Newest Top Member of the GOP: Vladimir Putin

@phranny said
"Russia’s president Vladimir Putin today defended Trump, saying that his prosecutions show that the United States is fundamentally corrupt. His comment made former representative Liz Cheney (R-WY) seem to wash her hands of the modern incarnation of her political party. “Putin has now officially endorsed the Putin-wing of the Republican Party,” she wrote. “Putin Republicans & ...[text shortened]... parties who believe in the values of liberal democracy will make sure of it.” Heather Cox Richardson

can someone explain what russia has done to the US?

I know china has bought up our minerals, is actively stealing our technology, trying to subvert the dollar, but dems have their base focused on russia.

just what has russia done?

@mott-the-hoople said
can someone explain what russia has done to the US?

I know china has bought up our minerals, is actively stealing our technology, trying to subvert the dollar, but dems have their base focused on russia.

just what has russia done?

Russia’s threat to the United States includes: direct military conflict, cyber attacks, supporting separatists, threats to freedom of navigation, and territorial expansion. On November 15, a missile blast killed two people in Poland, near the Ukraine border. Russia was the primary suspect. President Joe Biden later told the Poles that the missile was part of a Ukrainian defense system. Whether the missile actually came from Russia directly or was the indirect result of Russian shelling, the incident underscores the danger Russia poses. A perceived attack on a NATO member could cause NATO to invoke Article 5, which states that an armed attack against one member is considered an attack against the entire alliance.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the U.S. and NATO of wanting to destroy Russia. Since the end of the Cold War, 13 countries have been admitted to NATO: the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (1999); Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia (2004); Albania and Croatia (2009); and, in 2017, Montenegro. Consequently, Russia has been focused on maintaining its influence and control in former Soviet republics, including Ukraine, Belarus, and the Central Asian states.

Defeating the U.S. or breaking from a U.S.-led world order was a primary goal of the USSR and has carried over to modern Russia. Opposing Europe and the U.K. are secondary objectives, seen as a proxy for defiance against the U.S. One of the concerns of the Department of Defense is that Putin often uses threats, including the threat of nuclear war, to get what he wants. If his threats continue to go unheeded, there is the danger that he will finally act, launching a strike, to show that he is serious.

Since the fall of the USSR, there have been numerous opportunities for cooperation between the U.S., E.U. NATO, and Russia, including participation in joint military exercises and peacekeeping operations. Tensions, however, run deep, complicating attempts at relationship-building. In 1999, Russian and NATO forces nearly engaged in a firefight at Pristina Airport, at the end of the Kosovo War. In 2004, Russia accused the U.S. of supporting the revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia, and raised objections when the Bush administration positioned U.S. ballistic missile defense systems (BMD) in Poland and the Czech Republic. Russia then positioned its own missiles in Kaliningrad, the former East Prussia. In 2008, Russia opposed Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia. In August 2008, Russia blamed the U.S for supporting Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in a war against separatist South Ossetia. At one point, Georgian and Russian forces exchanged fire.

In 2014, NATO canceled all attempts to cooperate with Russia, in response to the invasion of the Crimea. Four years later, Russia attempted to assassinate Sergei Skripal, a British citizen living in the U.K.

The current invasion of Ukraine is making cooperation between the West and Russia less likely, while increasing the chance of war.

Ukraine became independent in 1991, shortly after the collapse of the USSR. In 2004, Viktor Yanukovich, a pro-Russian candidate, won a general election, which was presumed to have been rigged. In 2014, Russia backed separatists in the Donbas region, sparking off a conflict in which

an estimated 15,000 people died before the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In 2019, pro-European candidate Volodymyr Zelenskyy was elected president of Ukraine, and the country began its pivot back to the West. In 2021, Zelenskyy asked President Biden to support Ukraine in joining NATO.

In December 2021, Russia began deploying troops close to its border with Ukraine. At the peak, 190,000 Russian soldiers were threatening Ukraine. Putin demanded that the U.S. remove its weapons from Eastern Europe. In response, the U.S. sent 3,000 troops to Poland and Romania. In February 2022, Russian-backed paramilitaries seized parts of Ukraine’s Donbas region. Shortly after, Putin recognized the region’s independence. Three days later, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the invasion began, the U.S., NATO and the E.U have been supporting the Ukrainian military with weapons, money, and intelligence.

Smaller nations, particularly in Southeastern Europe, are worried about being gobbled up, should Russia continue its expansion. Apart from the threat to U.S. interests in continental Western Europe, there is also the threat of Russia’s expansion into the Arctic, positioning submarines and missiles, which could potentially threaten shipping and freedom of navigation in the North Sea, as well as possible attacks on Canada, Alaska, and Scandinavia. Most recently, Finland and Sweden have been given permission to join NATO.

https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/11/30/the-greatest-threats-to-u-s-national-security-russia-china-and-iran-terrorism/

@mott-the-hoople said
can someone explain what russia has done to the US?

