I’ll say again: let Western Europe defend the Ukraine and push the Russian Bear back…if it matters that much to them. The U.S. is BEYOND broke. Every penny of the taxpayer’s dollars are needed to try and stem the fiscal bleeding and bring federal spending under control. Time is severely of the essence. We’ve funneled ol’ Volodymyr enough of the U.S. taxpayer’s money. Let him sell a few of his houses, private jets, and cough up some of his multi-million dollar salary - courtesy of the USA - if the Ukraine is a little short on dough.
I am so glad Trump and Vance kicked the grifter out of the WH.
Every dollar we sent to Ukraine was either a dollar down the drain or a dollar that ended up in a bank in the Cayman Islands and a dollar that was not spent at home on our crumbling infrastructure.
If the UK wants to send the Light Brigade back to Russia that’s their business. Leave us out of it.
In the meantime, Trump should reject the king’s invitation until Neil Farage is PM.
And Canada, if I'm correct in recognizing Mr. Trudeau fils, in that august council of elders taking over the Ukraine problem from the USA. Eternal thanks to you gentlemen and ladies from a VERY grateful American.
Too bad he isn't a grifter, or dictator, as you twits lie about all the time. Farage dissed Trump's stupidity Friday. Frankly, the UK should simply ban Trump because of what he has now shown himself to be.
It's amazing the level of nonsense we are supposed to swallow. The EU has something like 3x the population and 10x the GDP of Russia. If the EU is scared of Russia, build some fucking tanks already. Furthermore, not all Euro countries are in the EU, skewing the numbers even further into ludicrous territory.
In D.C. there is a strong Wilsonian contingent for whom negotiated internationalism is their bread and sacramental wine. This fits quite well with the typical political mindset of almost all the parties back on the Continent. It is understandable that congeniality bias would lead him to believe these creatures who sun themselves on the banks of the Potomac. He walked into the spinning propeller at the Whitehouse because he chose to ignore the yellow paint on the non-skid, roaring sound, and wind blast in his face. If his fanbois told him to ignore those signs AND he didn't trust his own senses - well, he ate the propellor and not the scaly creatures whose smooth words he trusted. Watching the occasional shots of his ambassador, Oksana Markarova, over that entire 45 minute press appearance, you could see she was unable to pull him back and maintain any diplomatic decorum. I do honestly feel sympathy for her.
The fact that he was still wearing his 'on brand' outfit, is telling that he and his handlers are still in 2022 mode. Even Churchill, with his trade mark cigar and bowler hat, knew when it was time to wear a onesie/jumper and when to put-on a coat & tie. The Zelensky is peak brand manager-influence.
true, but I'm willing to bet that the advice of Graham and every other GOP there was to sign the deal, where most if not all of the Dems advised him to 'stand up to Trump' and insist on a different deal...
The search for secure borders and lasting peace has been an ephemeral quest for Europeans since the fall of the Roman Empire. Realpolitik demands that the implementation of the geasa deterrence upon any of the European nations have a expiry date of months or years as opposed to decades or generations. Here is a nice time-lapse map (up to 7 years ago) of the continent over the last 2500 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY9P0QSxlnI
It's not a coincidence that virtually all Euro borders are along a major deterrent to a marching army. Or that the areas w/o such natural boundaries are eternal battlegrounds, like Poland and the Low Countries.
The time has never been more ripe for the USA to offload NATO (and all the millstones it comes with) onto the Europeans. Who better to manage and reap the benefits of the flowering of 21st century Europe than those who live, work, have children, and will someday be laid to rest there in its hallowed ground?
No more clueless and heavy-handed meddling in European affairs by the money-grubbing philistines from the USA. Just an amicable and timely parting of the ways for the well-wishing friends on both sides of the Pond.
When the rubber hits the road that support will vanish into thin air. Europe have neither the will or money to defend themselves let alone anyone else. Their coalition of the willing is posturing by parasite. If Europe isnt willing to defend itself why should we spend a drop of blood or a single dime on them.
