR put it. Sadly FDR died and Truman got hooked up with treacherous pro German lobbyists and Germany is back creating havoc.
John,
this is the most shameful comment I have ever read from you. Actually, I don´t remember any shameful comment by you and rather thought you were a REAL conservative, meaning all you believe in is deeply rooted in morale principles.
This article is not only a disappointment. Its a denial of all principles you have been writing about for years.
I hate the Ukrainians. They are typical East-Slavs, drunk, stealing, anarchists. But with the very first moment they were attacked by the beast of russia, proving they are the same regardless of what regime they currently have, the Ukrainians demonstrated their braveness like heroes of Hollywood action movies. The differnce is the self-loving Hollywood idiots don´t have probably a fraction of the Ukrainians´ braveness and honor. The USA signed the Memorandum of Budapest. They obliged to respect the Ukrainians borders in the state of 1997, which means including Crimea.
If the USA was not able or willing to provide all neccessary means to protect Ukraine´s borders, they should not sign the memorandum nor they should support Ukrainians in their resistance against the rats from the East. The USA should tell Ukrainians openly with the very first moment of the attack that they will not get any material support from America. And, that they should give up. At least, it would be frank and both sides could save people´s lives. Instead, America was all about "sending weapons but..." Like "no, missiles never!" - "OK, we´ll send missiles but we´d shorten their range" - "OK, we´ll not shorten their range but will not allow to use them against the russian basements in the russian theritory..." You gave everything, gradually, but only when it was too late. How not to remember Ronald Reagan´s words about the federal government´s attitude to economy which contains the same principle: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. If it stops moving, subsidize it."
When the UK was attacked by Germany the situation was looking lost for so long. It seemed like no resistance has any sense. But then, the U. S. supported their British "older brothers" and though it still took some times the nazis were fought. In those times, America worthed respect.
I´m from Czechia, part of former Czechoslovakia. Not only the Czechs and Slovaks compare the current shameful behavior of Trump and his little dogs to the betrayel in Munich where our allies, the French, sold us thinking they saved peace for Europe. We all know how naive this dreamy thought was. Unfortunately, the current Trump´s cabinet is much worse. It does not act being forced by a stronger enemy, trying to save peace. It acts as a self-centered profiteer, taking no regards on crippled Ukrainian children whose sacrifice is made useless and without any sense now.
I was an actively publishing eurosceptic, critisizing the EU for its attempts to rather balance (instead of support) the U. S. power. I feel betrayed as well, now. How can I defend my eurosceptic and pro-American views after all these shameful moves of America?
The lesson of the story for people who were against our joining the West (and now, I have to admit they are right) is clear: the West betrayed us in Munich in 1938, the West betrayed Ukrainians now, the West would betray us always. The Ukrainians know they should have keep their nukes in 1997 and not to trust America. And it seems these views start to spread in more countries which have no plans about building their own nuclear weapons.
America worthed respect in the times it supported the Brits against the nazis. Because America had men of honor. Now, when even a conservative author with so fine texts on the troubles and ways to heal America, like you, is pissing on the graves of your national heroes and the graves of those in Ukraine who respected the values so close to the old heroes of America and were fighting cause they believed and trusted to the matter of Justice, America worths no respect at all. Because it misses the men of honor.
In deep disappointment,
Jiri, once friend of America
Jiri
I don't hate the Ukrainians and I would prefer to see them push Russia out of their country. However, the only likely way that would happen would be if we put American boots on the ground. We very explicitly told them from the beginning, long ago, that we wouldn't go that far and I have no interest in doing it today. Even if we keep pouring money into Ukraine long-term, they're still very unlikely to win and the most likely outcome is they'll lose a war of attrition and Russia will take their whole country. The best time for Ukraine to have made peace would have been right before their failed counter-offensive in 2023. Since then, their position has gotten slowly, but surely weaker and is likely to continue to do so.
I totally understand the, "So what? Fight to the end, no matter what," perspective and I would have the same one if I were from Ukraine, but I am not. I'm American and I understand how all of this works. We've given more to Ukraine than any other nation in the world and we're trying to get a peace treaty for them. This is despite the fact Ukraine isn't even an ally of our country. The appreciation level for all of this will be zero because people will imagine that in 2032, MAYBE, after spending another half a trillion, Ukraine could have turned it around if anyone was still left alive there by then. I'd rather just bow out now and if Europe and Ukraine want to do this without us, God bless them.
"I'd rather just bow out now and if Europe and Ukraine want to do this without us, God bless them." I can agree with this position, wholeheartedly.
Thank you, John, but no.
Its a black-white clear Good and Evil. And I fully understand that the U. S. does not want to send their troops there. But nobody asks for that.
I have been critisizing the European NATO members, including my country, for not matching their fiscal treaty obligations. Yes, we were the black passengers and it´s shameful.
But will it help America in any way if the resolution at the anniversary of the ruskies´ brutal attack would exchange the words "russian aggression" for "Ukrainian conflict" as the Trump´s guys push for? Would it help America in any way if the russian murderers would be welcomed again into G7 as Trump is pushing for?
