Putin’s most important allies at the ballot box. They will very possibly be at the mercy of Trump and Putin if Trump wins. He will apparently take further aid off the table, and then we’ll have to see if enough of that gap can be filled for Ukraine to avoid becoming a puppet, or worse. Of course, if Trump loses, his allies may still be able to obstruct in Congress.

I really think you have all this completely backwards. Putin really can’t win if the west remains united in the effort to stop him in his tracks. He has more bodies than Ukraine, and he’s willing to kill any number of them, but Ukraine has morale and should have much more advanced weaponry (even with our hesitation to provide some advanced systems), which is why Russia ran into a brick wall from the start. It’s Putin who can’t win - not as long as Ukraine wants to remain independent, and I see no expiration date on that. Not unless his allies in the west, like Orban and Trump, succeed - that’s Putin’s only hope.

Rock solid support for Ukraine and Taiwan ensures we rebuild our own military industrial base for threats from major powers after decades of fighting insurgencies, and reduces the chances we’ll ever have to use those weapons ourselves in anger. I honestly can’t begin to understand your conclusions. Putin can ONLY win if the west assists him. There is no other way. And helping Ukraine actually helps us - economically and militarily. Your POV, which is broadly held by repubs (who are no longer the party of Reagan - they’ve become the protectionist isolationists of the ‘30s), makes absolutely no sense to me.
[Post edited by hoolstoptheheels at 03/13/2024 10:52AM]