That has already been taken care of. When your friends tell you that you have ben stupid, you'd better listen. Trump is now doubling down on the lies about Zelensky and taking Putin's side.
This is all bullshit. If you go back 800 years Ukraine was the heart of Russia back then. Then things changed. In WWII Ukraine was the most fervent NAZI aligned country and they were the most successful in deporting Jews). Populations migrate. The Crimean Peninsula was transferred to Ukrainian control by Krushev because of geography (and Ukraine was a vassal state of the Soviet Empire so no big deal). The Crimean Peninsula population is more than 50% Russian. The Eastern Ukrainian territory that Russia now occupies is also at least 50% Russian. The problem is that the remainder of Ukraine is agricultural, not industrial. The Eastern Ukrainian cities were all part of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Putin wants that back (even though he obliterated those cities for the present). This is all being missed in the main stream media. That simple. r/Karl
Kyivan Rus was the original Russia. What is now Russia was built on the Grand Duchy of Muscovy. The Mongols destroyed Kyivan Rus, while Muscovy sold its soul to the Mongols. after that, its neighbors were never safe. Muscovy has been imperialistic for a very long time.
Ukraine was not a vassal state. It was utterly controlled and ruled out of Moscow. Finland became a vassal state after WW2, by comparison.
Much of the Russian population of Crimea was the result of the Russian military being stationed there. Putin has been driving out Tatars and Ukrainians to solidify his hold. Crimea is the only Oblast that was majority Russian. Russians were in the minority of the Donbas.
Ukrainians used the Germans to try to break Stalin's hold on their country. Even the Germans came to realize that, jailing Bandera to keep him from his game. The majority of Ukraine fought with the Soviets and took substantial casualties well out of proportion to their population.
So my diatribe below is just the tip of the iceburg. There is a whole lot of classified dialogue going on that we are not privvy to. Trump is trying to encourage Putin to negotiate. This 'blow up' in the White House is orchestrated by Trump. He will get Putin to the table. Trump does not care about Ukrainian sensitivites. Those can be changed at a moments notice. Right now Trump is a hero in the Russian press (such that it is controlled). Putin is probably weighing a possible meeting with Trump, his new friend. That is what Trump wants. Who cares about the Ukrainian sensitivites. They are at the beck and call of US and European military aid. This is my diplomatic conclusion from years at the bottom of the top diplomatic entourage. r/Karl
I saw the breakdown of the body language and face and hand gestures and it was not orchestrated.
zelslinki went in there thinking trump would be angry and he acted like Kamala did in Trumps debate. He expected anger and a loss of control but what he got was humiliated and kicked out of the USA.
Trump is a hero to the wrong people. The rest of the world has seen it. The free world cringes and now rates the US as unreliable. Putin and Xi love it because of the support it gives their imperialistic lusts.
That unreliability may cost the US billions as India and Australia are now reconsidering purchase of F-35s and Subs. It has already cost in terms of influence. Trump has made his self appointed job of brining peace to Ukraine far more difficult. Friday, Vance and Trump were utterly stupid and made asses of themselves in front of the world. Even Trump's good buddy, Farage told off Trump for being so stupid.
Lord Palmerston received Duncan F. Kenner, Chairman of the Confederate House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and special representative of President Jefferson Davis in January of 1865. Kenner pitched manumission of all slaves in the Confederacy in exchange for British recognition. History does not record exactly what he though the British would get out of that, but it does tell us the British began confiscating rams and commerce raiders being built in the British shipyards. That's about where the Ukrainian drama is right now. Appomatox is only a few months away.
Funny you should mention Viscount Palmerston. He sent the British fleet to Greece when it was persecuting just one British subject - the Don Pacifico affair. Palmerston's famous line was: "civis Romanus sum." Imagine how Putin felt when he saw ethnic Russians being mistreated in Ukraine following the coup in 2014.
For that matter, any other American President except Biden would have not only freed Gonzalo Lira, but would have demanded the execution of his jailers.
Lira was jailed because he was supporting Putin's efforts in Ukraine. It was a massively stupid act on his part. His death is on his own head. Ukraine tried to save his life. He died in a hospital being treated for his pneumonia.
