Unless you can provide proof, it still looks to me as if Russia has the upper hand, even with American & N.A.T.O. involvement."
Russia certainly had the "upper hand" in February 2022, when they again invaded Ukraine.
And with that upper hand they roughly doubled the amount of Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia.
But they did not succeed in conquering Ukraine and in time were thrown out of Kiev, Kharkiv and Kherson or about half of the newly conquered territories.
And so things have stood since October, 2022, with only very minor changes in battle lines.
First, we were told to expect a Winter Offensive by both sides, then they said winter was too short for a real offensive so expect now a Spring Offensive when the ground hardens again.
In the meantime, both sides are enlisting allies wherever they can, in Russia's case, notably China.
Western nations are increasing thour support for Ukraine, sending ever higher technologies requiring more specialized training.
How all this will play out, nobody knows, but I would not automatically assume Ukraine's defeat.
Robert DeLong: "I think American weakness is very real, as well as, deeply compromised.
We are currently 31.633 trillion dollars in debt.
At the end of 2022 the debt was $30,824 billion (30.8 trillion) & 123% of DEBT-TO-GDP ratio. Which means we have added almost another trillion.
Debt Clock - US National Debt by Year"
I agree the national debt could be a huge problem, and it has already driven up inflation rates to historically high levels.
And with the Fed raising interest rates, we could be facing recession too.
On the other hand, all of these are deliberate political choices by our Democrat administration, and so quickly reversed and soon enough corrected by determined Republican leadership, hopefully beginning in 2025.
As of today the US and our allies are far from defeated or helpless.
Robert DeLong: "In addition, Biden is hollowing out the military with "vaccine" mandates, of those refusing to take the "vaccine".
They claim that they have lost no military personnel due to the mRNA rollout, by adverse events or deaths."
It is sadly true that Democrats, by their nature, deeply corrupt and eventually destroy whatever they can touch, with prime examples being our law enforcement in big cities and in Washington, DC.
The military is no exception and we are now in grave danger.
But that danger is not a function of our support for Ukraine, nor can it ever be corrected by Democrats.
Only Republicans can and will make it right again.
Robert DeLong: "Though of course the way you state it; no possibility Russia will ever impose its tyranny over free Ukrainians,has a ring of truth to it.
If they are free, then Russia was defeated.
I still see no evidence that the final outcome will be Russia being defeated, and thus free of Russian tyranny.
Either way, China comes out on top."
Vlad the Invader was thrown out of Kiev, Kharkiv and Kherson but still controls more Ukrainian territory than he did in January 2022.
What will happen in the coming months is anybody's guess.
For sure, China will benefit the most, but that choice was Putin's, to make war against Europe and ally with China.
I don't think there was any way, short of our abject surrender to Vlad the Invader, for us to prevent it.
Robert DeLong: "What about the tyranny of this country, which I see creeping further & further into becoming the reality.
Our defeating Russia, would only cement that reality of tyranny controlling this nation.
This conflict is a distraction designed to engage the attention of people away from what is happening to our country.
Do you not see that?"
I'm sorry, but life is tough, and we must be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.
Democrats' victories at the ballot boxes have nothing to with Ukraine's success or failure on the battlefield.
We don't get our Free Republic back if Ukraine loses and we don't lose to Democrat tyranny if Ukraine wins.
They are unrelated.
Our President, Donald Trump, has said that defeating Democrats at the ballot box will require Republicans learn to play the Democrats' own games better than Democrats do.
And in some states we do this already -- Florida and Texas come to mind. But in battleground states we need a new plan and perhaps new leadership to execute it.
Robert DeLong: "Why would they be concerned about Ukraine's sovereignty, & the integrity of their borders, while they could careless about ours?
Now, if you can show me how you can square that circle with a straight face, then I'll concede my argument to be lost."
I promise, there's no smile on my face.
Our Democrats are not "careless" about our border security, rather, they've opened up our borders deliberately in order to import millions of new Democrat voters and permanently shift the political balance of power in their favor.
It will not stop until we somehow elect new leadership.
None of this has anything to do with Ukraine. 