Advice
By Mitch Berg
On the one hand, I supported a free and independent Ukraine back when the same people sporting Ukrainian flags on their social media profiles were confidently declaiming that the USSR was here to stay and that Walter Duranty deserved his Pulitzer.
On the other hand, the war in Ukraine has devolved into a World War 1 style trench-war stalemate, with advances in artillery and other technology (drones instead of machine guns, in this case) making the slashing mobile warfare of the recent past (horses then, tanks now) difficult to suicidal. Ukraine isn’t going to reconquer Crimea or Donbas, anymore than Mexico is going to re-take Arizona. While I support Ukraine, I’m not sure how many Ukrainians and Russians need to die, or how much western material has to get poured into the meat grinder, to continually reinforce that fact.
On the other other hand, in the wake of last week’s “fiasco” – which part of me still thinks was 50-100% staged – it’s good that Europe is talking about picking up more slack. Hopefullly they’ll re-shore some of the defense manufacturing capacity they’ve outsourced.
On the other, other other hand? Ukraine is going to depend on the UK and France for its long-term safety?
Poland would like a word with them.
March 3rd, 2025 at 9:28 am
I agree with you about that fiasco being staged.
Think about it, how difficult do you think it’ll be for zielinski to back away and allow a ceasefire?
There are forces in the Ukraine that in no way would allow that to happen. Trump just gave him cover to blame it all on Trump.
March 3rd, 2025 at 9:53 am
My take on this is that some of Zelensky’s handlers, told him to do that in an effort to make Trump look bad. By handlers, I’m betting that Obama, Blinken and Susie Rice were involved. Rice’s statement on the lame stream media, solidifies that belief. She followed the left’s model of accusing the opposition of the things they are doing.
March 3rd, 2025 at 10:06 am
Everything around this issue right now is driving me insane. The rhetoric from the Right is pissing me off. The rhetoric from the Left is consistently vacuous. The TDS infected conservatives that haven’t gone full democrat have cranked things to 11 and have started to sound like an infomercial with their “but wait there’s more things to blame Trump for!!”
Pay no attention to what Trump says. Pay attention to what he actually does.
During his first Term, Trump routinely said nice things about various dictators around the globe, but generally speaking the actions were against them. Trump said nice things about Vladimir Putin (proof of Russian Collusion they’d crow!!!), but sanctions were placed on Russia and Russian officials, AND Trump started shipping actually worthwhile military aid to Ukraine. Obama wouldn’t send lethal aid to Ukraine, and he did nothing when Crimea was invaded. And don’t even get me started on Obama’s “hot mic” incident. Trump sent lethal military aid to Ukraine, and during Trump’s first Term, Russia didn’t expand their presence on Ukrainian Territory. As to that infamous phone call, we had Joe Biden proudly claiming that he threatened to withhold US Foreign Aid money to Ukraine unless the then President fired a specific prosecutor. Accusations of corruption get thrown around in every direction in Ukraine because there is corruption in every direction in Ukraine, so maybe getting rid of Shokin was an overall good, but it also directly benefited Hunter and the company that had Hunter on their Board. I still want to know all the different ways that the US used our Foreign Aid to leverage changes within Ukraine.
More recently, Trump has changed the US rhetoric to be more pro-Russia. Yes, it reinforces the claims made by his opponents, because they’ve consistently claiming Russian Collusion since 2016. The part that pisses me off about “The Right” is that many of us have jumped right on board with the “Zelenskyy is teh Dictator!!” even though many of them were publicly supporting Zelenskyy 3 weeks ago. And then late last week when asked about that statement, Trump’s response was “That doesn’t sound like something I’d say.” Trump says a lot of $#!+ people, and then he says the opposite. You don’t have to support every single statement to the hilt. Trump definitely won’t. I personally hope that all of this is aimed at getting Russia to the negotiating table and getting a peace deal hammered out. I remind people constantly that I think Trump is speaking towards Putin and Russia, not the American public with his current rhetoric. We’ll have to see what deal actually happens before I’ll know if I was right or just wishing.
Russia invaded Ukraine.
Ukraine has problems with corruption.
Russia has more problems with corruption.
Ukraine does not have the capability of ejecting Russian forces out of Donbas or Crimea.
