Last year, Russia launched a bloody war of conquest against its non-threatening neighbor Ukraine. To Moscow’s astonishment, Ukraine defended itself with skill, courage, and — above all — unity.
Moscow is now trying again, doubtless with better planning and after mobilizing its available young men (those who could not escape to other countries) and convicts. This Russian offensive will greatly outnumber Ukraine in soldiers and fire power in what is an artillery and infantry war. Ukraine does not lack for valor and ingenuity, but its munitions are running low.
I was recently in Ukraine for more than a week with a delegation of the American Foreign Policy Council where we met with Ukrainians from government, political factions, the military, civil society and the economy. The nation is resilient and even more motivated than a year ago. Ukraine is fighting and will continue to do so. That is not in doubt at all.
However, this is a high-intensity war, the most violent on European soil since the Second World War. The cost thus far in blood on the battlefield — Ukrainian and Russian — is horrendous, and will get worse. The cost in Ukrainian lives from intentional targeting of residential areas and civilian infrastructure is appalling and grounds for war crimes trials. Putin and his associates may be indifferent to Russian losses, but Ukraine is a representative democracy answerable to its families. The leadership in Kyiv has a duty to limit the bloodshed among its people when it can. This calls for the classic “American way of war,” to spill money rather than blood. To this end, Kyiv needs more American money and weapons.
Let’s be clear, European governments and the European Union are providing a lot more assistance — financial, humanitarian, and military — than most Americans realize. The impression on our television that we are doing it all in terms of supporting Ukraine is simply wrong. Ukraine will receive hundreds of European battle tanks before it may get any on the ground from us. Several million European households are voluntarily sheltering Ukrainians who had to flee Putin’s war. As Ukraine seeks to join the European Union, it is just and proper that Europe carry this burden.
However, the United States stands alone in military technology and industry. The U.S.-supplied anti-armor and anti-air weapons wielded by Ukrainian soldiers in the early months of the fighting stopped Russian columns, recovered much Ukrainian territory, and taught Russian generals (although perhaps not Vladimir Putin) to respect Ukraine and its people. Our military assistance during the past year outweighs all other sources, and is essential for the combined-arms capacity to defeat Russian quantity with NATO quality.
Today, a new Russian offensive looms. What the immediate objective may be is unclear, but the purpose of this war is not. Putin seeks to remove Ukraine as a nation and state from the map of the world, to delete it from the member list of the United Nations, and to subordinate its people, language and culture entirely within his concept of “Novorossiya.” If you do not believe it, go to Ukraine and ask almost anyone. They know.
In the past, Poland was removed from the map more than once by its Great Power neighbors, so Bismarck could describe Poland as a “sandbar country” shifted and finally submerged by the waters of history. Bismarck and Hitler would be furious to learn that Poland today not only survives but thrives and stands in the forefront of countries rendering support to Ukraine, despite the deep historical differences between the two.
Today, it is Ukraine which fights to survive. A year ago, the response by the United States was swift and united; it amounted to “all aid short of war.” Ukraine has not asked for any American boots on the ground or blood to be shed. Indeed, Ukrainians feel honor bound to defend their own country themselves. Modern war, however, is not only about blood and valor. Russia brings to this contest an immense stockpile of guns and tanks and aircraft and munitions beyond description. Moscow is now importing weapons from Iran and North Korea, but still has munitions factories across eleven time zones to keep its troops equipped. Ukraine does not and can only fight on with weapons from the West. That is all it asks.
There is more at stake for our country than geopolitics and budgets. Given that Ukrainians will do all the fighting, bleeding and dying, for Americans there is also a question of honor. This is not like Afghanistan or Iraq where we squandered trillions for no purpose. This is a fight with a very real purpose and one we cannot avoid or evade. Will we look back on our decision today with pride or shame? We must choose.
