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LIVE: Putin Attacks Ukraine, The West Will Respond With Sanctions, Strongly Worded Letters

LIVE: Putin Attacks Ukraine, The West Will Respond With Sanctions, Strongly Worded Letters

I don’t know. Maybe the West should have taken Russia and Putin seriously a long time ago, but especially in 2014 when he annexed Crimea.
Posted by Thursday, February 24, 2022 at 09:00am
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I admit it. I was iffy with the thought of Putin going all out on the entire Ukrainian country because he owns Europe with his grasp on the world’s energy supply.

But when you smell blood in the water you go for the throat. And when you know your adversaries won’t respond in an efficient way then why not.

Zelensky: No One Answered When Asked About Ukraine Joining NATO

Wusses.

Ukraine: Men 18-60 Cannot Leave

Since Ukraine declared martial law, men aged 18-60 cannot leave the country:

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine reports that due to the imposition of martial law in Ukraine, the departure of a certain category of citizens from Ukraine is temporarily restricted.

In particular, male citizens of Ukraine aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine.

Such a rule will apply for the period of martial law.

We ask citizens to take this information into account.

Live Cam Stream

You can watch a live cam in Kyiv on YouTube.

Ukraine Reclaims Strategic Airport

3:53 PM ET:

Biden Announces Sanctions, But Not Against the Big Sectors

I’ll write a separate post on the sanctions, but this is important:

U.S. President Joe Biden says the sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine will not disrupt the global oil and natural gas markets.

Biden says, “Our sanctions package is specifically designed to allow energy payments to continue.”

The president announced a series of sanctions at a White House speech Thursday. The sanctions include restrictions on exports to Russia and sanctions on Russian banks and state-controlled companies.

Biden Will Talk at 1:30 PM ET

Russians Protesting Against War

Russia has Chernobyl

Welp.

Strongly Worded Letter!

12:33 PM ET: Honestly, it’s all the United Nations Security Council can do:

A senior U.S. official says the U.N. Security Council is expected to vote Friday on a resolution condemning Russia in the strongest terms possible for attacking Ukraine and demanding the immediate withdrawal of all its forces — knowing that Russia will veto the legally binding measure.

The United States believes it is very important to put the resolution to a vote to underscore Russia’s international isolation, and emphasizes that the veto will be followed quickly by a resolution in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly where there are no vetoes, the official said Thursday. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

“This is a first step in how the U.N. responds to this premeditated war of choice that Russia has chosen to take, and we will see action in the General Assembly in the coming days,” he said, adding that it is part of a much broader, coordinated response that includes steps the Biden administration and its allies are taking.

Russia Taking Chernobyl?

10:14 AM ET: President Zelensky said Russian troops are trying to take Chernobyl.

NATO Confirms It Will Not Send Troops to Ukraine

10 AM ET: I knew it. After all, Ukraine is not a NATO member:

NATO has no troops inside Ukraine and has no plans to send any into the country, the alliance’s Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, told a news conference on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“There are no NATO combat troops, no NATO troops at all inside Ukraine. We have made it clear that we don’t have any plans and intention of deploying NATO troops to Ukraine,” he said.

“What we have made clear is that we have already increased and we are increasing the presence of NATO troops in the eastern part of the alliance on NATO territory.”

Japanese Ambassador

9:58 AM ET: The Japanese ambassador to Ukraine is a badass. (It looks like this was posted on February 15) But still. He did it to show his support!

Putin’s Address

At 6 AM Moscow time on February 24 (meaning like 10 PM ET February 23) Putin, likely from a pre-recorded message) said Russia will “conduct a special military operation.” The entire transcript is at The Sydney Morning Herald. Here is a snippet:

I made a decision to conduct a special military operation. Its goal is to protect people who have been abused by the genocide of the Kyiv regime for eight years. And to this end, we will strive for the demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine, as well as bringing to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians, including citizens of the Russian Federation.

At the same time, our plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. We are not going to impose anything on anyone by force. At the same time, we hear more often lately from the West that documents signed by the Soviet totalitarian regime that fixed the results of the Second World War should not be implemented.