The Russian Fleet did nothing when it came to the considerations of the Brits. The people iof the Uk did not want to support the Confeds because of slavery. They could also get cotton from India and Egypt. It too a bit to switch over, but they did switch.
You can get the straight skinny from a book on Gutenberg,
"Great Britain and the American Civil War"
Russia did not enter into any considerations. The Royal Navy had no fear of the Russian fleet.
Things are going poorly for Putin. Which side will take the slot of Grant is in the air. But if Ukraine stays on their path, it will be Zelensky in that role. Russian logistics, a mess even at the best of times, is a bigger mess. Several Ukrainian attacks have gone in to minimal resistance. It seems the troops had no ammo with which to resist.
At present, much of Putin's rolling stock is deadlined for lack of parts. Ukraine has killed nearly half of Putin's locomotives. Nearly half of Russian oil refining capacity is down, and a large percentage of their oil product storage has been destroyed.
Much more can be pointed out. The overwhelming majority of Putin's problems have not been widely published by the pro-Putin press, or by the left's MSM. It is much like 1989. None knew how close to collapse the USSR was until it happened. Western intel agencies were deeply embarrassed.
If you folks are ready to laugh so hard your stomach muscles will hurt, treat yourself to English archconservative David Starkey pointing out some of the, um, shall we say inconsistencies of the likes of British PM Keir Starmer and Canadian PM (for another few months) Justin Trudeau—both fierce defenders of international rights, councils, and treaties—screaming for military arms for Ukraine so ubermensch Zelenskyy can prosecute his war for blood, soil, and country NONE of which these Euro-poofters care a whit about for their own people. Ow, my laughing muscles are aching!
It's called "We can't even defend Kent, let alone Kyiv!" First 30 minutes are the best. Enjoy!
I could care less about Ukraine, Russia, the EU, let them fight it out as long as US forces don't fight for them, no troops on the ground to save Ukraine or EU troops, no NATO involvement.
Time to cut the EU, Ukraine and NATO loose.
No More Over there, No more D-Day and No More cold war.
The basic question here is how much of a Defense force can Ukraine sustain on is own? Basically that comes to 2 things, money and manpower.
I am assuming that no one is intending to subsidize Ukraine indefinitely. Not the EU and definitely not the US. If the Ukraine can get itself into a position where they reasonably deter Russia with minimum external help fine, but if it cannot then the 'West' faces a potentially endless bill and we would b better off cutting our losses sooner rather than later.
Ukraine is not critical to the West and never was. It is a classic buffer state between two societies that has not behaved like one.
They will not have to do it indefinitely. In my considered opinion, the war will end this year, adn it will most likely end with a Russian collapse because of Putin's stupidity.
Putin ahs been playing seriously bad games with the banking system, and it is not solving his problems with war industries. they are losing money consistently, and loans that will never be paid will not help them anymore than it has already, which was not at all. Coal mining is about to collapse completely. The railways are not being maintained because of lack of parts available only in the west. Russian logistics, which are a mess in the best of times, is failing as well. Several Ukrainian attacks have gone in to minimal resistance. It seems they had no ammo to resist with.
How Ukraine behaves is their business, not yours and certainly not Putin or Trump's. They are tired of the Russian thumb and they well remember the treatment they got from the Tsars and the communist regime. Putin wants the entirety of Ukraine, and if he gets it, he then has several different places he can go beyond that, the Baltics, Moldova, Poland and Romania. All of them are on the menu. Only the first in line has not come out yet.