Author Expertise and Experience
E. Wayne Merry is Senior Fellow for Europe and Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, DC. He is widely published and a frequent speaker on topics relating to Russia, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Balkans, European security, and trans-Atlantic relations. In twenty-six years in the United States Foreign Service, he worked as a diplomat and political analyst specializing in Soviet and post-Soviet political issues, including six years at the American Embassy in Moscow, where he was in charge of political analysis on the breakup of the Soviet Union and the early years of post-Soviet Russia. He also served at the embassies in Tunis, East Berlin, and Athens and at the US Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Walker
February 21, 2023 at 7:54 am
Putin is already planning to take over Belarus and Moldova after Ukraine. He really is wanting to recapture Soviet territory no matter what. It is either stop him now or end in WWIII. So no, there is no room for negotiation. It is pretty much either the end of Russia or the end of the world.
That doesn’t mean we have to push Russia completely out of Ukraine. All we have to do is help Ukraine stand up to Russia and stop Russia from making any large successes. If Ukraine can take back any large chunks of land that would be good. But to deny Putin any success will see the end of the Putin regime.
404NotFound
February 21, 2023 at 8:06 am
In 1944, germany was fighting to survive with allied armies landing in france and red army steamroller smashing its way on the eastern front.
So, ukraine is facing similar predicament. INTERESTING.
Same problem confronted japan at end of 1944 and beginning of 1945 when high-flying b-29 bombers began their devastating mass air raids on japanese home islands.
FIGHTING TO SURVIVE.
Rule 101. Never try to walk the path of war & confrontation with bigger entities when negotiation like minsk has been made available.
RWerner
February 21, 2023 at 9:24 am
Dear Mr. Fröhlich, already the beginning of your contribution lacks an honest assessment. Just to make it clear right here I am against any kind of violence. Let’s start with your assertion “against its non-threatening neighbor, Ukraine”, you should clarify at this point what you mean by that. It was the Ukrainian interim president Oleksandr Turchynov who did not use the police and the judiciary against the Donbass to clarify how the crisis after the Maidan “the Ukrainian parliament without an explicit constitutional basis deposed the president of Ukraine, V. Yanukovych” but the military and the so-called volunteer units that were founded by Ukrainian oligarchs and committed horrific crimes and thus fueled the conflict. In this context, may I remind you of a decision of the U.S. Congress that prohibited support for these neo-fascist associations. Another statement in your text: “Ukraine with skill, courage and – above all – unity” Correctly one should say here, they send poorly trained people to war, there is a statement that these people have a 4 minute chance of survival, people are forcibly recruited, videos abound. Why do not you address the crimes of the leadership of the time in connection with the Maidan, Odessa and other places. All this led to the civil war, which a Mrs. “FUCK YOU EU” Nuland, a Mrs. Clinton a Mr. Biden etc. still fueled. Why did one not go at the end of 2021/22 on the offers lying on the table of a security arrangement of Russia. Why were even the efforts of Mr. Macron and Mr. Scholz wiped off the table by Mr. Biden at the beginning of 2022?
In the 2nd paragraph you have several mistakes at once, because you are obviously ignorant of the Russian soul, and this soul boils down to a simple “play on words” – Mother Russia. Furthermore, you obviously do not understand the actions of the Russian army, because as repeatedly emphasized by the Russian side, it is not about killing the brother people but to spare. In contrast to the US approach, bombing terror until hardly anything stirs on the ground and then only ground troops. I read very much the statements of mostly former U.S. military officers, who are always amazed at how effective the Russian troops are. In the fight people die, if you then look at the different numbers of losses, about 20000 on the Russian side and up to 157 000 (Israeli intelligence statement) on the Ukrainian side can probably be no question of an ineffective Russian army.
In the 3rd paragraph you emphasize “have met with Ukrainians from the government, political groups, the military, civil society and business” Have you also met with opposition groups? Probably not, because Mr. Selinsky has banned all of them, even in front of the church they do not stop. Under Poroshenko, the division of the church began, which should not be forgotten, instigated by Poroshenko under the motto of Russian enemies.
