“People think, increasingly it appears, that we shouldn’t be doing this. Well, let me start by saying we haven’t lost a single American in this war,” McConnell said. “Most of the money that we spend related to Ukraine is actually spent in the US, replenishing weapons, more modern weapons. So it’s actually employing people here and improving our own military for what may lie ahead.”

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/4085063

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[–] Maoo@hexbear.net 16 points 2 years ago (23 children)

Russia repeatedly made peace talk attempts early on. Western powers that actually call those shots rebuffed them. Boris Johnson himself intervened, allegedly.

The answer to the real question, which is why Russia isn't unilaterally ending the war, is that its objectives have not been met and/or the status quo is acceptable to them. The former is the exact same as saying why Russia invaded in the first place.

So why do Western powers want this was to go to the last Ukrainian? NATO military tactics that assume air dominance without the air dominance. Zero expectation of a win, despite the propaganda.

[–] FluffyPotato@lemm.ee 3 points 2 years ago (21 children)

Russian conditions to even consider peace were pretty insane, like keeping all the territory their initial conquest managed to claim, removing the baltics and other countries bordering Russia from NATO and forbid Ukraine from joining any alliance. Not only could Ukraine not fulfill all those conditions, they would never accept that.

[–] Maoo@hexbear.net 8 points 2 years ago (20 children)

You are confused and are including open demands Russia made of the US / NATO prior to the invasion. Russia has not demanded that Ukraine somehow de-NATOify Baltic countries.

Russia's initial negotiation demands were things like this:

Denazification.
Demilitarization.
No application to NATO.
Independence for Luhansk and Donetsk.
Recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.

These are in no way insane demands given the context of NATO encirclement, the civil war and ethnic cleansing at their doorstep, and the fact that Russia is obviously never giving up Crimea. It is also... the lead-in to negotiations, which Ukraine started balking at around the same time reports came out about Western prevention of Ukraine participating.

[–] Zoboomafoo@yiffit.net 4 points 2 years ago

Denazification.

Vague

Demilitarization.

Vague

No application to NATO.

Ukraine made that deal when they gave up nukes, Here's Russia invading anyways

Independence for Luhansk and Donetsk.

No comment, shit's too complex

Recognition of Crimea as Russian territory.

"Just concede the most valuable part of your country as a gesture of good faith"

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