Someone tell Putin that Ukraine’s president and prime minister are Jewish.

Here are confirmed attacks on Ukraine. I *think* the majority aimed at military places, but reports indicate 40 people died.

Pictures and Videos

West’s Response

Diplomacy because that has worked so well since Putin came to power in 2000. Sanctions and strongly worded letters:

European Union leaders will discuss new, tougher sanctions on Russia at an emergency meeting later on February 24 in reaction to its “barbaric attack” on Ukraine, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

“We will hold President [Vladimir] Putin accountable for that,” von der Leyen said.

“With this package, we will target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking their access to key technologies and markets,” she said in a statement to the media. “We will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said the bloc will slap the harshest package of sanctions ever implemented on Russia.

“The European Union will respond in the strongest possible ways…(EU leaders) will adopt a stronger package, the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented,” he told reporters in Brussels.

I don’t know. Maybe you should have taken the situation seriously when Putin annexed Crimea in 2014? It gave him a perfect military base in the Black Sea. Maybe you should have made Ukraine a member of NATO and the EU a long time ago?

A little too late. Now you all care so much about Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the organization would “defend ‘every inch’ of its members’ territory.” That does not include Ukraine:

“We must respond with renewed resolve and even stronger unity,” Stoltenberg told a news conference after conducting an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors in Brussels.

“What we do is defensive,” said Stoltenberg, who confirmed that NATO will hold a virtual meeting of its 30 national leaders on February 25.

Stoltenberg restated the alliance’s commitment to Article 5, which holds that an attack on one member constitutes an attack on all members.

Biden promised “severe sanctions” in response to the attacks. But obviously not tough enough to hit where it would hurt Russia.

Yup:

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Comments

ParkRidgeIL | February 24, 2022 at 9:10 am

No reason for USA to get involved to protect a corrupt government .

    Pasadena Phil in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 9:19 am

    We should be focused on domestic oil and gas production as well as domestic agriculture and manufacturing. We used to call it “America First” and economic independence but that is racist.

    Rupert Smedley Hepplewhite in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 9:21 am

    Whose corrupt government are you talking about; Russia or ours?

    Dagwood in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 9:31 am

    Have you no concern for the welfare of Biden’s under-the-table cash cow, sir !!!!???

    n.n in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 9:32 am

    The present government in Kiev was actually working towards reconciliation and remediation with pro-EU and Russian inclusive groups that were aggressors and targets, respectively, of violence within borders before, during, and since the violent Western-backed coup in Kiev.

    n.n in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 9:38 am

    Outsourcing a.k.a. shared responsibility (e.g. Green leap, blight, renewable/intermittent energy). Insourcing a.k.a. immigration reform (e.g. offsets from anthropogenic conflicts without borders, democratic gerrymandering).

    gonzotx in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 10:10 am

    Except Clinton convinced them to handover nukes amd we would protect them.
    Oh wait, I have Gaddfi on the phone…

    starride in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 10:29 am

    You are missing something….. Xiden wants this? The present administration of Ukraine are not Bidens friends. He wants them removed because they are a threat to Hunter and himself.

    Follow the freaking money….. Xiden’s very first acts pumped up Russia’s economy by reducing our oil and NG production. 30% of Russia’s economy is oil and NG the price of both have more than doubled in the last year.

    Who is Russia’s friend,,, it sure wasn’t #45

    Neo in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 10:36 am

    Kamala Harris headed to Jackson Hole nuclear bunker

    Dr. Benjamin Braddock
    @GraduatedBen

    CONFIRMED: US Government officials *in the United States* are being moved to secure bunkers as a precaution

    https://twitter.com/GraduatedBen/status/1496699680272658434

    texasron in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 24, 2022 at 10:55 am

    When Germany invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia, the free world did nothing. That allowed the Germans to commit the Holocaust. If it does nothing about Russia’s attack of another small country, what will the future be? Russia must be punished, severely!