There are not the votes within NATO to give Ukraine membership, and, as I understand it, the bylaws don’t allow for new membership while borders are under contention.
The US has already failed to live up to its own obligations to defend Ukraine from the 1990s deal brokered around nuclear weapons.
In a just world, Russia should be severely punished for starting the war in Ukraine. Ideally, Putin should be removed from power and territory should be taken from the remaining country. How much are you willing to spend to achieve that goal, and I’m referring to both money and American lives? I’m not willing to commit American troops to this war, so I have to be content with a lesser solution.
Barring Putin being assassinated and the new leader unilaterally removing Russian forces from Ukraine, Russia will retain control of Crimea and probably Donbas. Putin needs some sort of face saving off ramp. I don’t like it, by it’s better than hundreds to thousands of Americans dead to buy a better result. Zelenskyy cannot take that back to the Ukrainian people without selling it compared to a worse alternative. That worse alternative is the end of military support and an eventual Russian victory, pyrrhic or otherwise. So in this scenario, Trump gets to play the “heavy” that is forcing Ukraine to offer an unpopular solution. Not ideal, but I can live with this. The time to get a better result was 2014, and I don’t have a time machine.
Zelenskyy is correct though that he needs actual Security Guarantees to make this deal viable long term. US economic interests are one kind of security guarantee, especially when considering that purely altruistic guarantees were agreed to and not followed up on. European troops acting as a tripwire would also be a solid guarantee. I could even go along with a US troop contingent being part of that, though I don’t think Trump will agree to it, and I don’t think he has to. NATO membership is not required to get various European troops into eastern Ukraine.
I’ve been seeing complaints about last week’s UN Resolution. UN Resolutions are a waste of the paper they are printed on and not worth spending much time. I’m still going to take a paragraph to do so. I told my wife that I wish I could’ve Gibbs Slapped Jonah Goldberg over the issue last week. During one of his solo podcasts, Jonah claimed that the US forced Israel to vote against the Resolution. Jonah has a bad case of TDS, though he hasn’t become an actual liberal because of it. That’s why I still listen to his podcast. This was his dumbest take I’ve heard. Israel knows how worthless a UN Resolution is. Half of them are denouncing Israel, FFS! Voting against this Resolution was a very low stakes payback response to Ukraine repeatedly voting against Israel on similar Resolutions. There’s no reason to bring Trump into the calculus.
Republicans spent 8 years making fun of Democrats over their Obama Cult of Personality. We need to do better to not fall into that trap ourselves. We can speak out when Trump is wrong, and support him when he’s correct. Saying Trump’s accusation that Zelenskyy is a dictator was wrong, even if it was uttered strategically. I can speak out against it. Too many Republicans will just twist themselves into knots though. And, for the record, the Ukrainian Constitution says Elections should be postponed while the country is a battlefield.
March 3rd, 2025 at 10:37 am
BH429: Not just his handlers….
https://hotair.com/david-strom/2025/03/02/democrats-and-eu-leaders-encouraged-zelenskyy-to-confront-trump-n3800353
March 3rd, 2025 at 10:57 am
Z’s stunt (US boots on the ground) gives Trump the perfect opportunity to cut off Ukraine cold.
Britain’s stunt (British boots on the ground with demand for US boots to back them) gives Trump the perfect opportunity to cut off NATO cold.
If only he is smart enough to seize the opportunity, we could be free of European dependency for the first time in a century. Then maybe we could focus our attention on securing our own borders.
If not Americans first, then who?
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:21 am
“Ukraine isn’t going to reconquer Crimea or Donbas”
That’s crazy talk! 🤣
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:29 am
We have the Brits and Frogs talking about putting their “boots on the ground.” That’s laughable. The Brits have 40 working tanks, the Frogs have fewer, and the Krauts are in single digits.
Let’s talk logistics: who’s going to transport troops to Ukraine? British Air? Who will resupply them, FedEx? And who’s going to be manufacturing their ammo?
Western Europe is speaking loudly, but carrying a wiffle bat. 75 years of leeching off the US security blanket has left them flabby and unable to defend themselves. It’s been a big case of schadenfreude watching them freak out about a valid threat in their proximity that their protector just isn’t interested in dealing with and them realizing just how weak they really are.
