Posted on 02/20/2023 2:18:05 AM PST by Zhang Fei
President Joe Biden visited Kyiv on Monday for the first time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, demonstrating in dramatic personal fashion his commitment to the country and its struggle as the war enters an uncertain new phase.
While in Kyiv, Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as well as first lady Olena Zelenska at the Ukrainian presidential palace.
Biden’s visit comes at a critical moment in the 12-month conflict, with Russia preparing for an expected spring offensive and Ukraine hoping to soon retake territory. The United States and other western nations have been rushing arms, tanks and ammunition to Ukraine in the hopes of changing the trajectory of the war.
By visiting in person, Biden is offering a singular image of American support for Zelensky, who has spent the past year attempting to rally the world behind his home nation and appealing for greater levels of assistance.
Zelensky himself traveled to Washington in December to meet Biden in the Oval Office and speak to a joint session of Congress – his first trip outside Ukraine since the war began.
The Ukrainian leader invited Biden to visit Kyiv months ago, saying he believed it was important for the US leader to see the situation up close.
“I think he’s the leader of the United States, and that’s why he should come here to see,” Zelensky said in April during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper. As recently as last week, Zelensky said his invitation for Biden to visit Ukraine remained open, even as he acknowledged there were other means for them to speak.
“President Biden and I meet occasionally. You know that we have invited the President. I think he will be happy to visit Ukraine if he has the opportunity.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Military aid to Ukraine is very misunderstood because military accounting is faulty and good people don’t know that.
When the military acquires an artillery rocket with a 40-year expiration date in 1984 for $2000 then they will record its value as purchase price * inflation for all these years until the decommission date.
This rocket might be listed as $10,000 in the year 2023 and will turn to -$1,000 the next year because it costs $1,000 to decommission it.
That is illogical, but that’s how they do their accounting.
If you give this rocket to Ukraine now then it records as a $10,000 donation and you’ve rid yourself of that rocket. If you wait until the next year then you have a $1,000 liability because you have to destroy the expired artillery rocket.
[CNN?? It’s BS. No doubt stock video. Biden is in DC sitting on his favorite toilet and sniffing his favorite staff.]
Go Red Blob!
Putin and his warmongers are not Christian.
What about Palestine Ohio? This man is truly a giant POS!
Probably to pick up his “10% For The Big Guy” Check.
No worries, Jao Xiden is just the bagman for Hunter these days knowing the feds will protect him from any crimes.
... to clarify. I took the decommissioning cost - $1,000 - from an M26 artillery rocket. That’s how much it costs to destroy it.
Other costs I didn’t check and just made up examples as a concept.
Even with only looking at the M26 rocket - it will likely cost something like $30 to transport it to Ukraine and $1,000 to destroy it. You gain $970 for every rocket and it is likely to be recorded as a huge donation.
Went to pick up his 10% personally...
Re: 5 - oh grow up, and knock it off.
>> We on this side of politics need to grin and bear it.
No, “we” don’t.
So who do you two report to at State? Victoria Nuland, directly?
>> We on this side of politics need to grin and bear it.
No, “we” don’t.
So who do you two report to at State? Victoria Nuland, directly?
Thanks
Did he travel by balloon to reduce his carbon footprint?
If only the secret service would abandon biden close to a roadside tank
Burisma the golden goose for Biden family, is therefore now under Zelensky control, with the Russian owners fled to Russia. Great time for Biden to go to Ukraine to collect his 15% (that 10% was when Biden was vice president under Barack Hussein).
>> What about Palestine Ohio? This man is truly a giant POS!
Yes, and what about Texas, Arizona, New Mexico? What about 150,000 AMERICANS! dead each year from Fentanyl? What about defending AMERICA for a change, you giant POS Biden?
The liberals just love this war, don’t they? I remember in 1965, they couldn’t get enough of Lyndon Johnson’s escalation and stupid war strategy. Four years later, it was “Nixon’s War” which he tried to resolve while the liberals did everything they could to undermine it. The same thing will happen with Ukraine. Unbelievably crazy.
WH is wagging the dog very hard.
Congressional hearings must be going well!
Krosan: [Military aid to Ukraine is very misunderstood because military accounting is faulty and good people don’t know that.
When the military acquires an artillery rocket with a 40-year expiration date in 1984 for $2000 then they will record its value as purchase price * inflation for all these years until the decommission date.
This rocket might be listed as $10,000 in the year 2023 and will turn to -$1,000 the next year because it costs $1,000 to decommission it.
That is illogical, but that’s how they do their accounting.
If you give this rocket to Ukraine now then it records as a $10,000 donation and you’ve rid yourself of that rocket. If you wait until the next year then you have a $1,000 liability because you have to destroy the expired artillery rocket.]
The issue with Biden’s policies re Ukraine isn’t even the money authorized by Congress. The way Biden is supplying Ukraine with weapons, if he could get away with it, he’d try to pull the same trick Truman did in starving the Nationalist government while pretending he was doing his best, by putting an absurd value on the equipment sent. Imagine the guy sending one M-16 rifle and assigning to it a value of $100b. That’s the kind of sleazy stunt he would pull if anyone weren’t looking. General Wedemeyer had Truman’s number, but being a soldier instead of chief executive, could do nothing about Truman’s policies:
Lacking confidence in the Nationalist government caused by Joseph Stilwell and George Marshall’s meddling, President Harry S. Truman not only rejected the recommendations in the report but also imposed an arms embargo against the Nationalist government]
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