And, as I described the U. S. way of support - "no, Ok so yes but with shortened range, no to hitting targets in russian territory..." What was that? Bad jokes? Russian bastards had airfields just behind the borders used for planes dropping bombs to Ukrainian cities. But the Americans forbade to use the U. S. missiles against such targets. What was that? What the U. S. guys really wanted? We don´t need to be the West Point´s graduates to understand that with these prohibitions the U. S. weapons were a bit impotent.
In the WWII., America saved Europe and Asia. Now, America was only feeding the hopes which are betrayed now. It would be better for accepting to see America is sorry but can´t increase its support for Ukraine than to see the U. S. president and his loyals to say lies about Zelensky while fulfilling all the russian bastards´ dreams. As I wrote yesterday, if America loses in the morale battle, we all lose.
America was a sign of just the opposite to Chamberlain selling Czechoslovakia to nazis. Since now, America will be remembered everywhere as yet worse betrayer than poor Chamberlain who looks weak and simply stupid. The U. S. will not leave the world - you are too big to play on your own playground only. But it will be more difficult now when the world cannot trust you any more.
Jiri
If Biden were in the White House and kept funding Ukraine for four more years, at the end of that time, odds are that Russia would be deeper into Ukraine than they are today if they hadn't captured the whole country by then. Yes, American troops on the ground could stop that and push Russia out, but that was very explicitly never promised and there is absolutely zero appetite for that in the United States. Russia can maintain this a lot longer than Ukraine even with the US aiding them. Believe it or not, even the United States has limits on what we can do and the fact that no matter what we do, Ukraine is going to lose and we're going to get blamed despite doing far, far more than anyone else is just another reason for us to end this.
Jiri is clearly being very emotional, but not very rational. Saying the Nazis lost because they got froze in Siberia is just ignorant, they didn't even get into the Urals, Siberia was still over a thousand miles away. Lots of name calling and attempts at shaming, with her only answer about why we have to defend Europe is because "they don't want to spend their money doing it." Thanks, John.
I have already described the idiotic Biden´s policy for Ukraine. We hoped Trump would change that and use the common sense. Nobody expected the US to send its troops to Ukraine. It was all about sending needed armory with no stupid limits. The work with it would be on the Ukrainans, of course.
The EU as a whole sent more support to Ukraine than the US. I guess its quite fair to compare comparable.
Jiri, you like to bring up WWII, and yes the US saved the world by defeating the Nazis, in a giant military alliance that INCLUDED the Soviets, the Brits, the Free French, Canada, and everybody else we could get to join. Apparently you think the Ukrainians, with US weapons, could do what the Nazis could not, and defeat the Russian army in a land war. The Nazis were sure they would win, too, and for the first couple of years it looked like they might. And yes, the European powers, esp. Chamberlain, sold out Czechoslovakia by not including them in the peace conference, but the US is not doing that to Ukraine, instead we may have to do some sort of Korean peninsula thing using European troops in a DMZ? No matter how bad you think this makes us, you are not going to be able to "guilt" the Americans into prolonging this war. And the reasons we did not release long range munitions codes to Ukraine ought to be obvious, primarily if US weapons are striking Moscow, what's to say Putin doesn't decide to use Russian weapons to strike Washington? AFAIK, we don't have hyper sonic missile defense capabilities.
The Nazis got frozen, literally, in Siberia. The Ukrainians fuck Siberia. They want their own land only. BTW, the russians would do nothing without the US support for them...
Putin, the new friend of Trump, was talking all the time about that Maidan, the revolution against the pro-russian president Janukovitch, was organized by the US. So, either he´s right and so the US have the moral duty to help the Ukrainians, or Putin lies and than your president is making his honeymoon with the liar who offends America. Is it patriotic to kiss this liars asswhole as Trump does? Sorry, but people out of America can see it. Trump makes Amerika weak again. Like in the Carter´s era when he told Americans that America´s best years are gone. But in those times, there was Ronald Reagan. Brave man with sense of justice. Not a cold pragmatic lying about Zelenski.
You know that the Europeans are unable to do anything serious in security. And I have been critisizing their lack of responsibility even long before the russsian aggression to Ukraine.
How many hypersonic missiles the russians have, what you think? They are making threats like every feared weakling. How many of their "red lines" have been crossed and they did nothing? Now they and the rest of the world can see that they can do anything, lie about America, offend America, and the reaction of the White House is giving up and cowardly kissing russian legs. No more brave Americans, only pragmatic losers to russians.
Sorry, I did not want to offend America, I know we should be thankful for many things. But what the Trump´s team shows is much more than only attempts to end the war. They are serving to the russians. You have no imagination what this will result in in the stupid, devilishly proud brains of the russians.
It's in our - Europe and US - best interests to continue the war to weaken Russia. Putin crossed a red line when he invaded Ukraine under the cover of his threat to use nuclear weapons if anyone interfered. He doesn't hide his intention to reassert control over Eastern Europe, and if he succeeds in Ukraine it's likely he will repeat, more boldly the next time, to retake more territory. If we continue to supply Ukraine with the means to destroy Russia's military and energy infrastructure the likely outcome will be Putin getting exited from the picture and his successor adopting a policy of withdrawing behind that red line.
