Russia and Ukraine

[Pat Mustard]

Defeating Russia in Ukraine quickly would allow him to better focus on China. If, as you assert, that is his goal, then he ought to give more, and more deadly, aid to Ukraine, not less.

D. Trump might not be the most virtuous man on earth but I think he knows what he is doing on this issue. Afghanistan was a financial quagmire for the United States. There was no other solution for the US but to stay there indefinitely. Because it was not possible to create a Taliban-Proof Afghan government because the Afghan Government was basically a thing on paper that has nothing to do with the democratic governments in Japan or South-Korea after the end of the war in these regions.
 
I don’t know if Ukraine is very different from that. Let me explain: Many Ukrainians have simply fled the country and are not paying the ultimate price for their freedom. Corruption is also very widespread (like in many former-socialist countries). But it is true that the majority of Ukrainians will fight the Russians until the end if they have to.
 
Still: Russia is a formidable opponent. Putin is making the economy work based on military spending and export of oil. Russian who are not at the front have a rather good life with a good income. As strange as it mat sound, with 1/4th of the workforce dead or fighting on the front and another 1/4th who have fled to whatever country they can, the one who remain have good job offers and salaries. There are even people who come from central Asian states to work and end up being recruited in the Russian military.
 
So Russia is like another planet (for the first time since the end of the USSR). So you cannot defeat them “quickly”.
 
But as I said, A more emotional person may not have seen this as it is in both countries.
 
In fact the only issue with Trump is that the US might become a less democratic country when he is gone. That would be my focus if I was a US citizen.

TACO doesn't know what day of the week it is or what house he's living in, never mind what he's doing at any given moment.