Don't be misled by ignorant opinion from uninformed media and foreign leaders. Trump thinks 5 to 10 steps ahead. Trump did not lose his composure by accident. He has deliberately made himself a hero in the Russian press in order to encourage Putin to reveal what he might want in return for a cease fire. You can't denigrate Putin and then expect him to cooperate. I was doing business with Ukranian companies in Kyiv when the war broke out. My wife is 50% Ukrainian by her heritage. Yes, the Ukranian people if you go back hundreds of years (before Muscovy) were living at the heart of Russia. But over time things change. Populations migrate and move. Putin has been busy attempting to make the Donbass population a majority Russian population. A smart more would be for the UN to propose the same policy as they did in Vietnam in 1960 - for one year they permitted any North Vietnamese to move south and any South Vietnamese to move north. That resulted in a whole lot of North Vietnamese Catholics moving into South Vietnam (which was a catastrophe because the displaced Southerners became the Viet Cong). Permit any "Ukranians" to move west and any "Russians" in Ukraine to move east. The economic problem is that the Russian occupied territory is the industrial heatland of an otherwise agricultural country of Ukraine. Another point - national borders are not sacrosanct. They tend to move through cultural and migratory pressures over time. This whole mess between Russia and Ukraine is highly misunderstood. r/Karl
I’ll say again: let Western Europe defend the Ukraine and push the Russian Bear back…if it matters that much to them. The U.S. is BEYOND broke. Every penny of the taxpayer’s dollars are needed to try and stem the fiscal bleeding and bring federal spending under control. Time is severely of the essence. We’ve funneled ol’ Volodymyr enough of the U.S. taxpayer’s money. Let him sell a few of his houses, private jets, and cough up some of his multi-million dollar salary - courtesy of the USA - if the Ukraine is a little short on dough.
I am so glad Trump and Vance kicked the grifter out of the WH.
Every dollar we sent to Ukraine was either a dollar down the drain or a dollar that ended up in a bank in the Cayman Islands and a dollar that was not spent at home on our crumbling infrastructure.
If the UK wants to send the Light Brigade back to Russia that’s their business. Leave us out of it.
In the meantime, Trump should reject the king’s invitation until Neil Farage is PM.
A-MEN!!!!! Volodymyr can go shake down England, France, Germany, Poland, et al.
And Canada, if I'm correct in recognizing Mr. Trudeau fils, in that august council of elders taking over the Ukraine problem from the USA. Eternal thanks to you gentlemen and ladies from a VERY grateful American.
Sure wouldn’t want to leave out Trudeau. No doubt he’d like to put his money where his I-Stand-With-Ukraine mouth is.
And Crystia Freeland's backstage screaming "NO, you bloody idiot! You're pissing on MY parade!"
Too bad he isn't a grifter, or dictator, as you twits lie about all the time. Farage dissed Trump's stupidity Friday. Frankly, the UK should simply ban Trump because of what he has now shown himself to be.
Agreed.
It's amazing the level of nonsense we are supposed to swallow. The EU has something like 3x the population and 10x the GDP of Russia. If the EU is scared of Russia, build some fucking tanks already. Furthermore, not all Euro countries are in the EU, skewing the numbers even further into ludicrous territory.
They need to at least make it make sense.
The level of nonsense has been determined by those supporting Putin. The number of lies he has told is breathtaking, even for a KGB thig.
Apparently, Z met with a bunch of Ukraine fanboy Senators before his Oval meeting. Likely he heard bad advice from folks with a divergent agenda
In D.C. there is a strong Wilsonian contingent for whom negotiated internationalism is their bread and sacramental wine. This fits quite well with the typical political mindset of almost all the parties back on the Continent. It is understandable that congeniality bias would lead him to believe these creatures who sun themselves on the banks of the Potomac. He walked into the spinning propeller at the Whitehouse because he chose to ignore the yellow paint on the non-skid, roaring sound, and wind blast in his face. If his fanbois told him to ignore those signs AND he didn't trust his own senses - well, he ate the propellor and not the scaly creatures whose smooth words he trusted. Watching the occasional shots of his ambassador, Oksana Markarova, over that entire 45 minute press appearance, you could see she was unable to pull him back and maintain any diplomatic decorum. I do honestly feel sympathy for her.
He was asked to wear a suit. As soon as he stepped out of the car, Trump said something about it. Went downhill from there.
The fact that he was still wearing his 'on brand' outfit, is telling that he and his handlers are still in 2022 mode. Even Churchill, with his trade mark cigar and bowler hat, knew when it was time to wear a onesie/jumper and when to put-on a coat & tie. The Zelensky is peak brand manager-influence.