What will make me order popcorn by the bushel is hearing all their pompous pronouncements about the need to strengthen their own defense devolve into a circular firing squad of excuses about how they can’t possibly be expected to sacrifice their social services for defense right now. There are some exceptions like Poland (aka “East Texas”), but they are few.
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:32 am
One of the better analyses of the situation was the former Polish president who said, in effect, that 500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them from 140 million Russians. He didn’t think that was quite right and that Europe should put on its Big Boy pants.
March 3rd, 2025 at 11:32 am
Biden’s handlers and busted, old neocons sent 31 Gen II M1A1/SA Abrahms tanks to Ukraine. Australia sent some Gen1’s and Germany sent Leopard 1 tanks.
20 of the Abrahms have been either destroyed or captured. By now, Russian military contractors could build an exact copy, but more importantly, they know how to destroy them.
The remaining Uke inventory of heavy armor is currently cowering in some bunker, lest it be destroyed.
Thank God Lindsay Graham couldn’t send any F35’s.
March 3rd, 2025 at 12:11 pm
Of the 20 M1s knocked out, most have been repaired and are back in action.
A couple burned out, some got captured.
That’s how tanks are.
March 3rd, 2025 at 1:07 pm
I disagree on the staging besides Zelinski doing the staging. Trump was having none of it nor was Vance. You think this was staged between both sides? Nah. Nope. I could read the body language. No way.
March 3rd, 2025 at 1:35 pm
An “existential” threat is a threat to your very existence. That’s what we were offering – last ditch, desperate, help-us-you’re-our-only-hope defense.
Telling England, “We will help you defend your island, if someone attacks your homeland,” is NOT the same as saying, “Hey, I know, why don’t you go attack Russia and we’ll jump right in with you?” The former act preserves England’s existence; the latter kicks off World War III which threatens our own existence.
Or France. Or Germany. Or any of those places I can’t afford to visit. They’re all looking to us to sacrifice our nation for theirs. That’s asinine.
If not America first, then who?
March 3rd, 2025 at 3:56 pm
Bill C
Thanks! I actually saw that idiot anti gun jerk Chris Murphy bragging about his role.
Big.
I would be happy if Trump did the double double and got us out of the UN, the World Bank and the IMF. We pay for all of those, too.
It’s time we told Europe, Sorry dudes! We bailed your asses out twice with our blood and treasure. This time, you’re on your own.
March 3rd, 2025 at 4:02 pm
Forgot this.
Did anyone see the reactions by Zelensky’s own entourage to his antics? The woman that was face palming was allegedly one of his ambassadors.
Then, Ukraine’s PM called for his impeachment.
And, here’s an interesting take.
https://americanliberty.news/commentary/zelenskys-tragic-mistake-waging-war-against-ukraines-own-faithful/amuse/2025/03/
March 3rd, 2025 at 4:41 pm
Trump could do it without looking petulant. He could do it with magnanimity:
“In 1917, the United States entered World War I to defend the nations of Europe from each other. In 1941, we went back and did it again. That time, we set in place policies to prevent a third occurrence, policies which helped rebuild war torn nations while guaranteeing their security, in exchange for honoring our fallen warriors and teaching our language in their schools. We did not demand tribute, we did not impose an imperial governor, we didn’t even require fair trade but instead allowed them a trade advantage out of our generosity.
America has been acting like mother hen to Europe for 100 years. That’s insulting to them, and to us. They are proud peoples with millennia of history. They have industry and skills and the very existence of the European Union demonstrates they have the ability to work together to achieve common goals. It’s time for America to step back. It’s time for Europe to step up. It’s time Europe stood on its own.
In the coming months, I will be implementing fair trade policies including tariffs. I will ask Secretary Hegseth to prepare a plan to withdraw the American military presence from Europe as European nations ramp up their own defenses. I will ask Congress to reconsider our membership in NATO as an outdated Cold War relic. And I will direct Elon Musk and the DOGE team to examine all expenditures by every agency of the US government, overt and covert, to ensure their spending is in alignment with my US priorities.
I know I speak for all Americans when I say we wish the nations of Europe the very best as they take their rightful places on the world stage. This is not “goodbye,” it’s “welcome back.” Welcome to the status of full and equal nations. Welcome to the 21st Century. We are proud to have you with us.”
