US has no good options in Ukraine

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

NP. Agreed. If the US and Europe made mistakes, it was this. Not responding strongly enough to Crimea. That's on Obama 100%. Then Trump holding Zelensky's request for arms hostage to his personal political goals also sent an additional and very bad message to Putin.

That said, I don't think this is fundamentally something Western powers could have stopped. Putin has his goals and he's had them a long time. He knows we fear nuclear war more than anything and he's taking advantage of that fact to take what he has always wanted. If we aren't willing to face the damage he will do will nukes, our only other option is to starve him of the funds he needs to pay for his military. That's going to hurt us too but it's the only way to beat him back into containment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that we should learn that the U. S. And Western Europe can’t and should not support secession and create small nations in Europe. The 1900s bs should not have continued in the 1990s.
Now you have broken Empires, states that have existed for 30 years and multi ethnic states that just can’t function.
This is not to excuse the invasion, nothing justifies what Russia is doing.
On the other hand nothing justified what the Western world has been doing for hundreds of years to rest if the world.

How did the US and Western Europe support the creation of small nations? Ukraine is the result of the break up of the USSR. Ukraine existed as an SSR, just as Russia did. What should the US/Western Europe have done after the USSR fell, to prevent all the SSRs from becoming independent countries?

I think you need to get some history background on this region, it's very complicated and there is no easy solution or an answer.

Can you identify anything I said in my post that is incorrect? Telling me “it’s very complicated” is a cop-out. Explain to me how the US & Western Europe are responsible for the creation of Ukraine as an independent state.

Everything in your post is incorrect. The West directly participated and encouraged the creation of new states.

The West directly participated in the fall of the USSR? Certainly we wanted it to happen and we encouraged it, but how did we directly participate in it? The USSR failed in large part due to critical internal economic and political problems, as well as the failed Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

+1

The nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl didn't help, either. The West had no part in that, it was the USSR's own hubris.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

NP. Agreed. If the US and Europe made mistakes, it was this. Not responding strongly enough to Crimea. That's on Obama 100%. Then Trump holding Zelensky's request for arms hostage to his personal political goals also sent an additional and very bad message to Putin.

That said, I don't think this is fundamentally something Western powers could have stopped. Putin has his goals and he's had them a long time. He knows we fear nuclear war more than anything and he's taking advantage of that fact to take what he has always wanted. If we aren't willing to face the damage he will do will nukes, our only other option is to starve him of the funds he needs to pay for his military. That's going to hurt us too but it's the only way to beat him back into containment.

I’m the PP. Right. And we have to fault Europe too. It took them a year to match the US’s sanctions after Crimea (which were weak in themselves). Putin got the message that he could annex a portion of a sovereign state and the West would do nothing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

NP. Agreed. If the US and Europe made mistakes, it was this. Not responding strongly enough to Crimea. That's on Obama 100%. Then Trump holding Zelensky's request for arms hostage to his personal political goals also sent an additional and very bad message to Putin.

That said, I don't think this is fundamentally something Western powers could have stopped. Putin has his goals and he's had them a long time. He knows we fear nuclear war more than anything and he's taking advantage of that fact to take what he has always wanted. If we aren't willing to face the damage he will do will nukes, our only other option is to starve him of the funds he needs to pay for his military. That's going to hurt us too but it's the only way to beat him back into containment.

I’m the PP. Right. And we have to fault Europe too. It took them a year to match the US’s sanctions after Crimea (which were weak in themselves). Putin got the message that he could annex a portion of a sovereign state and the West would do nothing.

PP here. Agreed. Europe absolutely should have been taking more responsibility for NATO and their common defense (in general) AND they should have responded more strongly to Crimea (in particular).

Putin wants the West to hurt. He will keep turning up the heat until we show him we're not afraid of it. This is the opposite of that old Sting song.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that we should learn that the U. S. And Western Europe can’t and should not support secession and create small nations in Europe. The 1900s bs should not have continued in the 1990s.
Now you have broken Empires, states that have existed for 30 years and multi ethnic states that just can’t function.
This is not to excuse the invasion, nothing justifies what Russia is doing.
On the other hand nothing justified what the Western world has been doing for hundreds of years to rest if the world.

