"After months of alternately sucking up to Vladimir Putin and seemingly expressing anger towards him, it turns out the Trump administration has been secretly negotiating with Russia for a while now, cutting the Ukrainians out of the process, and a report at Axios* says they’re now planning to present the plan to Ukraine and force it on them. As for Europe, 'We don’t really care about the Europeans.' I tried to warn them."~ Robert Tracinski from his post 'Tyranny Is Unaffordable'* The report is behind a paywall. The Guardian reports the plan "would require Kyiv to surrender territory and severely limit the size of its military.The draft plan, reported on Wednesday as Russian drone and missile strikes killed at least 25 people in the city of Ternopil, was reportedly developed by Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, and the Kremlin adviser Kirill Dmitriev, would force draconian measures on Ukraine that would give Russia unprecedented control over the country’s military and political sovereignty. The plan is likely to be viewed as surrender in Kyiv.
Friday, 21 November 2025
Ukraine betrayed. Again.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
A point about the Robert Tracinski person. Instead of expecting others to fight on behalf of his feelings and opinions, he should pick up a rifle, put on some fatigues and go over to Ukraine and get on the front line himself. Yes, put his big mouth on the front line to demonstrate just how seriously he takes his own utterances. We all know he won't. Blow-hards never do. Any of these promoters of "let's you and him fight" never, ever do anything themselves. Hypocrites and cowards!
Henry J
Maybe if the US either declared that it wants to abide by its commitments under the Budapest Memorandum or withdraw from it (and destroy the order of peace and security in Europe), instead of the amoral both-sidesism of the current administration. Either borders matter or they dont
Libertyscott
The choice is clear. Either the USA gets fully involved in the Ukraine proxy war on behalf of the UK and the EU or it does not. If it does commit to yet another military adventure (which it will loose), then there will be tens of thousands of American casualties in very short order. There is also the risk of the war going nuclear. If the USA gets right out of any involvement in the war and leaves the mess to those who are directly involved to sort out, then the USA does not suffer any casualties and avoids the danger of a nuclear exchange. It just isn't in the interests of the USA to fight the Russian Federation on the European continent on behalf of the UK and the EU. Of course, any good libertarian is free to choose to commit his own person and property to going to join in with the war. Just remember don't be demanding other people be committed to it.
Borders change. Those of the Ukraine have altered many times. It matters not if they alter again. It's a European tradition to redraw the maps anyway. Same as it ever was I'm afraid. Hence not worth a single American life.
Henry J
Henry, it doesn't need to be "fully involved", it could apply a no-fly zone as part of its commitment under the Budapest Memorandum and this would absolutely turn the tide on the sausage machine that is Russia's pathetic effort to try to subjugate a third order country. Russia is the stereotypical paper tiger (sans nukes) that has had to resort to importing North Koreans to try to fight for it. It wouldn't take much to turn the tide. If the US wants to be an isolationist without allies then it should declare that rather than pretend it isn't breaching an agreement it signed, and be self-sufficient and not try to export to a world that it doesn't care about, and declare that the Cold War was pointless.
Why should Tracinski don battle fatigues and risk his own life, especially when there's other ways to assist Ukraine that don't require it and would be more effective. Just moral support alone would be a start. Henry J's true colours come out whenever this topic comes up, and they're completely at odds with most of his other utterances that sound more reasonable. I suspect that's because he's cosplaying at being a libertarian, in an attempt to infer some legitimacy on his odious support for Uncle Vlad.
Libertyscott
The Budapest Memorandum is long dead. It was repeatedly breached by NATO, the EU, the UK and, unfortunately, these USA leading up to and including the definitive events of 2014. The Zelensky regime also breached it culminating in statements of intent issued during 2022. There is no residual commitment to an agreement which is defunct, deceased and buried.
The US military do not have the ability to apply a no-fly zone across Ukraine, let alone most of Europe. There is no realistic means of being able to achieve it. Worse is the just making the attempt to do it would result in immediate escalation to a hot war involving USA directly. That is, it would no longer be a proxy war for these USA. USA would be fully involved. There is no avoiding it. The war would come ashore.
Calling a superpower a “paper tiger” is erroneous. Look carefully at what is known and proved about the armed forces of the RF. Avoid lazy repetitions of neocon narratives. Talk like that gets many people killed unnecessarily. What you will discover should you do a serious investigation is what professional military analysts, flag officers and general staffs have found already. The reports are not overly difficult to come by. The RF military are a superior military force with direct field experience of modern, technological warfare. Apart from the AFU there is no other with direct field experience, although North Korea is fast gaining aspects of it. The RF have better leadership, tactics and strategy than the West. They are in possession of unmatched ordinance delivery systems (for example, there are no hypersonic delivery systems available in the West). They have better A4/AA than any peer or near peer competitor. The area where they are presently matched is in C4ISR where these USA control a mighty infrastructure. An important advantage accruing to RF is the logistics chain. The RF is fighting in its “near abroad”. Supply chains are very short. Contrast that with trans-Atlantic supply lines. Contrast that with the complexities of co-ordinating dozens of countries, all squabbling, all with separate standards and specifications and languages and politics and economies.