      The Gentle Grizzly in reply to texasron. | February 24, 2022 at 11:19 am

      And, I am sure all of Europe will be more than glad to hold our coats while we do the job for them. Our blood and treasure.

      thetaqjr in reply to texasron. | February 24, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      The Czechs didn’t even help themselves.

      “The Czechs had an army of 42 divisions and two brigades – more than 600 000 men and 4 air regiments. The Czechs had 350 tanks and 73 tankettes, along with about 70 armoured cars.
      The Czech army had the world’s highest amount of automatic weapons per soldier (1/7 soldiers) in September 1938 and plenty of excellent artillery.”

      Re Ukraine: How many NATO troops would have had to have been deployed in order to defend Ukraine from Putin? How many US soldiers? Quarter of a million? How many casualties, how long to remain?

      Where is the U. S. will? We don’t even have the will to defend ourselves from the ongoing southern invasion, and those invaders aren’t armed with anything but syphilis and tuberculosis. Our brave blue citizenry lacked the will to smother the deadly 2020 riots when their cities’ businesses were burning.

      CommoChief in reply to texasron. | February 24, 2022 at 2:28 pm

      That’s an intriguing idea. Here’s another for you; pick up a rifle, pack your kit and fly to Ukraine with everyone else who believes that and let us know how it works out.

      Ironclaw in reply to texasron. | February 24, 2022 at 3:38 pm

      Russia already had a holocaust in Ukraine. It was called the Holodomor.

        alaskabob in reply to Ironclaw. | February 24, 2022 at 8:36 pm

        That was Stalin and he confiscated so much grain to buy industrial machinery that the people starved both in Ukraine and other areas… nothing “personal” but theft and hating kulaks.

    texasron in reply to ParkRidgeIL. | February 26, 2022 at 10:51 am

    A single shot to the head with a 50 caliber bullet should silence Putin and end this war.

Pasadena Phil | February 24, 2022 at 9:13 am

Biden has scheduled a presser for “sometime this afternoon”. I am expecting a heart-felt stompy-footed finger-wagging and the usual “it’s Trump’s fault”.

Colonel Travis | February 24, 2022 at 9:14 am

Thank goodness we have Joe Biden on the case. And by “on the case” I mean “nurse, where’s my Jell-O?”

    Peabody in reply to Colonel Travis. | February 24, 2022 at 9:58 am

    Yes than goodness we have Joe Biden. He has Jello in one hand the nuclear button in the other. Hopefully he won’t get mixed up like Kim Potter.

n.n | February 24, 2022 at 9:29 am

The peace keepers were invited by breakaway regions in Serbia, South Africa, Libya, China… However, unlike those aforementioned, the regions in Ukraine were actual targets of antifa (i.e. fascist), BLM (diversity-oriented), democratic factions in Kiev following the violent Western-backed coup that overthrew an EU-affirmed democratic election in Ukraine. Thanks Obama, McCain et al.

Peabody | February 24, 2022 at 9:31 am

It is in times like this we realize we need a real leader—not an elderly, infirm, dementia addled sock puppet who comes out and reads the teleprompter for 5 minutes but can’t answer one question.

No one knows who is really in charge or who really makes the decisions in this country. And because we have no leader the whole world is shaken—America is tottering on the brink and everyone knows it, but the media plays along like Joe Biden is the greatest president ever.

    jb4 in reply to Peabody. | February 24, 2022 at 9:57 am

    It is obvious that Putin has wanted to reconstitute the USSR and, given the Afghanistan incompetence, that he would never have a better opportunity than with Biden. Given that East German Merkel hollowed out German domestic energy production and Biden did plenty here as well, I expect not a lot more than wrist-slap sanctions. FWIW a sanction that matters is removal of Russia from the SWIFT banking system.

exfed | February 24, 2022 at 9:44 am

“The West Will Respond With ……………. Strongly Worded Letters”

And they’ll be sent CERTIFIED MAIL!!!!!

bobinreverse | February 24, 2022 at 9:45 am

Biteme still has ultimate ace in hole. He can demand that Vlad return the alleged cool shares that Biteme gave him year so ago. If stuff gets real hairy.