How did the US and Western Europe support the creation of small nations? Ukraine is the result of the break up of the USSR. Ukraine existed as an SSR, just as Russia did. What should the US/Western Europe have done after the USSR fell, to prevent all the SSRs from becoming independent countries?

I think you need to get some history background on this region, it's very complicated and there is no easy solution or an answer.

Can you identify anything I said in my post that is incorrect? Telling me “it’s very complicated” is a cop-out. Explain to me how the US & Western Europe are responsible for the creation of Ukraine as an independent state.

DP, but you don’t know what you are talking about. The smaller countries that gained sovereignty after the breakup of the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia are all doing fine except for the few being menaced by Russia. None of them want to go backwards. The US didn’t force any of them to become independent nations. It’s what they wanted and in some cases what the fought for.

Yes, that’s what I said.

Sorry, I was responding to the stupid post above yours that said the independent countries can’t function.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that we should learn that the U. S. And Western Europe can’t and should not support secession and create small nations in Europe. The 1900s bs should not have continued in the 1990s.
Now you have broken Empires, states that have existed for 30 years and multi ethnic states that just can’t function.
This is not to excuse the invasion, nothing justifies what Russia is doing.
On the other hand nothing justified what the Western world has been doing for hundreds of years to rest if the world.

How did the US and Western Europe support the creation of small nations? Ukraine is the result of the break up of the USSR. Ukraine existed as an SSR, just as Russia did. What should the US/Western Europe have done after the USSR fell, to prevent all the SSRs from becoming independent countries?

I think you need to get some history background on this region, it's very complicated and there is no easy solution or an answer.

Can you identify anything I said in my post that is incorrect? Telling me “it’s very complicated” is a cop-out. Explain to me how the US & Western Europe are responsible for the creation of Ukraine as an independent state.

DP, but you don’t know what you are talking about. The smaller countries that gained sovereignty after the breakup of the USSR, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia are all doing fine except for the few being menaced by Russia. None of them want to go backwards. The US didn’t force any of them to become independent nations. It’s what they wanted and in some cases what the fought for.

Yes, that’s what I said.

Sorry, I was responding to the stupid post above yours that said the independent countries can’t function.

Ooh — no worries!

[Anonymous]

Let's keep the right perspective here.

No one said NATO doesn't have issues. Of course it does, like every other organization! None of us are perfect. None of us can predict the future.

But Putin and his inner circle are the ONLY ONES responsible for the genocide of Ukrainians right now. They are the murderers.

Trolls, do not sneak and attempt to deflect blame. I see you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Let's keep the right perspective here.

No one said NATO doesn't have issues. Of course it does, like every other organization! None of us are perfect. None of us can predict the future.

But Putin and his inner circle are the ONLY ONES responsible for the genocide of Ukrainians right now. They are the murderers.

Trolls, do not sneak and attempt to deflect blame. I see you.

It seems as though everyone wants to believe this could have been prevented if only the good guys had done something different to deter the bad guys. I mean yes, sure, maybe. But let’s focus here on who’s turning up the heat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Let's keep the right perspective here.

No one said NATO doesn't have issues. Of course it does, like every other organization! None of us are perfect. None of us can predict the future.

But Putin and his inner circle are the ONLY ONES responsible for the genocide of Ukrainians right now. They are the murderers.

Trolls, do not sneak and attempt to deflect blame. I see you.

Thank you for saying this, I agree.

Putin is a criminal and he is responsible for his choice to be a criminal. He would have had the same barbaric and greedy ideas no matter how firmly or aggressively Europe responded to his Crimean takeover - the only difference is that he would have hidden his motives better if he thought Europe was a stronger foe.

And he is responsible for that.

No victim-blaming here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

Except none of that happened and it’s been proven.

What’s also been proven:
Under Trump Russia didn’t invade or start wars. There was heavy sanctions on Russia and China

Under Obama and Biden - Russia invaded Ukraine. Once they annex and entire now they’re trying to rule the entire country. They know the weak empty suit Obama was not going to do much. They also know Biden can’t even complete a sentence let alone have good foreign policy. They see the Biden regime is more interested in pandering to work activists than anything else so they made their move.

We also know that Zelensky and others tried to get Biden to put sanctions in place but they didn’t…so now here we are

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

Except none of that happened and it’s been proven.