They are still at war. A war that was started in 2014 and widened in 2022, when Zelensky was President.
She was reacting to what Vance and Trump were doing. Not Zelensky. The gruesome twosome made fools of themselves.
Corrupt Murphy fluffed Zelensky before he met Trump.
Sure he did. And I suppose, by your lights, the Republicans did as well.
He met with people from both parties.
true, but I'm willing to bet that the advice of Graham and every other GOP there was to sign the deal, where most if not all of the Dems advised him to 'stand up to Trump' and insist on a different deal...
Vance saw to it that the deal would not be signed. He was just being his massively stupid self.
Looking forward to this Midrats.
The search for secure borders and lasting peace has been an ephemeral quest for Europeans since the fall of the Roman Empire. Realpolitik demands that the implementation of the geasa deterrence upon any of the European nations have a expiry date of months or years as opposed to decades or generations. Here is a nice time-lapse map (up to 7 years ago) of the continent over the last 2500 years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY9P0QSxlnI
It's not a coincidence that virtually all Euro borders are along a major deterrent to a marching army. Or that the areas w/o such natural boundaries are eternal battlegrounds, like Poland and the Low Countries.
Those on the European plain have no such borders.
British PM Starmer just announced an all-European "coalition of the willing" is putting up some significant support behind Ukraine's military in its conflict with Russia. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/03/02/us/trump-news-zelensky-europe
The time has never been more ripe for the USA to offload NATO (and all the millstones it comes with) onto the Europeans. Who better to manage and reap the benefits of the flowering of 21st century Europe than those who live, work, have children, and will someday be laid to rest there in its hallowed ground?
No more clueless and heavy-handed meddling in European affairs by the money-grubbing philistines from the USA. Just an amicable and timely parting of the ways for the well-wishing friends on both sides of the Pond.
Three cheers from this Anglophile!
When the rubber hits the road that support will vanish into thin air. Europe have neither the will or money to defend themselves let alone anyone else. Their coalition of the willing is posturing by parasite. If Europe isnt willing to defend itself why should we spend a drop of blood or a single dime on them.
David: The Brits will have to take taxis to the front, as they did in WWI.
That was the French.
Time will tell.
Farage took Trump to task for making a fool of himself.
Let's give things a while to settle, then we can look back and see who's the fool and who's the foolee.
That has already been taken care of. When your friends tell you that you have ben stupid, you'd better listen. Trump is now doubling down on the lies about Zelensky and taking Putin's side.
This is all bullshit. If you go back 800 years Ukraine was the heart of Russia back then. Then things changed. In WWII Ukraine was the most fervent NAZI aligned country and they were the most successful in deporting Jews). Populations migrate. The Crimean Peninsula was transferred to Ukrainian control by Krushev because of geography (and Ukraine was a vassal state of the Soviet Empire so no big deal). The Crimean Peninsula population is more than 50% Russian. The Eastern Ukrainian territory that Russia now occupies is also at least 50% Russian. The problem is that the remainder of Ukraine is agricultural, not industrial. The Eastern Ukrainian cities were all part of the Soviet military-industrial complex. Putin wants that back (even though he obliterated those cities for the present). This is all being missed in the main stream media. That simple. r/Karl
Kyivan Rus was the original Russia. What is now Russia was built on the Grand Duchy of Muscovy. The Mongols destroyed Kyivan Rus, while Muscovy sold its soul to the Mongols. after that, its neighbors were never safe. Muscovy has been imperialistic for a very long time.
Ukraine was not a vassal state. It was utterly controlled and ruled out of Moscow. Finland became a vassal state after WW2, by comparison.
Much of the Russian population of Crimea was the result of the Russian military being stationed there. Putin has been driving out Tatars and Ukrainians to solidify his hold. Crimea is the only Oblast that was majority Russian. Russians were in the minority of the Donbas.
Ukrainians used the Germans to try to break Stalin's hold on their country. Even the Germans came to realize that, jailing Bandera to keep him from his game. The majority of Ukraine fought with the Soviets and took substantial casualties well out of proportion to their population.
