The US has no vested interest in this conflict.
Yes we do. It's not just a part of Ukraine that's at stake. It's not just all of Ukraine that's at stake. It's at least all of Europe up to the Rhine River.
He have as much at stake against Putin as we did against Hitler.
The Russians are in the wrong but that doesn't justify an endless commitment of US taxpayer funds to this conflict. There are conflicts and wrongs committed in many places around the world in which the US does not intervene because we have no vested interest. You have been sold a bill of good from the same warmongers who brought us Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Endless foreign war for no purpose. Ukraine has suffered far more by the focus on escalation than resolution of this conflict. There is no end in sight. What is the end game here? The areas occupied by Russia have many citizens that prefer Russian rule over Ukranian. They have been fighting the Ukranians for independence for years in these regions. The DC warmongers want such a conflict to extend for years. It is their ticket to spend money - billions. That money gets cycled through industries that kickback contributions to the politicians. Republicans are as much as fault as anyone. There was a time when leftists were on to this trick and opposed such wars. Sadly, those days are over. Leftists have abandoned anti-war and pro-freedom of speech for power.
Not much at stake in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq. But Ukraine is a different matter.
And our expenditures are not huge. Far less than that spent on Vietnam, or Afghanistan, or Iraq. Far less than that spent against Hitler's Germany. Naturally, stopping Russia is going to take some money. Your not going to have it done for 13.5 million dollars. But for much less money spent on Vietnam, or Afghanistan, or Iraq, we can make a big different.
If we don't do this, we are in big trouble. With success in Ukraine, the next dictator of Russia will likely want his own special accomplishment, like the Baltics. And so it goes. And next time, be a lot more dangerous. If the mere threat of nuclear weapons is enough to cause the West to back down, how could a real demonstration fail? And China will take encouragement with regards to Taiwan. And North Korea has nuclear weapons as well. How could they not be encouraged if we back down now?
You should make it clear that you don't think Ukraine, the Baltic States, Poland, Germany, The Low Countries, Taiwan and South Korea are worth spending a few billion dollars a month. Maybe you are right. But you should make yourself clear. The U. S. military budget is something like 773 billion a year. If Russia is beaten, I think this amount could be reduced in the coming years. I see spending a small fraction of this on Ukraine now is a good investment. Yes, there is no guarantee this will stop Russia. There are no guarantees in war. But if this works, we could save a 100 billion or more each year, I should think, if the threat from Russia is reduced. But if we emboldened Russia, China and South Korea, we could never spend enough to make up for that.
Let's keep going a few more months and see how the under equipped Russians hold out in the winter. The under equipped Russians did not do so well in the winter of 1939-1940 in Finland and the same may be true in the coming months. Russians are not immune to the cold, not when dressed and fed poorly. Maybe the issue will be largely decided before a new Congress comes in at the end of January. We will see.