But what is much more decisive, the statements of the former German Chancellor Merkel and the former French President Hollande, as well as finally Mr. Poroshenko who all took a stand on Minsk II – by the way Minsk II = UN Resolution 2202 – was never the intention of a peaceful solution but to give Ukraine and thus the USA / GB / NATO time to arm the Ukrain. We should not forget the more than 14,000 deaths reported by UNHCR and OSCE since 2014, more than 80% of them on the part of Donbass defenders and we are talking about civilians – women, children and the elderly – not even soldiers.
In the next paragraph, you come to “the most violent on European soil since the Second World War.” Where do you think Yugoslavia is? Oh, that’s also true in Europe, but there it was their soldiers, that was what? Remember that even the Chinese embassy was hit by your planes.
Ultimately, by omitting, twisting, and falsifying facts, your article shows that you intentionally or not want to convey a false image to people reading your article. As I said at the beginning, I would like to emphasize once again that I am against any kind of violence. It’s almost “funny” how a country that is responsible for the most serious war crimes – Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Grenada, Chile, Nicaragua, Cuba etc. wants to bring a Russian president before a special tribunal and when it comes to this president from speaks badly of evil. Let’s come to Abu Dhabi, why weren’t these soldiers and their commanders brought before the international court, ah right, because they don’t recognize it, by the way, neither does Russia. In any case, I hope that the majority of humanity will prevail, bring about a peace initiative and if you and the British sabotage it again, like Istanbul 2022, then hold them accountable. The majority of the family of nations will one day hold the US and the British to account – that is my great hope – and then they will have to answer in a proper court. As is anyone guilty of crimes against humanity. Finally, a comment on who actually entitles the USA to play police officer, prosecutor, judge and executioner in the drone war, partly controlled from a vassal state (Germany). Defenders are not admitted at all and then the USA calls itself the rule of law?
In order not to overwhelm you, I’ll end here
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 9:28 am
404fraudster
FYI: just like Russia is now, Germany then was the instigator of the war. By 1944 Germany was fighting for the survival of Hitler’s delusional fantasies.
Russia is not fighting for its survival as a country…it is fighting for Putin’s imperialist fantasies.
As for Minsk…starting there is a cherry picker fantasy. The Budapest Memorandum is the post Soviet founding document that Russia has never honored. No one with basic common sense should assume they have honored Minsk. They havent.
But then again your latest post is par for your propaganda course.
Steven Naslund
February 21, 2023 at 9:44 am
The European allies need to step up the financial support. Giving the Ukraine second hand weapons is admirable but they have been lacking greatly in financial assistance other than the UK. The United States always being in the lead should be an embarrassment to both NATO and the EU. Next time please cite the aid in monetary terms if you claim the Europeans are doing their part. They have decidedly NOT been doing their part on defense spending in general falling far below NATO spending targets as a percentage of GDP for a very long time. Germany is particular has been cozying up to Russia for some time ignoring warnings from the US. Europe loves to hate the US until they need help, always has been that way.
NIEWIEDER
February 21, 2023 at 9:46 am
@Gehhilfe
One question may be allowed – where did you get this wisdom from? “Putin is already planning to take over Belarus and Moldova after Ukraine.”
Why should the Russian President be interested in Moldova? By the way, Belarus, also called Belarus, is a member of the CSTO and both are economically and militarily connected. But let’s come back to Moldova. I’m assuming you mean Transnistria, that’s part of Moldova, which in its entirety was once the Moldavian SSR. There have been Russian peacekeepers with a UN mandate since the so-called
Transnistria conflict. This refers to a conflict that has been ongoing since 1990, which briefly led to a military conflict between the Republic of Moldova and the breakaway region of Transnistria in 1992. Since then, the conflict has been considered “frozen”. Transnistria Internationally unrecognized territory between Moldova and Ukraine. Now that a President of Young Global Leaders Maia Sandu, installed by the grace of the WEF, is taking strong action against her own people, including against an indigenous people of the Gagauz, whom she, of course, along with the Russians, blames for the fact that she and the people have not made any progress for months go on the street
Incidentally, the head of the WEF, Klaus Schwab, even boasted that they now have 1,400 executives through the Young Global Leaders and its predecessor Global Leaders for Tomorrow – both programs from the Atlantic Bridge and World Economy
schaftsforum – in politics and business worldwide. Would you disagree with me that this is interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries. I would like to give you one more sentence before you start nagging about the evil Russians again: If you don’t know history, you won’t understand the present and you won’t be able to shape the future.