Leslie Eastman | February 24, 2022 at 9:51 am

Perhaps I would care more if our southern border wasn’t leaking like a sieve, or northern neighbors didn’t just have an epic episode of fascism, and we didn’t have an occupant of the Oval Office who wasn’t an ice cream swilling, Depends-wearing, hair-sniffing senile buffoon.

Exiliado | February 24, 2022 at 9:54 am

Is there a Biden “I did this” sticker big enough?

AnAdultInDiapers | February 24, 2022 at 10:09 am

re: “10 AM ET: I knew it. After all, Ukraine is not a NATO member:”

The role of NATO isn’t to go to war because a non-affiliated country invaded another non-affiliated country. It would be wrong for NATO to send troops to Ukraine.

Had a NATO member guaranteed the security and autonomy of Ukraine then they would now have a casus belli against Russia, and would have to choose whether to act on it. I don’t think even that would justify the rest of NATO joining in; NATO is a defence organisation and gets to ignore members that start their own wars.

If you want the US to go to war with Russia, by all means demand that within your own country, but keep the rest of NATO out of it.

Martin | February 24, 2022 at 10:25 am

Can they get a restraining order from The Hague?

I mean that ought to do it, right?

DanJ1 | February 24, 2022 at 10:46 am

I’m sure Joebama’s blankets and MRE’s are on their way to the front lines right away.

Maybe, just maybe, Putin wants to get his hands on the tens of billions of dollars worth of high tech US and NATO weapons stashed in Ukraine. He’s jealous that the Taliban got $60 billion worth and he didn’t get nuttin. Until now.

TX-rifraph | February 24, 2022 at 10:49 am

If Brandon was serious, Putin would be on double secret probation.

CommoChief | February 24, 2022 at 10:53 am

Based on limited information available this is what I think is happening. Russia is conducting widespread air and missile attacks to degrade Ukrainian command/control and any equipment formations. This is a follow up to ongoing cyber to achieve same. They are likely using Helicopter insertion of troops to seize key points like bridge/rail heads, airports in/around Dnieper river while using ground forces moving out of Crimea for same in the south.

IMO the operational and strategic goal is to:
1. Degrade Ukrainian forces/equipment
2. Capture or render unusable key bridges, rail, airports to deny them to Ukraine and far, far less likely NATO forces
3. Ultimately establish either a client State like Belarus, extending from the Dnieper eastward or simply push Russian border to Dnieper river

Use of Belarus as one staging point/ line of departure intended as a ‘brush back’ pitch to NATO. Moreover the entire operation demonstrates the overall weakness of NATO as an institution and frankly it’s irrelevance. The cold war with the Soviets ended thirty years ago, European members except UK and newer members like Poland, have scrapped their national defense budget.

The existence of NATO post cold war is viewed by Russia as a direct threat. The expansion of NATO eastward confirms that threat to Russia. The Russians are a bit paranoid as a nation; for good reason. They have been invaded from East, South and West due to their location.

Ignoring their legitimate concerns for the past 30 years while simultaneously not taking more substantial action in 08, 14 in the face of nearly identical playbook coupled with German specifically and European general acceptance/tolerance of reinvigorated Russia; minus those Nations sharing a border, has led us here.

Overall this is a European problem. If our European partners are willing to lead the way by committing substantial combat forces at a 2/1 ratio to US forces then maybe we can help them. If instead, the nations of Europe are willing to have Putin call their bluf on a combat deterrent and only impose ineffective, temporary sanctions then, IMO, we should stay the hell out.

    AnAdultInDiapers in reply to CommoChief. | February 24, 2022 at 11:32 am

    Sorry, I try and stay polite on this site but this is utter nonsense.

    You claim that NATO is irrelevant and in the very next paragraph state that Russia views it as a direct threat. That’s hardly irrelevant.

    It’s also wrong to blame NATO for Russian aggression and expansionism.

    It’s also entirely farcical to suggest, as you have, that this is a failure of NATO. Ukraine is not in NATO, European members of NATO have no obligation to engage militarily with Russia over a war in Ukraine and nobody’s asked the Americans to either.

