NATO allies are intended to act as one in their common defense.
So, for practical defense purposes, NATO makes Americans Europeans and Europeans Americans. It's all about "one for all and l for one."
The fact is that no sane person wants madman Putin to win, or wants to be responsible for Ukraine being defeated.
The only argument against that makes sense to me is the one made be Republicans like Rand Paul and Jim Jordan, namely, that we need to be more certain that our aid is actually going for its intended purpose.
I agree and expect them to do that starting next year.
I also expect Pres. Trump to negotiate a just peace there, starting in 2025.
But in the meantime, we have to do the best we can with what we have.
SmokingJoe "We have ZERO obligations to waste $70 billion of money that we borrowed on a country like Ukraine."
Sure, you can close your eyes to reality all you want and deny its existence as much as you wish.
But reality remains true, regardless of what you say about it.
Reality remains 1) The US promised to defend Ukraine in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, 2) US weakness in the Afghanistan skedaddle helped provoke madman Putin's invasion of Ukraine and 3) the long term harm from a Ukraine defeat will be far greater than the $billions we're talking about now.
SmokingJoe: "Let the Europeans sort out their own mess."
For purposes of national defense, we are Europeans and they are Americans. Get used to it.
SmokingJoe: "That $70 Billion we are wasting on Ukraine, would get a home for every single homeless person in San Francisco and the whole of California and more."
Once again, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."
Homelessness in San Francisco has NOTH8NG to do with a lack of money, and EVERYTHING to do with insane Democrat party politics.
All the money in the world won't help those homeless until insane Democrats are voted out of office.
SmokingJoe: "if they get themselves into yet another war."
Ukraine was invaded, unprovoked, by a madman who must not succeed in such behavior, or we will see much, much more of it.
Then the costs will not just be a few $billions.
That makes America a part of Europe?
Nope.
So, for practical defense purposes, NATO makes Americans Europeans and Europeans Americans. It's all about “one for all and l for one.”
Nonsense.
Can you even imagine Europe spending a massive $70 billion of their money to defend America if America were invaded?
With the American president demanding that Europe not only supply America with free arms, he also demands that Europe pays for their entire budget and national expenses like Zelensky is doing right now?
Not gonna happen. Ever.
But reality remains true, regardless of what you say about it.
Reality remains 1) The US promised to defend Ukraine in the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, 2) US weakness in the Afghanistan skedaddle helped provoke madman Putin's invasion of Ukraine and 3) the long term harm from a Ukraine defeat will be far greater than the $billions we're talking about now.
1. We did NOT promise to defend Ukraine, pay for all their arms and weapons for free and essentially pay for their entire domestic bills and budget like Zelensky is demanding. That's NUTS.
2. Dementia Joe's surrender in Afghanistan to the Taliban after 20 years of fighting was terrible, yes.
But we went to Afghanistan to take out Al Queda after 9/11. We were defending ourselves not fighting another country's war.
3. There is no “long term harm” to America from Ukraine signing a peace deal with Russia now, instead of putting the whole world at risk of nuclear war.
Ukraine is not that important for the fate of humanity tpo dumped into the garbage for.
For purposes of national defense, we are Europeans and they are Americans. Get used to it.
Nope.
And I have lived in Europe before. Europeans in general do NOT consider themselves Americans in any way.
The have looked down in Americans for a very long time.
Homelessness in San Francisco has NOTH8NG to do with a lack of money, and EVERYTHING to do with insane Democrat party politics.
All the money in the world won't help those homeless until insane Democrats are voted out of office.
Forget about "all the money in the world". Just give me that $70 Billion and I'll get every homeless person in San Francisco a real home to live at.
Ukraine was invaded, unprovoked, by a madman who must not succeed in such behavior, or we will see much, much more of it.
Ukraine was invaded, yes.
But was it totally unprovoked?
Nope.
You think America for example, would sit idly by if Russia was making moves to build a military base in Mexico?
How'd Nikita Khrushchev’s Cuban missile build up go for example?
Not to mention countries are regularly invaded throughout the world. We have no business running ourselves into massive debts defending every country that is invaded.