H.R. Holm
February 21, 2023 at 9:46 am
This is simply a continuation of the old, shopworn JFK doctrine of ‘pay any price, bear any burden’ in order to justify endless U.S. military commitments that were never meant to be. Since when did the Founders intend the U.S. to become the world’s perpetual military policeman? Since never, that’s when! Might have been true during WWII and the Cold War, but not anymore. How bottomless does the author think the U.S. Treasury is as Lord Voldemort Z.’s endless piggy bank? Already at least $100 billion allocated, and, well, according to Pathetic Joe, that’s just for starters. Yup, ‘thar’s plenty more where that came from’. Well, no there isn’t, and it is high time more people in power start emphatically saying so. If $100 billion hasn’t done it, then how much will? Answer: no amount. It is time to fish with peace negociations or cut bait and walk away. Russia is not going anywhere else now, regardless! Anyone who smugly predicts that is an ignorant fool. And if anyone thinks $100 billion is some sort of ‘bargain’ in fighting Russia in Ukraine, well, they are free to deposit such a bargain in *my* bank or brokerage account anytime.
NIEWIEDER
February 21, 2023 at 9:57 am
Gery Jacobs
A modest question may I ask, Did you miss history class? You already know that Minsk II = UN Resolution 2202, right? You also know that the guarantors were Russia, Germany and France, right? That the two parties why it was Minsk II = UN Resolution 2202 Ukraine on one side and Donetsk and Luhansk on the other side, right? You also know the last statements by Ms. Merkel, Mr. Hollande and Mr. Poroshenko that Minsk II / UN 2202 only served to arm Ukraine, right? You also know what former President of Ukraine Poroshenko said “in October 2014 or 2015, during a speech in Odessa contrasting the prospects of Ukrainians with residents of Donbass. In particular, the President promised: “Our children will go to schools and kindergartens, while their hiding in cellars!” , right?
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 10:51 am
NIEWIEDER,
LoL, ‘Minsk served to arm Ukraine’…with ATGMs like Javelin? That’s pretty much all they got. The only thing they could do with those is defend themselves from Russia’s naked aggression.
And even then The US sold Ukraine Javelin’s in 2018, but refused to allow them into combat in Donbas until 2020 when it was clear that Russia was breaking all peace agreements and building up its forces as well as preparing its proxies for another invasion of Ukraine.
In 2020 the US government’s end use agreements allowed Ukrainian troops to actually bring these weapons to the front lines in Donbas, so long as they were used “defensively.” Initially, the Ukrainian government had been prohibited from deploying these weapons except in the event of a more overt westward Russian invasion of the country.
Not sure what planet you are living on but not even the military brass and politicians in the west expected Ukraine to survive Russia’s Feb 24 invasion precisely because we had not been giving them nearly enough weapons to do so…much less pose an actual threat to Russia.
Not. Even. Close.
As for Minsk + France, Germany, etc… they have basically admitted the folly of trusting Russia and now both of those countries have removed many prohibitions on supplying Ukraine with the weapons they need to fight Russian imperialism.
Back in the real world, Ukraine basically had no organized military in 2014, and the western allies helped to organize their command structure and give them training in fighting an insurgency in the event of the next expected Russian invasion.
Military officials call it the “Resistance Operating Concept”. It centers around building up the capacity of NATO members and friendly countries to mount an effective civil and military resistance if they were to face Russian invasion.