    There’s been no bluffing about a combat deterrent. Nobody said they’d deploy to prevent a Russian invasion. The deterrent is against invading NATO members, and Russia haven’t done that.

    As for claiming it’s a European problem, it’s no more a problem for the rest of Europe than it is for the rest of the world. If Russia attacks NATO the US will end up glowing just as brightly as Europe. Personally I think it’s a much much bigger problem for Taiwan.

      CommoChief in reply to AnAdultInDiapers. | February 24, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      Well ok.

      Russian view over simplified;
      1. Russia views NATO as a threat or potential threat. That’s regardless of whether it is in fact a threat.
      2. Recall that NATO was organized to oppose the Soviets and Warsaw Pact which haven’t existed in 30 years.
      3. Given those above, and the deliberate NATO expansion eastward; Poland, why should the Russians view NATO as anything but a threat?
      4. If the entity that NATO was specifically created to oppose; Soviet/Warsaw Pact hasn’t existed in three decades Russia has a legitimate point about NATO.
      5. Russia has consistently objected to NATO existence and expansion for nearly 30 years. They want, and are getting, a buffer state between them and what they view as a hostile NATO.

      NATO irrelevance:
      1. How many Battalions have the Germans mobilized? None. Destroyers or Frigates dispatched to the Baltic? None that I am aware.
      2. Are the larger NATO members (-) US, UK, Poland meeting their defense spending agreements of 2% of GDP? No.
      3. Germany has decided to make itself dependent upon Russia for energy. In fact Nord Steam is a joint German/Russian venture.
      4. Given the above, NATO and the US was in no position to actually militarily oppose Russia. Biden admin sent Sullivan out middle of last week and basically made a put up or shut up ultimatum to Russia. Bad mistake.
      5. NATO members couldn’t agree on a unified sanctions regime. There was no way any NATO member other than perhaps a foolish Biden admin, would commit ground troops. Not that we should commit troops.

      European problem
      1. Not to put too fine a point but this is happening in Europe and outside NATO so it’s not a US problem. It’s their neighborhood not ours, if this was Brazil v Argentina then that’s our neighborhood might be our problem.
      2. The pre imminent EU economic power, GER, is deeply in bed with Russia. They are a NATO member. They will not allow NATO to meaningfully oppose Russia.
      3. Other NATO members are in hock to GER; specifically Greece, Italy and Spain. They will follow GER foreign policy on this because:
      A. They don’t care to oppose Russia themselves
      B. They jeopardize their economy and ability to dent finance if they PO the Germans.
      4. If Europe refuses to impose meaningful sanctions to deter Russian aggression and will almost certainly not agree to commit ground forces to Ukraine then why should we?

      In sum, this a border skirmish writ large between Russia and a former Warsaw Pact nation neither of whom are NATO members, due to NATO as an organization pushing eastward. That threatens the Russians, whatever we may think, that’s what Russia thinks. Russia wants a buffer between it and what they view as a threat, NATO. At a minimum forward basing agreements or joint exercises between NATO members and Ukraine are feeding the Russians fear of NATO. Perhaps not of what it is today but what it might become in the future. They act to preclude that.

      It’s really that simple. Knowing your opponents motivation is key to understanding them and effectively countering their aims in both diplomacy and warfare. NATO as an organization has become a shell of itself but still talks as if they have a big stick; as did Biden, IMO, the Biden admin pushed too hard and rejected Russia’s legitimate security concerns, acting as if those concerns were immaterial which precipitated the crisis and elevated tensions. Putin’s actions demonstrate the folly of that.

      Finally, this is a critique of the situation not an endorsement of any actions. Much like an AAR. Learning from mistakes requires analysis and the willingness to admit errors. If our elites refuse to engage in truthful self analysis and learn from errors then they will continue to make similar mistakes.

        AnAdultInDiapers in reply to CommoChief. | February 24, 2022 at 3:17 pm

        Why are you asking how many battalions Germany have mobilised? Germany isn’t under attack. NATO isn’t under attack. You appear to be demanding that Germany do something for no reason at all.

