[Always A Marine]

People should have figured out by now that Trump uses public theater to distract from important work going on beneath the surface. "Kayfabe" creates the illusion of personal conflict that masks how the supposed "enemies" are working together to reach a common goal. And to be clear, none of us has any idea what Trump and Putin said in their phone conversation.

Russia is cleaning up the mess that our nation-building zealots created in Ukraine with the intent to destabilize and topple Russia's government and break it up into many small and exploitable nations. That scheme failed because of Vladimir Putin, and now Russia is methodically demilitarizing and de-nazifying Ukraine and ultimately preventing a hostile military alliance from dominating the Black Sea and deploying its land forces within 300 miles of Moscow. Russia is doing exactly what we would do if Canada or Mexico aligned with foreign powers against us. Putin is not tired of winning, and he will stop when the job is done.

Likewise, do not be misled by those who measure victory only by conquered territory. Dashing for land alone often creates a "tar baby" that may require many years to occupy, suppress, and pacify - a long and expensive proposition that a victor might tire from and eventually abandon. By contrast, Russia is totally destroying Ukraine's means and will to fight even while NATO stubbornly doubles down on its failed gambit by emptying its own stocks of weapons and ammunition.

When Ukraine finally collapses militarily, areas within its artificial boundaries which are historically Russian will return to Russia, those that are Hungarian will return to Hungary, and those which are Polish will return to Poland. What will remain of Ukraine will be a landlocked rump state that will no longer threaten Russia with the meddling of hostile foreign powers.

[tlozo]

Russia is cleaning up the mess that our nation-building zealots created in Ukraine

This is Putin signing a treaty with Ukraine, the 2003 “Treaty Between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Russian–Ukrainian State Border”. It set Ukraine’s borders as they were in 1991 & was lodged with the UN.

Its why Finland dropped 75 years of neutrality with Russia and quickly joined NATO, its treaties with Russia were worthless.

[Petrosius]

Russia is cleaning up the mess that our nation-building zealots created in Ukraine with the intent to destabilize and topple Russia's government and break it up into many small and exploitable nations.

And exactly how was an independent, westward looking Ukraine going to destabilize and topple Russia's government? You are overlooking the fact that Putin and his fellow Russian nationalists have always had eyes on Ukraine. They invaded, not because they feared NATO, but because they did not and thought they could get away with it.