AFTER Ukraine proved to be able to defeat Russian in Kyiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv based on this concept, and with not much more than Javelin ATGMS and the remnants of the Soviet era equipment they had… only then did the west start supplying Ukraine with larger systems like HIMARS and 155mm artillery, among others.
Bottom line: your cherry picker schtick to pretend Russia is somehow a victim is an epic fail around here. Russia has never lived up to a single agreement it signed with Ukraine.
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 11:11 am
Rwerner,
Another cherry picker. You “conveniently” leave out Russia’s 2014 attempted coup in Ukraine to reverse 3 years of negotiating to join the EU and force Ukraine to join a trade deal with Russia.
It doesnt take a math wizard to realize that the EU’s $15 Trillion ish economy is more valuable to trade with than Russia’s $1 Trillion ish economy. Not to mention the EU trade relationship with the $25 Trillion ish US economy together completely dwarfs anything Russia has to offer.
As well, Ukraine’s president ordered police to fire on peaceful protesters, killing many of them. When he eventually realized that this violence would not deter the protesters, and some police began to refuse further orders of violence, he fled Ukraine to Russia.
AFTER “President” of Ukraine Yanukovych abandoned his post and fled to Russia, the Parliament of Ukraine voted on February 22, 2014 to “remove Viktor Yanukovych from the post of president of Ukraine” on the grounds that he was unable to fulfill his duties.
Furthermore, they voted to hold early presidential elections on May 25.
The revisionist history of pretending it was some nefarious activity on the part of Ukraine, or Victoria Nuland, or anyone other than Russia… is patently
absurd.
I could go on dissecting your cherry picking all day, but for now I digress.
TheDon
February 21, 2023 at 11:24 am
Couple A10s instead of F16s make the difference. Take out troops and tanks w one pass.
ME
February 21, 2023 at 12:12 pm
This article is complete and utter horse manure! Biden, the U.S. and NATO all pushed Ukraine into a war with Russia. With the exception of China, Korea, India and maybe a few other small countries, Russia is fighting a proxy war against the world. Biden is trying cover up his financial chicanery, the U.S. has been exposed for having biological weapons labs on the ground in the Ukraine, while the other NATO countries were bullied by the U.S. because none of them have the military might nor the fortitude to tell the U.S. to go pound sand. Not to mention that there are reports out of the Ukraine that they are using chemical weapons against Russian troops.
This is nothing more than a huge push for the New World Order. This isn’t a rightious war and the U.S. has no business in the Ukraine. You were right about one thing, this isn’t another Afghanistan or Iraq. It’s worse.
froike
February 21, 2023 at 12:35 pm
Negotiation is impossible with Putler. It was also impossible with Hitler. The only thing Dictators understand is show of force. As Hitler was defeated by Allied Cooperation, so will Putler be defeated by The US/NATO supplying needed weaponry to UKRAINE!
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 12:55 pm
ME,
LoL, what planet are you on? The US did not push Ukraine into war with Russia, and they expected Ukraine to lose quickly. The Us and NATO were giving Ukraine near zero weapons with which to defend themselves prior to Feb 24, 2022… and they were certainly not in a position to threaten Russia
That’s why Biden offered Zelensky safe passage out of Ukraine at the start of Russia’s naked aggression…to which Zelensky replied, ‘I dont need a ride, I need ammo’.
How it’s possible for some many people to invert reality and spew kremlin talking points that are so easily proven false is a wonder to me. Face Palm.
Malik Zakari
February 21, 2023 at 1:16 pm
You pro western analysts tell each other lies everyday that most of you already believe these lies. 1. This war was never about Russia annexing or destroying Ukraine as an independent country. Ukraine is too strong & too large for this. Mind you Ukraine is the second strongest military in Europe+ second largest in Europe. Ukraine is not so much of an Underdog. There are analogies in history & present. a India Vs Pakistan b. Iran Vs Iraq and many others. Your propaganda doesn’t stick.
Jim
February 21, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Gary stated, “Russia’s 2014 attempted coup in Ukraine to reverse 3 years of negotiating to join the EU and force Ukraine to join a trade deal with Russia.”