        Meanwhile NATO are actually boosting their forces in the Eastern countries of the alliance. Because NATO is a defensive organisation.

        You claimed NATO is irrelevant and now keep telling us that Russia fears it, and that Russia has gone to war in fear of NATO. Except that Russia hasn’t gone to war with NATO.

        Maybe NATO is highly effective then, since Russian expansionism has steered towards a nation that isn’t in NATO.

        You’re also heavily conflating Europe with the EU, NATO with Europe and a permanent member of the UN security council with some shithole in South America.

        Are you American or Russian, I’m struggling to tell. The difference is whether your ignorance is wilful or not.

          CommoChief in reply to AnAdultInDiapers. | February 24, 2022 at 4:03 pm

          Ha. Who’s ignoring the truth about this entire fiasco? You are. Do you work for State or CIA? Your ignorant comments and general clueless arrogance would match that of the State/CIA jackets I had to work with. Maybe you are another garden variety d/prog hack who ignores what they don’t understand, simply yelling some variant of traitor and waving the bloody shirt at those who dissent?

          Ukraine as currently constituted is largely a creature of the US; the orange revolution was in very large part a CIA/State Dept operation. Since that event, which Russia views as provocation whether you do or not, Putin has been acting incrementally to mitigate it. Recall Crimea and Georgia. The current actions are another bite of the apple.

          The weak sanctions proposed today won’t cut it only cutting off Russian energy exports will do so. Germany will not go along with that. As for NATO, the President mentioned NATO at least a dozen times in his speech today. On the 21st the VP was in Munich for a hastily convened security conference held by…NATO. The President announced he/we will be attending another conference among the nations who are members of…NATO tomorrow.

          You are correct to point out the overlap between NATO members and EU members. The former is a security alliance the latter is an economic system. Events are demonstrating that economic concerns outweigh security concerns on the part of most European Nations. To date the US, UK, CZ, Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania are the only members willing to bar Russia from SWIFT. Of course these are the nations who have not placed energy security in the hands of Russia.

          This lack of willingness to impose meaningful sanctions by NATO members as an organization demonstrates that it’s time has passed. Putin has successfully all but split those nations mentioned above from the remaining membership of NATO.

          FYI neither Brazil nor Argentina are shitholes and Russia is not only a member of the security council it’s currently sitting as head/chair.

        AnAdultInDiapers in reply to CommoChief. | February 24, 2022 at 6:10 pm

        Sigh. Again you claim NATO’s time has passed, yet you also claim that Russia has invaded Ukraine out of fear of NATO.

        Get your anti-NATO propaganda straight could you?

          CommoChief in reply to AnAdultInDiapers. | February 24, 2022 at 7:39 pm

          Did you pull the diaper over your eyes so you are unable to see or maybe over your mouth/nose so that the lack of airflow is impacted your ability to think?

          FYI you also posted on the wrong portion of the thread but since you’ve been wrong on everything else here today it’s fitting.

          Good luck with your upcoming involuntary commitment when those around you realize how crazy you actually are.

          Sternverbs in reply to AnAdultInDiapers. | February 25, 2022 at 8:25 am

          Your comments lead one to believe that later today you’ll be scripting Jen Pa-saki’s responses to Peter Doocy at the daily Theatre of the Absurd.

    JHogan in reply to CommoChief. | February 24, 2022 at 12:36 pm

    Putin has at least two primary objectives…

    1) Install a puppet regime that will not even consider joining NATO. A regime probably hostile to NATO.

    2) Assure land based logistical access to Black Sea naval ports — in Crimea and Odessa.

    alaskabob in reply to CommoChief. | February 24, 2022 at 1:34 pm

    Good overview. CaspianReport on you tube has similar take with consensus of how Russia would and now is attacking Ukraine. Obama considered Russia just a regional power….duh….with ICBMs and shall I say it…Chinese “permission”. US andpresent day NATO have no way to project power to stop this other than nukes.

