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Zelensky never wanted a war with Russia, won on a campaign of rapprochement with Russia, speaks better Russian than Ukrainian, had prewar business interests that extended into Russia and refused to believe Russia was going to invade until it pretty much happened (the CIA and MI6 tried to convince him months before he believed it). Then, after Ukraine’s surprising successes early on, it took Boris Johnson LARPing Churchill to persuade him into not signing the first reasonable deal Russia put on the table. This is all a matter of public record.
I think accusing Zelensky of being a warmonger seems therefore unreasonable. It seems very unlikely that a Russian-speaking PMC Jewish comedian and entertainment executive is some kind of hardcore blood and soil maximalist Azov Ukrainian ethnonationalist.
This was all true. But it's also hard to square that with the Zelensky of today asking for every weapon under the sun, wanting to make zero territorial concessions, and even "retake" Crimea which was only ever Ukraine's on paper. Like Trump, it's hard to tell if this guy got high on his own supply, or is merely bluffing to try to negotiate from a position of "strength". In which case, I don't much mind Trump bullshitting back. Zelensky wants to bullshit like they can push Russia back to 2014 borders? Fine, Trump can bullshit that he's 4% popular and started the war. If everyone is just making up bullshit, why not? The only one unhinged IMHO is the guy pissing off the state that has backstopped the defense of his nation. Maybe he's counting on the EU acting on their TDS and making up for this historic folly with material support that has thus far failed to materialize.
Either way I'd consider it a victory, so long as the US is disentangled from the whole enterprise. Although I'd be more happy with the war over so that the next Democrat in office doesn't just jump back in with both feet.
When did Zelensky ask for 'every weapon' under the sun? He clearly didn't, so what exactly do you mean? He is asking for what makes sense, the US and EU to assist in defeating or at least deterring Russia. If you ask me why that makes sense it would indicate a lack in your geopolitical knowledge and it would induce me to ask why you think you are capable of taking a position on this if you can't understand something as simple as that? Bullshitting and 'trolling' your ally and the person whose side you are supposed to represent in negotiations while supporting the other side's propaganda is the most insane thing you could say to support the lunatic's ramblings. Your last paragraph again indicates your lack of understanding of the greater picture. Would you be ok with Trump disentangling from NATO if the Russians decide to attempt to get a chunk of estonia? Because this is where this is heading when your own president is parroting enemy propaganda verbatim. I am sure you are also trying to explain away the guy's ramblings on Greenland and Canada. You guys elected a dummy that watches too much nonsense on twitter and you will say anything other than " oh shit we fucked up"..
Zelenksy blew past several red lines we had previously had in terms of aid because we didn't want the conflict to escalate. And time after time, he got what he wanted anyways, and often used it in ways to try to drag the US deeper into the conflict. Tanks, long range missiles, fighter jets. About the only thing he hasn't been given are nukes, so I suppose, yes, he hasn't been given literally every weapon under the sun. Previously the Biden administration has at least postured about not wanting Ukraine to use our long range missiles to strike inside Russia... which they did anyways.
Maybe the whole thing has been a pointless exercise in half measures. Maybe we shouldn't have slowly trickled increasingly sophisticated and destructive weapons into the conflict, and just gone all in. Maybe we shouldn't have kept up this pretense of trying not to escalate, and not enable strikes deep inside Russian territory, and just bombed the fuck out of a nuclear power. Maybe we should have just gone mask off and thrown all the US troops we had into the conflict and gotten it over with.
I mean, I don't think so. But maybe I'm wrong.
And if you don't think that's what we should have done either, the really only leaves winding this up. Most sober strategist now admit the war is unwinnable. The most we can get out of it is encouraging the Ukrainians to genocide themselves in the trenches to try to bleed Russia. Might be good for the US geopolitical interest, but it won't look like Ukraine "winning".
I have reiiterared my opinion on the issue I believe a couple of times. Both sides (biden and trump) are equally bad but for different reasons. 'Zelensky blew past several red lines ' like which? The only red lines he blew past , way too late in my opinion , were red lines that shouldn't have existed in the first place. The Biden admin was a weak admin headed by a bunch of peace loving staffers that had no idea what it takes to prosecute and ultimately win a war , they drip fed Ukraine and as a result we have the mess we have now. In regards to what you said , not drip feeding Ukraine is exactly what we should have done. Give them everything they need to shatter the russian force in Ukraine early in the war at the kharkiv counteroffensive and if Putin doesn't take the L and decides to go nuclear ( which he probably won't) , then you implement a no fly zone over Ukraine and merk everything with a Z on it. Sounds too risky? Well then I guess you can take half measures but don't be surprised when it backfires.
On the other side let's not fool ourselves that Trump is a man of logic and red lines. He is an impulsive guy with a bully mindset, sometimes if channeled correctly it can work , sometimes it won't. In this case it's backfiring since the man has clearly been corrupted by russian disinformation operations and so the bullying is focused on Ukraine. What does the war being unwinnable mean to you? Do you mean for the Russians? Because sure , the Russians unless we remove all assistance will literally never get exactly what they wanted and by default we win. Ukraine gets to live and fight another day so again that seems like a victory to me. The fact that Russian propaganda has convinced even you that the war is somehow unwinnable is maddening, this line of thinking is so problematic. Hearing ' to the last ukrainian ' and 'poor ukrainians are dying' from the people whose biggest celebration is their fanatical resistance to nazi germany and who today are getting slaughtered in the thousands for meters of empty land is absolutely wild.
I do have a couple of ideas on what the current best avenue of approach would be for NATO in Ukraine , but that would take too much writing and be speculation. What I am certain of is that Trump's position and rhetoric ensures that Ukraine gets fucked and that russia gets a blank check to do it again and unless he stays in power and goes full isolationist the next goverment will have to decide whether Estonia , Poland or Taiwan is worth dying over, because the message you give will be clear " Pump the air full of propaganda , and you can take whatever ".
Each evening before going to sleep I pray that during the night our leader gives the order to launch every ICBM at you.
Nope. Previous warning in the mod log for this same issue. Banned for a day, and the bans will rapidly escalate if you continue to communicate in this fashion.
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