Zelensky a flight out…
Let me keep this simple. First the alleged costs. Most of these numbers are pure BS. If the metric is going to be money Europe and the U.S. have contributed about the same amounts. On the US side there has been some very creative accounting as we have sent surplus equipment and like new prices plus shipping, handling and overhead.
If the metric is true combat equipment, we eventually sent 31 stripped down tanks, surplus old Bradleys and a trickle of 155mm artillery ammo. Our fear of escalation kept us from sending a single aircraft, no medium or long range rockets, no helicopters…. In short garage sale stuff. Enough talk about supplying them with the weaponry to win.
Yet, Russia was unable to win…. Every day Russia does not win works against Russia.
Severe sanctions on Russia? Name them. All symbolic and impotent.
Russia’s reasons for their invasion of Crimea? Who knows? But Putin claimed that Ukraine is neither a nation nor a culture or even a language. He claimed they are Nazi infiltrated based on photos of some militias and motorcycle gangs. I could make the same point with Photos in the US of some motorcycle gangs. I guess that is why they have a Jewish President? Putin further claimed NATO was moving closer to Mother Russia. He planned to erase Ukraine andabsorb it into Russia in which case his new borders would be closer to NATO nations. Pull out your map and check out nuclear missile ranges to Warsaw, Berlin, Stockholm, Helsinki, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest from the Russian bases in Kaliningrad. Now you might note that Moscow is much further away. Does any rational person believe NATO has the desire or ability to invade Russia? Only a village idiot. Ukraine was never invited to join NATO. Like any sovereign nation they could apply once they were qualified. They did not meet membership criteria. As one who has regularly been to the Soviet Union 1981-84 and Russia and Ukraine 1995-98 I can assure you that no one wants to invade Russia. These are the rantings of a delusional, obese, bankrupt spinster who believes the professional football players want to party with the dusty old Harpie. One must ask why Putin kidnapped 20,000 Ukrainian children and transported them to Russia to be Russified?
The other myth is of the oppressed ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine who just happened to vote to leave the Soviet Union when it imploded. Putin could have asked for a plebiscite which he did not. He knew he would lose. So the insurgency was initiated and resulted in Ukrainians departing for ten years before the ethnic Russians started to become a larger minority. Even now Putin would not ask for a plebiscite because he might still lose.
The Budapest agreement had the U.K., US and Russia guarantee Ukraine’s borders. The return of Soviet Nuclear weapons was urged by U.S. and we convinced Ukraine they would not be a threat to Russia. Worst deal ever agreed to. I do not have the time to explain how nuclear weapons can be used even if you do not have the codes…
In the end the Russians moved to invade and we offered Putin a flight out.
European military preparedness is pathetic. No excuses. They are communists, socialists and pacifists.
Let’s look at our own military capabilities. How long would it take to put US boots on the ground in Ukraine? I mean a mechanized Corps? We can’t. Nor would I advocate a single U.S. soldier go to Ukraine.
While all the unicorns bellow for peace does anyone have any idea what that would look like? Of course not. Just peace and sunflowers all around? Here is what the next Russian invasion would cause: 10 million refugees pouring into Europe and then the genocide would begin in earnest. Aw gee, too bad.
If I were Ukraine I would let the Russians and US agree to my eradication but damn if I would be a party to my own extinction. How long after that would the Russians decide to solve the problem with the Baltic Triplets?
If we are to believe that Ukraine does not matter to US interests how does Gaza or Taiwan matter?
Also there's no stalemate...Russia has repeatedly made known its operation would be limited...to protect innocent people in the eastern regions. Russia could have steamrolled and takrlen over ukraine in 3 days but that was never the goal. Somebody should return to the Russian statements to see the truth.
"Eleni" - you are russian, aren´t you? Cause you either lie or are mistaken. From the first second, the russians targeted even Kiev. Zelensky was their target. Putin was talking about the "fascist" Zelenski government. Zelenski is a Jew, while the russian´s "Wagner Group´s" chief boss and founder beared "SS" tatoos on his neck. And they were sent to fight against the Jew who is the head of the "fascist government," you genious. The russians are so stupid that they say even clear and obvious lies and don´t get it.
Are you really that sclerotic that you don´t remember the russian military convoy stopped in the easiest possible way, simply by destroying the first tank, knowing that there was no possibility to go out of the ways in that weather? You really think the russian stupids would get it in three days if they are fighting three years there and a long time ago they had to start purchasing military equipment from Iran and now even from poor and hungry North Koreans?
I am almost 100% sure you are russian. Its impossible for any other nationality with IQ = 80 and higher to write such obvious untruths.
*"There’s no strategy that has been offered to the public to explain how Ukraine might win other than NATO rolling in..."*
I must have missed it. How does "NATO rolling in" constitute a "winning strategy" for Ukraine?