    The planning of this invasion took time but I bet either created or green lighted with stolen US elections and ineffectual Biden Admin… Add ineffectual to the ” ins” listed by another here!

JHogan | February 24, 2022 at 10:56 am

The corrupt autocrats in Ukraine backed the wrong horse.

If they had allowed the truth about the Biden family’s corrupt involvement in their country to see the light of day he probably wouldn’t be POTUS right now. A feckless, clueless POTUS. Who removed the sanctions Trump has imposed and made the US less energy independent and more dependent on Russian oil. Who in one year significantly reduced our military readiness by infecting it with DEI and LGBTQ dogma. And by purging political opponents in uniform by painting soldiers, sailors, and Marines as ‘potential domestic terrorists’ and discharging those who would not submit to the jab.

Instead Ukraine’s corrupt leaders allowed a baseless politically motivated impeachment to play out. And said nothing as charges of Biden’s corruption were dismissed as ‘Russian disinformation’.

The corrupt leadership of Ukraine are reaping what they sowed.

Too bad the ordinary citizens of Ukraine will be the ones to suffer the worst of the consequences. You can be sure the autocrats hit the exits quickly and will be living large off their big Swiss bank accounts.

texansamurai | February 24, 2022 at 11:06 am

would not be surprised to see the chinese move against taiwan in the very near future–and fjb will of course do nothing

    Pasadena Phil in reply to texansamurai. | February 24, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    I would be very surprised. China has enough problems already and will have a very hard time to rally public support for such a war. Take a look at Taiwan’s west coast that are the only area China could wage a sustained attack, if they are amenable to suffering massive casualties and losing a lot of equipment. It’s a major defensive advantage for Taiwan. China’s navy would get clobbered were they to try to move their attack to the east coast where Taiwan is more vulnerable.

    Japan would certainly be involved from the start and they have the strategic advantage of having access to the islands south of Taiwan to base their operations. And that doesn’t take the US Navy into consideration yet. Victory is not assured for China and would be very costly. Losing such a war would be devastating to the regime’s prospects of survival.

    More likely to happen IMHO would a tactical move to secure those islands at the rim of the China Sea that Japan needs for their national security. Controlling them would open up the Pacific Ocean for China. They could then sit on that until their economy improves.

The Gentle Grizzly | February 24, 2022 at 11:16 am

Not our circus and not our monkeys.

However, I am sure we will find a way to send our ever-diminishing populace of people healthy enough to be in the military, over to get chopped to pieces in another war.

I guess companies like Lockheed, Raytheon, Hughes, and General Dynamics need the business. None of them manufacture or offer any products or services people buy voluntarily. Were it not for Uncle Sam, they’d be but distant memories.

    JHogan in reply to The Gentle Grizzly. | February 24, 2022 at 12:42 pm

    A fully vaccinated, thoroughly politically purged, and maximally diverse LGBTQ+ Brigade should lead the way. With Milley in the lead solar powered tank, waving a rainbow flag and shouting ‘Follow me, they!’

    TX-rifraph in reply to The Gentle Grizzly. | February 24, 2022 at 1:07 pm

    “I guess companies like Lockheed, Raytheon, Hughes, and General Dynamics need the business.”

    The political class needs them to launder taxpayer money that goes to the political class as “contributions.”

MrE | February 24, 2022 at 11:43 am

I expect the Biden admin to respond with something akin to:

#Sucks2BUkraine.

dmacleo | February 24, 2022 at 11:53 am

they had their chance in the 1990s to gain nato protection but chose to get US/NATO help decommissioning a bunch of unsafe weapons while never needing to meet NATO requirements.
clinton admin and ukraine admin touted the useless paperwork as a holy grail all the while knowing it meant nothing. useless posturing.
too bad so sad.
live with it.

Neo | February 24, 2022 at 11:54 am

Thinking the important things …

John Kerry: “I hope that President Putin will help us stay on track with respect to what we need to do for the climate.”

Yeah I bet he bought a boatload of Climate Credits to offset the carbon output from all the burning and ammo used.

Of course Kerry seems to have missed that deal to sell 100 million metric tons of coal to China.

