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When Russian President Vladamir Putin crossed his military into the Russian-speaking portions of Ukraine in February, the United States rallied around its president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and vowed to beat back the assault on Democracy. Public sentiment hailed him as a hero fighting back against his communist foe, and he was showered with billions in U.S. taxpayer dollars. As long as the money flowed, the nations would be at war.
With the prospect of a new military outlet stemming from the Hamas attack on Israel, the complex may be moving on. Biden administration and European officials are quietly talking to the Ukrainian government about peace negotiations with Russia. In fiery speeches to Congress and worldwide jet-setting to galvanize international support, Zelenskyy not only called for Putin to withdraw from his latest excursion but also forcing him to give up land he took in Crimea under Obama and try him as a war criminal. The Biden administration fanned the flames by recommending Ukraine to NATO, a line in the sand Putin promised he would not allow to be crossed.
A promised “Spring Offensive” against Russia failed despite billions in war assistance, as thousands of Ukrainians continue to be slaughtered at the front. In light of the backdoor U.S. entreaties, Zelenskyy plucked a familiar tactic from the world playbook, inviting Donald Trump to his embattled nation to show him why, in just “24 minutes,” peace cannot be made. The former president has ridiculed the conflict, stating that Putin would never have invaded if he was in the Oval Office and that he could bring both sides together for a settlement in 24 hours, primarily by cutting the money supply. As it stands, Putin believes he can “wait out the West.”
With a growing prospect of increased military involvement across the globe, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin infamously stated that the U.S. could indeed afford wars on all the various fronts, including a possible conflict with China, which is flexing its military might for a takeover of Taiwan. Under Biden, the nation’s national debt has soared to $33.7 trillion, a number that the new speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, says is the top threat to America’s security. Indeed, to cover $160 billion in new spending that he proposes, Biden would have to print more money and risk driving up inflation even higher or borrow it from countries such as China, which is already trying to unload U.S. promissory notes. To great derision from the Democrats, Johnson has tied any future military funding to cuts in domestic spending, particularly on the IRS, which Biden is infusing with billions to help extract even more from the American taxpayers.
U.S. military supplies to Ukraine have depleted stockpiles, leaving analysts to fear that if China did escalate its activities in the South China Sea, the U.S. response could be less than robust. A solution is music to the ears of the industrial complex: the production of more weapons.
Zelenskyy may be well advised to seek an exit strategy amid reports that he is struggling with recruitment and is facing public protests about his conscription requirements. Neither army is making strides on the battlefield, which some U.S. officials are now describing as a war of inches. Reports have Ukraine lasting only to the end of the year. “Any decisions about negotiations are up to Ukraine,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We are focused on continuing to stand strongly in support of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russian aggression.”
In the meantime, the toll of war continues to ratchet up, fueled by the $75 billion that has been sent overseas so far, with more expected to follow. Ukraine has reported 70,000 casualties among its military ranks, and 27,000 civilians have been killed or injured. Once the war is over, the rebuilding effort will reach into the trillions as U.S. taxpayers will be asked to pay for the rebuilding of the Ukraine infrastructure and cover the pensions and medical needs of its populace.