What Putin wants has not been missed.
So my diatribe below is just the tip of the iceburg. There is a whole lot of classified dialogue going on that we are not privvy to. Trump is trying to encourage Putin to negotiate. This 'blow up' in the White House is orchestrated by Trump. He will get Putin to the table. Trump does not care about Ukrainian sensitivites. Those can be changed at a moments notice. Right now Trump is a hero in the Russian press (such that it is controlled). Putin is probably weighing a possible meeting with Trump, his new friend. That is what Trump wants. Who cares about the Ukrainian sensitivites. They are at the beck and call of US and European military aid. This is my diplomatic conclusion from years at the bottom of the top diplomatic entourage. r/Karl
I saw the breakdown of the body language and face and hand gestures and it was not orchestrated.
zelslinki went in there thinking trump would be angry and he acted like Kamala did in Trumps debate. He expected anger and a loss of control but what he got was humiliated and kicked out of the USA.
let EU fight and die for him.
Trump is a hero to the wrong people. The rest of the world has seen it. The free world cringes and now rates the US as unreliable. Putin and Xi love it because of the support it gives their imperialistic lusts.
That unreliability may cost the US billions as India and Australia are now reconsidering purchase of F-35s and Subs. It has already cost in terms of influence. Trump has made his self appointed job of brining peace to Ukraine far more difficult. Friday, Vance and Trump were utterly stupid and made asses of themselves in front of the world. Even Trump's good buddy, Farage told off Trump for being so stupid.
Lord Palmerston received Duncan F. Kenner, Chairman of the Confederate House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee and special representative of President Jefferson Davis in January of 1865. Kenner pitched manumission of all slaves in the Confederacy in exchange for British recognition. History does not record exactly what he though the British would get out of that, but it does tell us the British began confiscating rams and commerce raiders being built in the British shipyards. That's about where the Ukrainian drama is right now. Appomatox is only a few months away.
Oh, Inshallah and Amen!
Funny you should mention Viscount Palmerston. He sent the British fleet to Greece when it was persecuting just one British subject - the Don Pacifico affair. Palmerston's famous line was: "civis Romanus sum." Imagine how Putin felt when he saw ethnic Russians being mistreated in Ukraine following the coup in 2014.
For that matter, any other American President except Biden would have not only freed Gonzalo Lira, but would have demanded the execution of his jailers.
Lira was jailed because he was supporting Putin's efforts in Ukraine. It was a massively stupid act on his part. His death is on his own head. Ukraine tried to save his life. He died in a hospital being treated for his pneumonia.
There was no coup in 2014, nor were "Russians" being persecuted. That is nothing but Putin spouting his usual lies.
"History does not record exactly what he though the British would get out of that,"
Cotton. The British considered breaking the Union blockade but reconsidered when the Russian Fleet showed up in NYC.
This happened in January 1865. A little after the Russians had left.
The Russian Fleet did nothing when it came to the considerations of the Brits. The people iof the Uk did not want to support the Confeds because of slavery. They could also get cotton from India and Egypt. It too a bit to switch over, but they did switch.
You can get the straight skinny from a book on Gutenberg,
"Great Britain and the American Civil War"
Russia did not enter into any considerations. The Royal Navy had no fear of the Russian fleet.
Things are going poorly for Putin. Which side will take the slot of Grant is in the air. But if Ukraine stays on their path, it will be Zelensky in that role. Russian logistics, a mess even at the best of times, is a bigger mess. Several Ukrainian attacks have gone in to minimal resistance. It seems the troops had no ammo with which to resist.
At present, much of Putin's rolling stock is deadlined for lack of parts. Ukraine has killed nearly half of Putin's locomotives. Nearly half of Russian oil refining capacity is down, and a large percentage of their oil product storage has been destroyed.
Much more can be pointed out. The overwhelming majority of Putin's problems have not been widely published by the pro-Putin press, or by the left's MSM. It is much like 1989. None knew how close to collapse the USSR was until it happened. Western intel agencies were deeply embarrassed.