In other words, Russia supported the 2014 coup as, opposed to the U. S. and Victoria “handing out cookies” Nuland, “‘F’ the EU” Nuland, now chief factotum on Ukraine.
You’ve put out this version of events several times. The last couple of times I’ve seen this claim, I’ve asked you to provide an independent source to back this claim… (I’m happy to take the time to read it.)
I’m sorry, but your say so doesn’t make it so.
You never provided an independent source after I asked and so, I’ll ask again.
You can’t make up stuff and expect people to believe it especially when you get called on it… and never back it up….
It’s called presenting a knowing falsehood, hoping to get away with it among low information readers because of confirmation bias.
You do it because the 2014 coup is where the U. S. aggression (meddling) started in earnest, one example the Odessa trade union building fire where about 50 Ukrainians where murdered, burn alive in the building. They were kept in the building by thugs intent on their murder.
Gary, you’ve stated your motives many times, your bias & prejudice against Russia render your comments with minimum credibility.
Even with low information readers who are already disposed to accept what you put out… of course that is who you write for… anybody else already knows your mission, here… keep the cattle in line… like an old sheep dog.
Do you see that, low information readers, Gary has no qualms about misleading people on his own side… he looks down on them… holds them in contempt… as stupid Yahoos easy to manipulate.
Is that what you want to be?
ms
February 21, 2023 at 3:15 pm
The objection of Russian operation was and is
1. Stop genocide in Eastern Ukraine
2. Stop marching to EU and NATO
Both was achieved on treaty agreement last March till rudely interrupted by west. Sins Zelensky drain Europe and US, and still does. That cost almost 500K lives and west doesn’t rest.
Yrral
February 21, 2023 at 3:19 pm
European are reaping what they sowed with Putin, nobody are feeling sorry for them, nobody are in the business of propping up White European, especially at the expense of minority interest, the first shall be last ,and the last shall be first ,this is not the first time White European turn on each others,and it will not be the last
Yrral
February 21, 2023 at 3:25 pm
Gary Jacob,113 billion dollar in US aid ,cannot turn a whore into a housewife
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 3:45 pm
Jim,
LoL, it requires 5 minutes of basic research to get a grip on reality.
As well, you keep beating the Victoria Nuland drum as if she is some all powerful figure. She is not. It’s some of silliest broken record BS I have seen.
Furthermore, There are so very many sources to choose from reporting on Russian pressure against Ukraine in 2013-14 forcing them to not sign the deal with the EU it’s absurd for you to pretend it doesnt exist.
But then again you continue to prove time and again you dont know the first thing about research, history, or how to put any of it into proper context.
Here’s a few to start with:
The BBC has an article titled:
“Ukraine protests after Yanukovych EU deal rejection”
Published 30 November 2013.
The money shot from the article:
“Mr Yanukovych, who attended an EU summit in Lithuania on Friday cited pressure from Russia for his decision.”
The Guardian also reported on the subject in an article titled:
“Ukraine suspends talks on EU trade pact as Putin wins tug of war”
Their description of the situation is as follows:
“Following a secret meeting last week between Putin and Yanukovych, the Ukrainian prime minister, Mykola Azarov, went to St Petersburg on Wednesday to see Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian prime minister. Azarov described the talks as “one of the most productive meetings”. The government then said the preparations for the EU summit were being frozen “in the national interest”.
There is no common sense world where Russia could say anything but a threat in a private meeting like that which would somehow make it more appealing for Ukraine to sign a deal with Russia’s pittance of an economy over the EU and it’s trade relations with the US.
The NY Times has yet another story on the subject titled:
“Facing Russian Threat, Ukraine Halts Plans for Deals with E.U.”
The opening part of the article says it all:
“Under threat of crippling trade sanctions by Russia, Ukraine announced Thursday that it had suspended its plans to sign far-reaching political and trade agreements with the European Union and said it would instead pursue new partnerships with a competing trade bloc of former Soviet states.”