What’s also been proven:
Under Trump Russia didn’t invade or start wars. There was heavy sanctions on Russia and China

Under Obama and Biden - Russia invaded Ukraine. Once they annex and entire now they’re trying to rule the entire country. They know the weak empty suit Obama was not going to do much. They also know Biden can’t even complete a sentence let alone have good foreign policy. They see the Biden regime is more interested in pandering to work activists than anything else so they made their move.

We also know that Zelensky and others tried to get Biden to put sanctions in place but they didn’t…so now here we are

You actually raise some very good points.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

Except none of that happened and it’s been proven.

What’s also been proven:
Under Trump Russia didn’t invade or start wars. There was heavy sanctions on Russia and China

Under Obama and Biden - Russia invaded Ukraine. Once they annex and entire now they’re trying to rule the entire country. They know the weak empty suit Obama was not going to do much. They also know Biden can’t even complete a sentence let alone have good foreign policy. They see the Biden regime is more interested in pandering to work activists than anything else so they made their move.

We also know that Zelensky and others tried to get Biden to put sanctions in place but they didn’t…so now here we are

Crimea was annexed on Obama’s watch as well, and is probably what gave Putin the green light for this new invasion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

I never said Trump didn’t negatively impact things, but if you’ve been following Russia since 2014, you can see that the cycle of Putin becoming more aggressive globally really started with the Crimea annexation and the lackluster Western response.

Specifically, we should have placed US/NATO forces on high alert and placed US aircraft carriers in the Bosporus strait. European leaders should have called Putin and told him that if he does not withdraw all Russian presence from Crimea (outside of Black Sea fleet access, which we could negotiate), we will not remove the carriers. Blocking him into the Black Sea would have been disastrous for him and I believe there’s a chance he would have backed down at that point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IMO we need elder statesmen to be involved in some type of diplomatic resolution (and maybe they are, behind the scenes) Obama, Clinton, Bush, even Jimmy Carter. We need seasoned experienced leaders to get involved and behind this.

You are joking.
The same "seasoned experienced leaders" who have got us where we are?

I agree this administration has failed in its efforts. And, it makes me angry.
They didn't enact sanctions soon enough.
They didn't send lethal arms to Ukraine for their defense soon enough, even though they had weeks if not months to do this.
They are still buying oil from Russia.
These are the same people who planned the withdrawal from Afghanistan, so I was not optimistic.

But, most of the people you listed are not any more capable of dealing with Russia. Remember Hillary's "reset" with Russia? Remember what happened to Crimea under Obama?
And, Jimmy Carter? Probably the worst in terms of decision making when it comes to foreign policy?
No thanks.

Most of the things you suggest would have rapidly and needlessly escalated the situation. Also would have made it impossible for US to rally support from around the world and would have antagonized China.

We can't keep overstretching ourselves in conflicts around the world. The painful reality is that our leadership has to make very tough choices. I think Biden and team have handled this very well thus far.

BS. The situation escalated on Putin's timeline because we didn't act.
You are believing the narrative this administration is spinning because they have been utter failures.

The US was warning the world that Putin was going to invade, and no one believed them. Plenty of people on this site didn't believe it. How much could the US have done at that point?

Once Putin made the decision to invade, there was nothing the US could have done. Sending in troops to Ukraine would have led to Russians shooting at US soldiers, and vice versa. Does anyone really want the countries that hold the world’s two largest nuclear arsenals shooting at each other?

Honestly, we should have been more aggressive with Putin after he annexed Crimea. The US and European response to that was weak and sent the message to Putin that he could escalate and the response would not be anything he couldn’t handle.

By doing what? Specifically?

And how do you suppose Trump repeating Russian propaganda and the GOP falling in line may have negatively impacted things over the past 4 years?

I never said Trump didn’t negatively impact things, but if you’ve been following Russia since 2014, you can see that the cycle of Putin becoming more aggressive globally really started with the Crimea annexation and the lackluster Western response.

Specifically, we should have placed US/NATO forces on high alert and placed US aircraft carriers in the Bosporus strait. European leaders should have called Putin and told him that if he does not withdraw all Russian presence from Crimea (outside of Black Sea fleet access, which we could negotiate), we will not remove the carriers. Blocking him into the Black Sea would have been disastrous for him and I believe there’s a chance he would have backed down at that point.

Republicans would not support any democrat president. You reap what you sow.