And watch the head explode.
March 3rd, 2025 at 4:42 pm
Moderation. Try again:
Trump could do it without looking petulant. He could do it with magnanimity:
“In 1917, the United States entered World War I to defend the nations of Europe from each other. In 1941, we went back and did it again. That time, we set in place policies to prevent a third occurrence, policies which helped rebuild war torn nations while guaranteeing their security, in exchange for honoring our fallen warriors and teaching our language in their schools. We did not demand tribute, we did not impose an imperial governor, we didn’t even require fair trade but instead allowed them a trade advantage out of our generosity.
America has been acting like mother hen to Europe for 100 years. That’s insulting to them, and to us. They are proud peoples with millennia of history. They have industry and skills and the very existence of the European Union demonstrates they have the ability to work together to achieve common goals. It’s time for America to step back. It’s time for Europe to step up. It’s time Europe stood on its own.
In the coming months, I will be implementing fair trade policies including tariffs. I will ask Secretary Hegseth to prepare a plan to withdraw the American military presence from Europe as European nations ramp up their own defenses. I will ask Congress to reconsider our membership in NATO as an outdated Cold War relic. And I will direct Elon Musk and the D0GE team to examine all expenditures by every agency of the US government, overt and covert, to ensure their spending is in alignment with my US priorities.
I know I speak for all Americans when I say we wish the nations of Europe the very best as they take their rightful places on the world stage. This is not “goodbye,” it’s “welcome back.” Welcome to the status of full and equal nations. Welcome to the 21st Century. We are proud to have you with us.”
And watch the head explode.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:17 pm
Trump is a deal maker and he frequently talks shit to people, bullies them too. I’ll judge him on the outcome, not the figure skating style points. I don’t think we’re going to end up with 58,000 killed for a faux democracy, not even 4,000, nor 40. I’m not impressed with Zelenskyy but I give him credit for bluffing with a nothing poker hand.
March 3rd, 2025 at 8:26 pm
The other day Scott Johnson quoted the great Thomas Sowell thus:
When you want to help people, you tell them the truth. When you want to help yourself, you tell them what they want to hear.
In the matter of Zelensky(yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy), Trump wanted to help him, so he told him the truth. Senator Murphy wanted to help himself, so he told Z what he wanted to hear.
March 4th, 2025 at 8:13 am
My take on this whole deal is that we need to pay attention to what people like Lech Walesa, Cal Thomas, and others who remember the old Soviet days, and see the scary parallels between Putin’s Russia and the old Soviet Union. Let’s never forget that Putin has never apologized for his work supporting the East German Stasi, and his writings suggest he wants to re-assemble the old Soviet Union. Like it or not, if he succeeds, there will be Hell to pay worldwide, not just in Europe.
I understand that isolationism is a temptation, but sometimes the malfunctions of the world come to you and you cannot ignore them. Along those lines, some of Putin’s minions have suggested recovering Alaska. Putin’s play is for control of resources and an extended campaign.
March 5th, 2025 at 6:44 am
Bubba, it’s 2025. I will stipulate that Putin is a rat bastard. There are 110 million Russians and at least four times as many people in the EU. Putin may want to get the band back together, but he doesn’t have the muscle to recreate the Eastern bloc.
What Putin does have is nuclear weaponry. And I’m way more concerned about that than any territorial ambitions he might have.
March 5th, 2025 at 9:08 am
Mr. D., yes, it’s 2025, but I remember learning in 1989 that our boys in the Fulda Gap were saying about the same thing about the USSR that you’re saying about Russia today. I was actually in West Germany on a summer program, and the main professor’s son was in the cavalry there. Putin’s mind is in 1989, and while he probably cannot totally resurrect the old USSR, he can make a lot of people suffer while he tries.
Regarding nukes, I don’t think he’ll grab for them, because he’s not even drafting his own power base in western Russia. He’s just sane enough not to get billions of people killed, IMO.
March 5th, 2025 at 1:10 pm
Bubba, in 1989 I would have agreed with you. But it’s not 1989 and I would suggest that thinking about 1989 doesn’t help you sort out what’s happening in the here and now.