Thank you for these updates - much appreciated - from a member of Congress *on* the Armed Services Committee. We all struggle to identify reliable information so this is among the best.
Jeff, despite the number of readers who want to turn your updates into a debate, I just want to express my gratitude that you’re doing a great job of keeping us informed. We need to know what’s going on, not just the opinions of people who like to give their opinions. Thanks, man.
Jeff, I appreciate your emails and it looks like you're trying to be a conscientious and diligent congressman. However, on this one, you and the American people have swallowed a load of propaganda that even the old experts of the USSR would have had a hard time topping.
“We want to put [Ukraine] in the best possible position ... far more advantageous for their long-term future ....”
No. More weapons will only result in more dead Ukrainians -- mostly men, worsening an already terrible national demographic deficit.
1. The US has been working hard to force Russia (NOT the old Soviet Union!) into a corner for 30 years, as is amply and repeatedly documented by the US's own statements.
2. Russia regards NATO weapons in Ukraine just as much an existential threat as the US did Soviet weapons in Cuba in the 1960s. (We were REALLY disturbed back then: my school bus was checked every day by MPs as we went through the Cherry Point NC Marine Corps Air Station gate due to Cuban missile crisis tensions.)
3. Despite the DC Beltway happy talk about Ukrainian successes, Russia has the resources to block the NATO threat and will do so, though probably more slowly than they expected. Russia is the only nation on the planet that is completely autonomous in industrial and natural resources and can produce all the weapons and ammunition they need in the current crisis. The US's and NATO's cupboards are just about bare and the promised aid will be trickling out late and slowly.
If we want to help Ukraine, we need to shut off the ammunition and weapons immediately, guarantee Ukraine's perpetual neutrality, officially recognize that the Russian-majority oblasts are now permanently part of Russia, and spend any aid money on repairing the damage that 30 years of continuously escalated US provocations have caused.
Other readers are not remembering history. If successful, Russia will continue to attack other former Russian satellite countries which have allied with the western world. That is why NATO exists.....to prevent an expansionist move such as perpetuated by Nazi Germany that resulted in WW2. I'm 80. We learned if we don't fight NOW, we WILL have American boots on the ground later. We can't afford to lose our European allies. They are not just military allies, but trading partners. It's also a matter of honor (seemingly an old fashioned idea) in that we signed the NATO treaty which means an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we all defend each other. If not, you will have the old Soviet Union to contend with which leaves Europe and its allies irreparably weakened, and Russia will be a much stronger foe for whoever survives. Democracy has to be fought for - domestically and abroad unless you prefer to live in country ruled over by Putin and HIS allies. Thanks for the great work, Jeff.
Thank you! As soon as I saw your post I went right to it! Will share this with those around me. Grateful you are doing this column. No sensationalism, no political bend. You are the real deal!
This war uses the Ukrainian people as pawns of NATO. The US promised Russia it would not extend NATO eastward. The US lied. This conflict needs comparison to when Khrushchev put missiles in Cuba. what did he expect JFK to do? What do we expect Putin to do? I'm so sad that the Democrats are now the war party. I certainly will never vote again for Biden.
Good update. And horrifying that you believe all this. We should be supporting negotiations (with no preconditions! ), not giving weapons. The goal of getting Ukraine into a better position is a farce, a good hype for continuing war.
The US needs to stay out of the conflict entirely. We have nothing to gain by supporting Ukraine and have already wasted 100 billion of tax money that could have been spent at home. And Zelensky is just another puppet dictator unworthy of our support.
What, if anything, can be done to lift the prohibition on the use of our equipment to hit legitimate military targets on the Russian side of the border? That seems to me a stupid restriction, tying one hand behind Ukraine's back. Ukraine is obviously not ever going to try to invade and annex Russian territory, but they do need to be able to destroy ammo depots, military bases, and supply lines. It makes no sense for Russia to feel that their stuff can be safe just by keeping it on their own side of the line. Any prospects for revising this policy?
Thank you for this. Can you give a master class in communicating with constituents to the other 434 members of the House?
While researching a book on World War II I came across this horrifying example of how Russians operate. When mines were dropped on Russian airfields they marched prisoners, malcontents, and such out onto the runways to explode them.
I believe that our support path forward is vital & I truly appreciate your analysis. As an Emerging Market Specialist with experience in the Balkans, I know how vital it is for the region to push Russia back into to its on borders .
Thank you for the update about the progress of the Russia / Ukraine war. But my criticism is about why the USA military adventures overseas has not been scrutinized in Congress committees, when the USA congress spent millions when USA citizens attacked Congress in Jan 06 and hundreds of hours of testimony spent. But when the USA attacked other countries, there was no admonition and condemnation nor hearings. The USA military adventures in Iraq and Syria resulted in the almost extinction of NATIVE CHRISTIANS there due to misguided USA foreign policy failures. Why is the USA military in Syria and Iraq? The same kind of failure when USA president Obama ordered NATO to destroy Libya. Now Libya exports African migrants to Europe, soon Europe will become Black and Muslim. Europe will reap what it had sown due to NATO's bombing of Libya. Also, sanctions by the USA on unfriendly countries have resulted in misery of their citizens, not the leaders. As a military man yourself, military power does not resolve a diplomatic solution. The USA does not strive for peaceful means for its foreign policy, which stinks terribly.
Thank you for these updates - much appreciated - from a member of Congress *on* the Armed Services Committee. We all struggle to identify reliable information so this is among the best.