TargaGTS | February 24, 2022 at 1:16 pm

I’ve been spending some time this morning on another website that has a more ‘diverse’ commentariat. It’s AMAZING how these people will warp reality to blame things on Donald Trump. There are people out there who think that everything that’s happening right is….Trump’s fault.

And of course, any critical comment about Biden is dismissed as ‘Russia disinformation.’

Liberalism really is a mental disorder.

Doc-Wahala | February 24, 2022 at 1:37 pm

Here’s the thing… Biden May actually think he NOW has to do something since Putin is making him look bad. Soooooooo…. In go the US troops.

Remember … Obama warned us about Joe….

stevewhitemd | February 24, 2022 at 1:54 pm

My two cents —

— there is nothing in/about the Ukraine worth the life of a single American citizen.

— Ukraine is a horribly corrupt government and a product of two horribly corrupt empires (Russian in the east and Habsburg in the west); this means that the people there have little practical experience in democracy, republican rule, and decent government

— Ukraine is not a concern of NATO unless Russia occupies and incorporates it into its new empire. In that case, NATO will have to decide whether the new Russian threat must be met. If not, then the U.S. must leave NATO at once,

— the Baltic states ARE part of NATO — Putin must come to understand that an invasion there means war. The correct NATO response is not to involve itself in Ukraine; the correct response is to get itself ready (quietly) in Poland and the Baltics. If not, then the U.S. must leave NATO at once.

I think Europe is about to enter a new dark age. Like Leslie Eastman, I have more fears about us in our homeland.

gonzotx | February 24, 2022 at 1:58 pm

Bret Baier just asked if the Iranians would pump more oil for us to help compensate for Russia.

Where do they find these fucking idiots?

Well that’s Fox News’ “News” division — they’re all very well-informed, judicious people, unlike those stupid clowns in the opinion division.

    JHogan in reply to gonzotx. | February 24, 2022 at 2:18 pm

    I don’t watch Foxnews anymore. Not since they called Arizona for Brandon.

    But last night I briefly turned it on. Just as Bret Baier arrived on whatever show it was.

    He immediately started giving credit to Brandon and his admin for diplomacy that assured Putin would be unequivocally viewed as the aggressor and bad guy. What an ass.

    Turned it off immediately. Foxnews is a GOPe neverTrump neoCon front. They tolerate Tucker and the rest of the ‘opinion’ folks only for the ratings, for the money.

Strelnikov | February 24, 2022 at 2:13 pm

Hate to sound like I support that jackass Biden but…not one dollar or one American life for Ukraine. Europe should solve European problems.

US out of NATO, UN, etc.

Zachriel | February 24, 2022 at 3:31 pm

gonzotx: Except Clinton convinced them to handover nukes amd we would protect them.

That is incorrect. Russia, U.K., and U.S. agreed “to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine.” There was no guarantee of military support.

texasron: When Germany invaded Poland and Czechoslovakia, the free world did nothing.

When Germany invaded Poland, France and U.K. declared war on Germany. While building up their forces, they instituted naval blockades, and began planning for large scale operations. They might have invaded Germany, but they were caught flat-footed by the invasion of Poland.

CommoChief: They have been invaded from East, South and West due to their location.

And North.

henrybowman | February 24, 2022 at 3:31 pm

Worst.
President.
EVER!

Ironclaw | February 24, 2022 at 3:36 pm

Ukraine had the world’s 3rd largest nuclear arsenal after USSR collapsed and they gave it up because of promises by the US, the UK and Russia that their territorial integrity would be protected. Dual lesson here. First never accept a promise from the US, the UK or Russia and secondly NEVER DISARM YOURSELF.

    alaskabob in reply to Ironclaw. | February 24, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    Really still Russian weapons but they held them on their land and made a deal for $$ to have them sent back to Russia. Ukraine wouldn’t have had all the tools to keep them up to date and frankly… with all of the corruption in Ukraine.. another black market point for nuke sales.

georgfelis | February 24, 2022 at 5:58 pm

Russia took Chernobyl? No matter what happens, they should keep it.

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