And they made sure that we would subsidize the Ukrainian economy so that normal people wouldn’t even have to notice there was a war going on - except the mentally handicapped and the teenagers kidnapped on the streets sent to war, of course.
We need to stop funding Ukraine AT ALL and let the people of Ukraine see exactly what this clown-puppet of our Deep State clowns is doing to them.
Every day just means more and more dead.
Russia allied with China and the expansion of BRICs. Russia more closely cooperating with Iran and expanded influence in India (ignored by our media). Russia's massive increase in the size of their armed forces and defense spending while more aggressively operating against us in Africa, the Middle East, etc.
We have created an enemy to where we now need to take action. Pre-war, Russia was spending about the same percentage of their GDP on war as we were but with a much smaller economy, ~4%. They had ground forces about 55% ours, an air force 47% ours, and a navy 43% ours. They were a peacetime economy and the only area where they enjoyed parity with us was with their nuclear arsenal. In fact, BECAUSE Russia was conventionally so weak (hardly a near peer) we didn't take them serious and acted with impunity.
Sometimes, we “create” the enemy or threat we fear, through our own actions.
The economic and political challenges long term created by this conflict we started, the reemergence of a military threat, will be something we cannot ignore. And it was all unnecessary!
Rhetorical: Was NATO East expansion and ignoring Russia's protests/concerns worth it? https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-president-zelenskiy-holding-talks-with-biden-adviser-says-2021-12-09/