If you folks are ready to laugh so hard your stomach muscles will hurt, treat yourself to English archconservative David Starkey pointing out some of the, um, shall we say inconsistencies of the likes of British PM Keir Starmer and Canadian PM (for another few months) Justin Trudeau—both fierce defenders of international rights, councils, and treaties—screaming for military arms for Ukraine so ubermensch Zelenskyy can prosecute his war for blood, soil, and country NONE of which these Euro-poofters care a whit about for their own people. Ow, my laughing muscles are aching!
It's called "We can't even defend Kent, let alone Kyiv!" First 30 minutes are the best. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItCYWJBSJX0
I could care less about Ukraine, Russia, the EU, let them fight it out as long as US forces don't fight for them, no troops on the ground to save Ukraine or EU troops, no NATO involvement.
Time to cut the EU, Ukraine and NATO loose.
No More Over there, No more D-Day and No More cold war.
Shut down all military in Norway.
Ignoring the rest of the world doesn't make it go away.
That is a serious problem among the Putin bots.
Sadly the problem predates the Putin bots. There's been an unfortunate strain of this "nothing outside of America is real" attitude for a long time.
Alas. And I know the idiots much too well.
What's the all the idiots in the comments?
They are the result of the collapse of a real system of education. They are simply swallowing lies, and not thinking for themselves.
The basic question here is how much of a Defense force can Ukraine sustain on is own? Basically that comes to 2 things, money and manpower.
I am assuming that no one is intending to subsidize Ukraine indefinitely. Not the EU and definitely not the US. If the Ukraine can get itself into a position where they reasonably deter Russia with minimum external help fine, but if it cannot then the 'West' faces a potentially endless bill and we would b better off cutting our losses sooner rather than later.
Ukraine is not critical to the West and never was. It is a classic buffer state between two societies that has not behaved like one.
They will not have to do it indefinitely. In my considered opinion, the war will end this year, adn it will most likely end with a Russian collapse because of Putin's stupidity.
Putin ahs been playing seriously bad games with the banking system, and it is not solving his problems with war industries. they are losing money consistently, and loans that will never be paid will not help them anymore than it has already, which was not at all. Coal mining is about to collapse completely. The railways are not being maintained because of lack of parts available only in the west. Russian logistics, which are a mess in the best of times, is failing as well. Several Ukrainian attacks have gone in to minimal resistance. It seems they had no ammo to resist with.
How Ukraine behaves is their business, not yours and certainly not Putin or Trump's. They are tired of the Russian thumb and they well remember the treatment they got from the Tsars and the communist regime. Putin wants the entirety of Ukraine, and if he gets it, he then has several different places he can go beyond that, the Baltics, Moldova, Poland and Romania. All of them are on the menu. Only the first in line has not come out yet.
Don't be misled by ignorant opinion from uninformed media and foreign leaders. Trump thinks 5 to 10 steps ahead. Trump did not lose his composure by accident. He has deliberately made himself a hero in the Russian press in order to encourage Putin to reveal what he might want in return for a cease fire. You can't denigrate Putin and then expect him to cooperate. I was doing business with Ukranian companies in Kyiv when the war broke out. My wife is 50% Ukrainian by her heritage. Yes, the Ukranian people if you go back hundreds of years (before Muscovy) were living at the heart of Russia. But over time things change. Populations migrate and move. Putin has been busy attempting to make the Donbass population a majority Russian population. A smart more would be for the UN to propose the same policy as they did in Vietnam in 1960 - for one year they permitted any North Vietnamese to move south and any South Vietnamese to move north. That resulted in a whole lot of North Vietnamese Catholics moving into South Vietnam (which was a catastrophe because the displaced Southerners became the Viet Cong). Permit any "Ukranians" to move west and any "Russians" in Ukraine to move east. The economic problem is that the Russian occupied territory is the industrial heatland of an otherwise agricultural country of Ukraine. Another point - national borders are not sacrosanct. They tend to move through cultural and migratory pressures over time. This whole mess between Russia and Ukraine is highly misunderstood. r/Karl