Basic research. Get some.
ME
February 21, 2023 at 4:45 pm
@Gary Jacobs
No need to slap yourself as your ignorance is painful enough. Putin was telling and has been telling the US and NATO to get out of his backyard for years. He didn’t want nukes parked in Ukraine and he knew of the bio labs that the US had in Ukraine. He was also concerned of the fact that the Ukraine was being considered to be a part of NATO. The Ukraine has been known to be one of the most corrupt governments in all of Europe and Zelensky has been nothing but a puppet. He’s a cross dressing, no talent comic that made a meteoric rise in popularity to become a world leader. Do you want to discuss how money has been laundered through the Ukraine using FTX crypto or how the US took out Nordstream?
You seem to be the one living in dreamland, not me. If you aren’t in dreamland you are living with a blindfold on and ear plugs in.
Walker
February 21, 2023 at 6:30 pm
@Me
“ Putin was telling and has been telling the US and NATO to get out of his backyard for years. ”
No, he has been telling us to get out of the neighbors yard for years. But the neighbors invited us. Putin and you imperialists call everyone’s yard yours. Ukraine is free to do what it wants as long as it doesn’t break any laws.
Russia made the Minsk 2 agreements with Europe. Putin complains that Ukraine was “planning to break the agreement so he had to invade”. He didn’t complain to Europe before. He didn’t give any warning. He didn’t wait until Ukraine did anything he just decided to attack because he was sure that Ukraine wasn’t going to keep the agreement. In fact before he attacked he even lied saying he wasn’t going to attack. This alone shows that Putin wasn’t dealing in good faith. His speech shows the complete truth by being so blatantly dishonest.
Jim
February 21, 2023 at 6:30 pm
Gary, those were negotiations, and there was a tug of war going on between the E. U. and Russia over whether Ukraine would enter a accession agreement with the E. U. for future membership in the E. U.
or
Enter an agreement with Russia for loans and other economic relationships.
The Ukrainian President, Mr. Yanukovych decided to back away from the E. U. accession agreement… yes, after extensive talks… negotiations.
Partly, because the accession agreement was expensive to Ukraine (like joining a private country club), while the Russian agreement would have immediate economic benefits, as opposed to the E. U. accession which only promised benefits at a future date with immediate up front cost from the get go.
Was political put on Ukraine’s President by both sides?
Of course it was.
Excuse me if I don’t worship the New York Times, but a threat is not a coup… hell, the U. S. issues threats all the time… but those threats don’t constitute a coup.
Again, that doesn’t constitute a Russian supported coup against the Ukrainian President.
Sorry, the articles you claim for support of your version of events don’t address your claim, whatsoever… don’t even make the allegation…
In fact the coup hadn’t happened on Nov. 30, 2013.
Talk about a red herring… providing articles that don’t address or support your claims is weak.
Baghdad Bob, play it again.
Tamerlane
February 21, 2023 at 7:38 pm
Gary, what universe are you living in? Russia was absolutely pushed into war with Ukraine by the United States. The U.S. encouraged a regional middle power to challenge a regional power, knowing that Russia would have to respond to protect its near regional interest. Ukraine within a bellicose and expansionist NATO is absolutely a threat to Russia, and it was intended to be such a threat. This is why Ukraine within NATO is such an existential interest and threat to Russians of all political or ideological stripes.
Also, that’s false, in 2014 we (the United States military—those of us here who have actually served anyway) were absolutely giving aid to the Ukrainians.
Russia is well aware of the fact that warmongers seeking WWIII like you are a minority here in the United States, and that to succeed, Russia simply needs to wait and attrit Ukrainian manpower and GDP, and the rest will resolve itself. Seeking the breakup of Russia is as foolhardy a policy as one could deliberately construct, as it would not only set a horrendous precedent for the de-imperialization/de-colonization of the United States (restoring to Mexico for instance its historical land which was imperialistically stolen by force of arms and repopulated), but would empower communist China massively, while placing our families and American lives in jeopardy of a nuclear war. It’s asinine, and yet, a year in, you keep pushing more and more for your failed ideas. Your efforts to get the United States into WWIII must fail, and should fail.
