I agree the Ukraine is not guiltless, and that Russia has a good case.
But, for heaven’s sake,none of it is the business of the US.
As John Adams said, While we encourage liberty abroad, we are custodians only of our own. And we do not go abroad to seek dragons to slay. (paraphrase).
And then there is Washington’s advice to stay out of foreign entanglements — because foreign nations would only wish to use us to aid their own causes.
It’s against international law to threaten a bridge like Ukraine has done. Russia has also broken a number of international laws. That said, we need both of them to behave so we can keep a balance of power and strategic and economic interests.
Our support for Ukraine might be justified if Russia were acting like Germany was acting before WW-II, when continual appeasement encouraged a Germany bent on conquest to continually push the envelope. But can we really say that, if we don’t reverse Russia’s acquisition of the Crimea, they’ll keep trying for more? And what is our stake in the Crimea? Russia certainly has more of a claim on the formerly Russian Crimea than Germany ever had over Poland and Austria.
“The United States does not have vital strategic or moral interests at stake in the overall Ukraine-Russia quarrel, much less the latest parochial spat in the Kerch Strait. A cautious, restrained posture is appropriate.”
There are dozens here on FR that will side with Ukraine, no matter what. No matter how illiberal they are in all their domestic and international affairs.
Because they share the same hatred of Russia that the Ukrainian government does.
Oh, and it’s none of our business here in the US. We don’t have a dog in that fight and never have.
Hopefully we never will.
Certainly any talk or hope of Ukraine joining NATO are the ramblings of the insane. Or the stupid.
But there are other Trump positions that are deeply disturbing, if not outright offensive to the kind of non-interventionists (or “cosmopolitan realists”) who have filled the ranks of Cato’s foreign policy program. Trump’s hostility to free trade is both disappointing and myopic. But his stance on immigration is even worse. His proposal to build a wall along the border with Mexico to keep out undocumented Hispanic migrants is not only impractical, it conveys a message of hostility to such populations. Trump’s stance on Muslim immigration, especially his call for a “temporary” ban, conveys such hostility with even greater clarity. His support for trade protectionism, combined with adamant opposition to liberal (or even reasonably humane) immigration policies and indeed his overall xenophobic rhetoric understandably alienate more cosmopolitan non-interventionists. What they may find difficult to admit, though, is that Trump’s type of insular, intolerant nationalism has a long history within the non-interventionist camp.
https://www.newsweek.com/where-trump-america-first-policy-falls-flat-463954
Sell the Ukraine out just like Great Britain did Czechoslovakia. Sure, why not what do you care if free Ukraine is once again subjugated under the merciless hob nailed boot of Russian tyranny.
Ronald Reagan
When the video first came out, former CIA Director Michael Hayden said on CNN that he found it "stunning" Russia would show a video depicting Florida getting nuked and said "clearly" Putin "wanted us to see that." https://www.businessinsider.com/putin-showed-video-of-nukes-hitting-florida-outraging-trump-2018-7
If Russia, which gained territory illegally thru threats, subversion and aggression, is allowed to dictate the terms of “free passage” on important water ways, then Iran will control the Straits of Hormuz and if the Houthis (Iran’s allies in Yemen) take over that country, they can claim control over the Red Sea and adjoining major bodies of water.
Stop aggression now, or Red China will rule the Pacific/South China seas and any other body of water they want to claim.
Actually helping the Ukraine requires much planning and hard work on getting past the corruption.
They never should have let John McCain into the country. Where he went chaos followed.
The straight is Russia.
Passage is only by Russian permission.
Ukranian vessels must obtain Russian permission to pass
It’s just that simple. All the pearl clutching is for show, theater
The damned Russians have to withdraw from Ukrainian territory before I’ll consider any act by the Ukrainians to be ‘wrong’.
And I do not GAF about any BS arguments that try to legitimize the Russians cowardly invasion of Ukraine and I further oppose this whole propaganda push of the last few weeks that seeks to justify the Russian’s theft of Ukrainian territory.
I am convinced that this latest propaganda push is an effort to set the stage for the next Russian attack against Ukraine.
I expect that sometime in late February or early March the Russians will invade the rest of Ukraine and annex past the Dneiper River. I also expect that the bastards will conduct airstrikes on Kiev and other cities in Ukraine to try to force the Ukrainians to surrender half of their territory to the bastard Russian thieves.
And it IS in the interests of the USA to stop the Russian effort to reoccupy the former Soviet slave states.
It doesn't. But Ukraine has never had any blind support. In fact, barely any.