Jeff, despite the number of readers who want to turn your updates into a debate, I just want to express my gratitude that you’re doing a great job of keeping us informed. We need to know what’s going on, not just the opinions of people who like to give their opinions. Thanks, man.
Jeff, I appreciate your emails and it looks like you're trying to be a conscientious and diligent congressman. However, on this one, you and the American people have swallowed a load of propaganda that even the old experts of the USSR would have had a hard time topping.
“We want to put [Ukraine] in the best possible position ... far more advantageous for their long-term future ....”
No. More weapons will only result in more dead Ukrainians -- mostly men, worsening an already terrible national demographic deficit.
1. The US has been working hard to force Russia (NOT the old Soviet Union!) into a corner for 30 years, as is amply and repeatedly documented by the US's own statements.
2. Russia regards NATO weapons in Ukraine just as much an existential threat as the US did Soviet weapons in Cuba in the 1960s. (We were REALLY disturbed back then: my school bus was checked every day by MPs as we went through the Cherry Point NC Marine Corps Air Station gate due to Cuban missile crisis tensions.)
3. Despite the DC Beltway happy talk about Ukrainian successes, Russia has the resources to block the NATO threat and will do so, though probably more slowly than they expected. Russia is the only nation on the planet that is completely autonomous in industrial and natural resources and can produce all the weapons and ammunition they need in the current crisis. The US's and NATO's cupboards are just about bare and the promised aid will be trickling out late and slowly.
If we want to help Ukraine, we need to shut off the ammunition and weapons immediately, guarantee Ukraine's perpetual neutrality, officially recognize that the Russian-majority oblasts are now permanently part of Russia, and spend any aid money on repairing the damage that 30 years of continuously escalated US provocations have caused.
Thanks Jeff for the informative update. We wish the Ukrainians well and hope all the assistance pays off in the end. Hopefully sooner than later.
Other readers are not remembering history. If successful, Russia will continue to attack other former Russian satellite countries which have allied with the western world. That is why NATO exists.....to prevent an expansionist move such as perpetuated by Nazi Germany that resulted in WW2. I'm 80. We learned if we don't fight NOW, we WILL have American boots on the ground later. We can't afford to lose our European allies. They are not just military allies, but trading partners. It's also a matter of honor (seemingly an old fashioned idea) in that we signed the NATO treaty which means an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, and we all defend each other. If not, you will have the old Soviet Union to contend with which leaves Europe and its allies irreparably weakened, and Russia will be a much stronger foe for whoever survives. Democracy has to be fought for - domestically and abroad unless you prefer to live in country ruled over by Putin and HIS allies. Thanks for the great work, Jeff.
Thank you! As soon as I saw your post I went right to it! Will share this with those around me. Grateful you are doing this column. No sensationalism, no political bend. You are the real deal!
This war uses the Ukrainian people as pawns of NATO. The US promised Russia it would not extend NATO eastward. The US lied. This conflict needs comparison to when Khrushchev put missiles in Cuba. what did he expect JFK to do? What do we expect Putin to do? I'm so sad that the Democrats are now the war party. I certainly will never vote again for Biden.
Good update. And horrifying that you believe all this. We should be supporting negotiations (with no preconditions! ), not giving weapons. The goal of getting Ukraine into a better position is a farce, a good hype for continuing war.
The US needs to stay out of the conflict entirely. We have nothing to gain by supporting Ukraine and have already wasted 100 billion of tax money that could have been spent at home. And Zelensky is just another puppet dictator unworthy of our support.
Thank you for the updates.
It does align quite well with the updates from ISW: https://www.understandingwar.org
What, if anything, can be done to lift the prohibition on the use of our equipment to hit legitimate military targets on the Russian side of the border? That seems to me a stupid restriction, tying one hand behind Ukraine's back. Ukraine is obviously not ever going to try to invade and annex Russian territory, but they do need to be able to destroy ammo depots, military bases, and supply lines. It makes no sense for Russia to feel that their stuff can be safe just by keeping it on their own side of the line. Any prospects for revising this policy?
We must support the brave people of Ukraine.
Thank you for this. Can you give a master class in communicating with constituents to the other 434 members of the House?
While researching a book on World War II I came across this horrifying example of how Russians operate. When mines were dropped on Russian airfields they marched prisoners, malcontents, and such out onto the runways to explode them.
I believe that our support path forward is vital & I truly appreciate your analysis. As an Emerging Market Specialist with experience in the Balkans, I know how vital it is for the region to push Russia back into to its on borders .
I didn't vote for Jeff but I'm reassessing that choice. Thank you for the cogent, objective, and politics-free updates.
Thank you for the update about the progress of the Russia / Ukraine war. But my criticism is about why the USA military adventures overseas has not been scrutinized in Congress committees, when the USA congress spent millions when USA citizens attacked Congress in Jan 06 and hundreds of hours of testimony spent. But when the USA attacked other countries, there was no admonition and condemnation nor hearings. The USA military adventures in Iraq and Syria resulted in the almost extinction of NATIVE CHRISTIANS there due to misguided USA foreign policy failures. Why is the USA military in Syria and Iraq? The same kind of failure when USA president Obama ordered NATO to destroy Libya. Now Libya exports African migrants to Europe, soon Europe will become Black and Muslim. Europe will reap what it had sown due to NATO's bombing of Libya. Also, sanctions by the USA on unfriendly countries have resulted in misery of their citizens, not the leaders. As a military man yourself, military power does not resolve a diplomatic solution. The USA does not strive for peaceful means for its foreign policy, which stinks terribly.