Also, are you seriously trying to argue that the US didn’t back a coup in Ukraine in 2014? Lol! I have ocean front property to sell you in Arizona!
JamesBond
February 21, 2023 at 7:46 pm
“The funny thing about Vietnam was, I was getting Time magazine.
It came in the mail.
I could read about my war as I was in the middle of it.
I would read what Lyndon Johnson would say, what McNamara would say and what Russ would say..
I don’t know what war they were talking about but that’s not what’s going on here.”
-William Ehrhardt, U.S. Marine in Vietnam, 1967-’68
ME
February 21, 2023 at 8:01 pm
@Walker
I wonder where the Russians got the idea that a country that boarders theirs was in their back yard? Was it Cuba in the 60’s? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s where the idea came from. The US made a big stink about nukes “in their backyard” and nearly went to war over it. Just because your neighbor has a gun on his property, that doesn’t make it okay for them to aim it into your window.
“Ukraine is free to do what it wants as long as it doesn’t break any laws”. This is funny. Give me a minute to get up off of the floor from laughing so hard. What exactly do you not understand about Ukraine being one of the most corrupt governments in Europe?
Serhio
February 21, 2023 at 9:09 pm
Gary Jacobs
“The Budapest Memorandum is the post Soviet founding document that Russia has never honored. No one with basic common sense should assume they have honored Minsk. They havent.”
I always say that Gary Jacobs is an ordinary propagandist. He always uses the same trick: he pretends to tell the truth, but he tells only part of the truth and is deliberately silent about the other part of it. And the other part of the truth is that none of the countries that signed the Budapest Memorandum (including the United States and Ukraine) have ratified this agreement. So it is not worth the paper on which it was printed. These are just beautiful words and intentions. Forget those words “Budapest Memorandum”. They are like the smoke of a hookah.
Gary Jacobs
February 21, 2023 at 9:36 pm
Jim,
LoL, you have officially taken the title of biggest excuse maker for Russian imperialism on this site.
The idea that you consider a coup Ukraine’s parliament voting out Yanukovych AFTER he ordered police to shoot at peaceful protestors and then fled to Russia when he failed to dissuade them… and then Ukraine’s parliament immediately scheduling new elections after voting him out…but somehow Russia strong arming Ukraine’s President to completely abandon his election platform and 3 years of negotiations with the EU is not a coup??… that takes the hypocrisy cake. Congrats.
As for the US ‘strong arming’…that’s a nice try at what-about-ism… I could crush your faux notion of smarts about it [as usual]…but the reality is that I am only interested in Russian imperialism against Ukraine and the rest of Russia’s neighbors in this context.
The US has made its fair share of mistakes over the years, but those have been few and far between in Eastern Europe… and on this one in particular the US is far and away on the right side of history.
You, on the other hand, are not.
Have a liberating day.
Yrral
February 22, 2023 at 6:44 am
Putin is pumping record amount of gas through Ukraine to Europe,while some ignorant American are paying for a war,that is being finance with Putin energy sales to Europe,see how Ukrainain portray lots of you ignorant,no fool like an American fool Google New Voice Ukraine
Yrral
February 22, 2023 at 9:49 am
Ukraine is reaping what it sowed with Putin,why should American be protecting people that presiding over their own demise,by financing their own demise by shipping gas to Europe, knowing it reason the war is still being fuel by Russian energy shipped through Ukraine
Jim
February 22, 2023 at 1:26 pm
An illegal & unconstitutional move backed by violence.
Your conceptions are distorted by your animus.
So, now, we get your back up: no coup ever happened.
I get it. Always deny, never admit, make counter accusations… you’re too obvious, it’s tough being saddled with weak material…
Ukraine is a train wreck… it’s a matter of how bad.
Your desires have no control over reality.