I know china has bought up our minerals, is actively stealing our technology, trying to subvert the dollar, but dems have their base focused on russia.

just what has russia done?

You're kidding, right?

@phranny said
Russia’s threat to the United States includes: direct military conflict, cyber attacks, supporting separatists, threats to freedom of navigation, and territorial expansion. On November 15, a missile blast killed two people in Poland, near the Ukraine border. Russia was the primary suspect. President Joe Biden later told the Poles that the missile was part of a Ukrainian defen ...[text shortened]... plomacy.eu/2022/11/30/the-greatest-threats-to-u-s-national-security-russia-china-and-iran-terrorism/

Maybe you will understand my question if you read it more carefully.

WHAT HAS RUSSIA DONE TO THE >>>UNITED STATES<<<?

@suzianne said
You're kidding, right?

no, not kidding at all

@phranny said
Russia’s threat to the United States includes: direct military conflict, cyber attacks, supporting separatists, threats to freedom of navigation, and territorial expansion. On November 15, a missile blast killed two people in Poland, near the Ukraine border. Russia was the primary suspect. President Joe Biden later told the Poles that the missile was part of a Ukrainian defen ...[text shortened]... plomacy.eu/2022/11/30/the-greatest-threats-to-u-s-national-security-russia-china-and-iran-terrorism/

the bigger question here…why is the US meddling in what is basically a civil war between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.

The US has sent over 100 billion there with ZERO tracking of what the money is used for.

Biden and Ukraine corruption goes waaaay back.

Now we are giving billions and dont have any idea who's pocket it is going in

@mott-the-hoople said
the bigger question here…why is the US meddling in what is basically a civil war between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.

The US has sent over 100 billion there with ZERO tracking of what the money is used for.

Biden and Ukraine corruption goes waaaay back.

Now we are giving billions and dont have any idea who's pocket it is going in

It's NOT a civil war. Russia invaded an independent country. Zelinski was democratically elected and has been actively trying to clean up corruption in Ukraine. I would far rather send money to help a country ward off an invasion than send money and soldiers who return in body bags or with lost limbs or severe psychological damage. Putin is doing just what Hitler did, trying to annex independent countries. Appeasement did not work then and it will not work now.

@phranny said
It's NOT a civil war. Russia invaded an independent country. Zelinski was democratically elected and has been actively trying to clean up corruption in Ukraine. I would far rather send money to help a country ward off an invasion than send money and soldiers who return in body bags or with lost limbs or severe psychological damage. Putin is doing just what Hitler did, trying to annex independent countries. Appeasement did not work then and it will not work now.

brush up the history of this region…

https://www.csis.org/analysis/russias-war-ukraine-identity-history-and-conflict


and you didnt answer my question

WHAT HAS RUSSIA DINE TO THE US?

@mott-the-hoople said
can someone explain what russia has done to the US?

I know china has bought up our minerals, is actively stealing our technology, trying to subvert the dollar, but dems have their base focused on russia.

just what has russia done?

It’s pushed you out of Africa and taken Syria it is now trying to push you out of Europe, it’s about to enter an alliance with NK to combat US imperialism, it’s allied with China who is trying to box the US into the western pacific.
What are you not getting about these authoritarian competitors lining up with an authoritarian puppet in mar a largo you dummy.

@mott-the-hoople said
the bigger question here…why is the US meddling in what is basically a civil war between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.

The US has sent over 100 billion there with ZERO tracking of what the money is used for.

Biden and Ukraine corruption goes waaaay back.

Now we are giving billions and dont have any idea who's pocket it is going in

Hey dummy you cannot have a civil war between two countries
Jesus H Christ is this the level of stupidity that will represent the US if trump manages to steal the White House in 2024 with massive gerrymandering and the minority of the electorate

@mott-the-hoople said
the bigger question here…why is the US meddling in what is basically a civil war between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.

The US has sent over 100 billion there with ZERO tracking of what the money is used for.

Biden and Ukraine corruption goes waaaay back.

Now we are giving billions and dont have any idea who's pocket it is going in

“ The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.”
Liar liar pants on fire
Zelensky was democratically elected Putin was un democratically elected after assassinating / jailing any opposition and banning all but pro Kremlin media outlets
STFU you lying halfwitted traitor

@mott-the-hoople said
the bigger question here…why is the US meddling in what is basically a civil war between Ukraine and Russia.

The leaders of BOTH countries are ruthless dictators.

The US has sent over 100 billion there with ZERO tracking of what the money is used for.

Biden and Ukraine corruption goes waaaay back.

Now we are giving billions and dont have any idea who's pocket it is going in

Believing the Trump BS. How embarrassing. How willfully ignorant.