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Notes -
I was thinking more about actual hardware, rather than squabbles over who pays for it. You also seemed to have skipped over the other questions I asked.
They're detached from reality, and the problem is endemic to the entire elite class of Europe.
I think it's very relevant who pays for it. Paying for it is the act of an ally, selling that of a neutral. Refusing to sell is hostile, it's siding with Russia - and we haven't even officially ended our alliance yet.
I don't understand your other question, the argument against appeasement. I have neither desire nor need to appease Russia, none. They are evil and weak and getting weaker every day. They should get kicked harder, bleed some more. We should escalate.
I think it's even more relevant for the physical object that you want to buy to actually exist, and to have a willing seller.
The question was whether or not Europe can defend itself without the US, if the answer is "yes, as long as we're still allied" that doesn't actually answer the "without the US" part.
You said Russia is not a threat. If it's not a threat, than the argument "if we let them take Ukraine, they'll come for us next" makes absolutely no sense. You can say you don't want to give them Ukraine either way, which is fine, but the argument itself makes zero sense, and yet it was quite common for politicians to use it.
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