Before Putin and Trump cut them off
Maybe NATO needs to wake up to the reality that the U.S. is now politically dysfunctional and the GOP is not going to green light enough support to Ukraine to hold its defence.
To avoid a catastrophic defeat for Ukraine and the West/EU/NATO, we need to think quickly and outside the box. Necessities now should be:
1. Extend a NATO missile defence to Ukraine, as currently being offered to Israel by the West. This can be provided externally to Ukraine from systems operated by NATO border states. NATO is not becoming party to a direct conflict with Russia as neither the U.S., U.K. or Jordan have by shooting down Iranian missiles heading for Israel. NATO just needs to find its balls before Putin cuts them off.
2. Allocate the full $330 billion in immobilised Russian assets to Ukraine’s defence. If the West is unable to provide adequate funds for Ukraine’s defence let Putin provide the funds to allow Ukraine to buy its own arms/munitions. If Zelensky had $330 billion to buy arms, even Trump and the GOP could not say no.
3. Adopt a zero tolerance on Russia approach to sanctions. Massively ramp up secondary sanctions on third country sanctions busters. Change the default setting on sanctions to zero trade with Russia being permitted except where special licences are approved – we could set the implementation date sufficiently far in the future (3-5 years hence) to limit the near term disruption to global markets. But the signalling impact to global markets would be immense – get out of Russia.
And if the West is not willing to do these, then it should start to think thru what a Russian victory in Ukraine means – and begin to plan for that. It means a huge economic hit to Europe in defence spending (hundreds of billions more a year), tens of millions of Ukrainian migrants moving West, socio-economic, political and security crisis (wars) in Europe and the collapse of the Euro.
…….
Me on Times Radio a few weeks back talking about Ukraine, Russia, et al.
Putin’s war economy ‘has grown weaker’ as West considers ‘zero trade option’ | Timothy Ash
Russian missiles slam into a Ukraine city and kill 13 people as the war approaches a critical stage:
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/russian-missiles-slam-ukrainian-city-081428281.html
RuZZia is evil.
After this attack on Crimea, the orcs took their revenge by attacking the apartment block in Chernihiv. Meanwhile, Congress dithers as genocide is being committed.
I hate the aid-blocker nazis almost as much as I hate the putler murder gang.
This might explain why the US are supporting Israel so much.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/10/congress-member-pro-israel-donations-military-support
“And if the West is not willing to do these, then it should start to think thru what a Russian victory in Ukraine means – and begin to plan for that. It means a huge economic hit to Europe in defense spending (hundreds of billions more a year), tens of millions of Ukrainian migrants moving West, socio-economic, political and security crisis (wars) in Europe and the collapse of the Euro.”
and beyond the annihilation of Ukraine of course, most certainly the end or at least the redefinition of all transatlantic treaties between Europe and the USA (TAFTA, arms contract…). The crisis will strengthen populist movements in Europe which will seek more isolationist or shamefully “neutral” policies. I even think that some people will not hesitate to discreetly buy Russian gas again rather than American liquefied gas.
We have everything to gain from supporting Ukraine at any cost. Even being fucking selfish people who don’t respect the treaties we sign or the promises we make.
Just regaining dignity, self-esteem and respectability in international relations should motivate us to help Ukraine, but we are not going to ask too much of all these brains damaged by the hammer blows of Nazi propaganda from Moscow.
“ We have everything to gain from supporting Ukraine at any cost. Even being fucking selfish people who don’t respect the treaties we sign or the promises we make.” I assume you are referring to all the selfish free loading non US Nato members who refuse to respect the promises they have made? You know the nations that are still NOT spending 2%of their gdp on defense and have allowed their militaries and military industrial base to shrivel to a joke??? The ones still waiting for the US taxpayers to eternally spend the money for the US to defend their selfish countries?
“Just regaining dignity, self-esteem and respectability in international relations should motivate us to help Ukraine,” Sorry it is a lost cause for the US to regain respectability and dignity as that was all lost with the unbelievably amateur hour Afghanistan withdrawal. Under the Biden administration’s failed foreign policy and military leadership, America is now a joke and is neither feared or respected by anyone and the entire world is on fire as we are on the edge of WWIII.
We should help Ukraine because it is the moral and ethical path and the Ukrainian military and civilians are suffering at the hands of a corrupt and evil Russian dictator. The failure of our President’s administration and the Pentagon to decisively lead in the first two years of the war and Congresses refusal to pass timely Ukrainian aid is criminal. Unfortunately it clearly demonstrates the pettiness, senility, decadence and corruption of our DC elites.