THE major advantages to the RF are economic, natural resources, an educated populace and being a near autarchy. They possess a powerful growing manufacturing sector (which for the EU, USA, UK etc. has been run down, off shored and is now lacking). They are a civilisational nation. Their citizens understand this. They see the present situation as an existential threat emanating from outside. Hence there is unity of purpose- motivation. Go there and you can see it for yourself, first hand.
{this continues on next comment, posted shortly}
{This is follows on from previous comment for Libertyscott}
Libertyscott
You are correct about North Koreans fighting side by side with the RF, though it is not a matter of desperation. Do not forget that a state of war still exists between North Korea and USA (and South Korea for that matter). The North Koreans believe they need to be ready in case active hot war on the Korean peninsula restarts. Therefore, they seek valuable military experience in a real hot war situation. They are getting it and from the reports delivered by RF and AFU soldiers (i.e. both sides), the North Korean soldiers are motivated and capable. (We can but hope that the war on the Korean Peninsula never restarts and that a diplomatic solution is negotiated there.)
You mentioned the involvement of the North Koreans in the SMO, but you remained so very silent about the involvement of the West. Here is a link to a webpage which contains a partial list of the material and money the West has poured into Ukraine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_aid_to_Ukraine_during_the_Russo-Ukrainian_war
It is to be recommended you tarry there a while and contemplate just how vast this is. Total is estimated to be USD380-billion or more including cash money (of which it appears 1/3 has been syphoned off to be laundered into various hungry pockets). Most of the equipment listed has since been destroyed. (Meanwhile taxpayers throughout the West are paying and paying, all the while enjoying improved standards of living, greater democracy, more freedom of speech, lower taxes, price stability, justice, peace and personal security. Objectivists would argue they’d have been better served had they been able to keep their wealth and not had it taken off them.)
If it “wouldn’t take much to turn the tide” as you say, then the vast resources listed in the link above would have turned it. Yet that hasn’t happened. RF has defeated NATO+. Now comes the terminal phase. Historically this phase of military hostilities is extremely deadly for the losing side. Casualty rates skyrocket. Surely it would be better to avoid this. There are far too many dead already.
{Final comments addressed to Libertyscott to follow on after this}
{Third portion of comment addressed to Libertyscott}
Libertyscott
The Federal Government and State Governments of these USA are responsible to the wellbeing of the citizens of USA. Them and them alone. There is no responsibility to foreigners and their squabbles. That is their problem- theirs and their alone. None of this is worth even one US military casualty. Get that into your head. Not a US problem. Not for US to solve.
Addressing your somewhat emotional outburst on US isolationism and trade. There is a British statement that in geopolitics there are no permanent friends only interests. This was restated by several well-known US political figure who learned it from their masters, the British. It is now embraced in Washington. These USA can trade with whomever it is in the interests of these USA to trade with. That’s the reality.
You bring up the Cold War for some reason. It is irrelevant here. Whatever it may mean to you has no bearing on the present situation and the urgent need for diplomacy.
To sum up.
A no-fly zone cannot be applied by the US military. Physically not possible to achieve it.
An attempt to apply a no-fly zone would immediately fully involve these USA in a hot war.
Neither USA or RF seek a hot war with each other. On the other hand, EU and UK do want a hot war between the USA and the RF.
Despite massive assistance from the West Ukraine has lost. NATO has been defeated. Meanwhile Western economies are collapsing. USA needs to get itself out of this mess and quick soon.
A diplomatic settlement is the logical path to pursue.
If a negotiated settlement by diplomatic means is unable to be reached, then the RF will continue with SMO until it achieves its aims (de-militarisation, de-nazification, neutrality, new international security structure etc.). Many lives will be lost during transition through end-stage conflict, conclusion of conflict, through to erection of new political, economic and security structures. Many lives could be saved if the diplomatic path were to be pursued instead- starting now.
It is not in the interests of these USA or its citizens to be involved in Ukraine. The interests of the EU and the UK are not the interests of these USA.
Read the farewell speech of George Washington. Read the famous speech of John Quincy Adams. Learn from them.
Henry J
MarkT
He opposes diplomatic negotiation with the RF referring to it as betrayal. The alternative is that the fighting continues until a military conclusion by force of arms. That means the fighting continues with other people being injured or killed. Since he favours this state-of-affairs instead of trying to negotiate and complete a diplomatic settlement, then integrity demands he go to the lines. Right now, the AFU are desperate for new recruits. They’d be pleased for him to come over and sign up. It would be betrayal not to.
The rest of your comment is you playing the man again.
Henry J
To sum up:
The Henry J bot repeats every single flawed, incorrect and manufactured Kremlin talking point as if it's his own, while denying any right of Ukrainians to remain un-invaded.
Which is actually the most important talking point here—and the one it most signally fails to address.
Post a Comment