Opinion - Trump is correct on Ukraine and right to put Zelensky on the spot

[The_Waco_Kid]

Opinion - Trump is correct on Ukraine and right to put Zelensky on the spot




Douglas MacKinnon, opinion contributor
Sat, February 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM CST
5 min read


https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-t...rc=fp_deeplink


Multiple times on this site over the last three years, I have advocated for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.


I have argued that Americans were well within our rights to ask hard and needed questions about the various tripwires littering the battlefields in Ukraine, which could trigger World War III; the background and connections of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; strict accountability for the hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars shoveled into the country by the Biden-Harris administration; off-shore bank accounts; if regime change in Russia was the ultimate goal, with Ukraine being used as a proxy; and the more than 1 million human beings killed or wounded in that war.


So many seemed unwilling to pose these questions. Why?


Since the outbreak of the war, it has seemed that “journalism” partially disappeared as many of the “news” reports about the war began with “Ukraine says …” or “Zelensky says …” News editors and journalists are human. Humans have biases. That said, the professional and ethical standards of journalists should override such biases.


Unfortunately, as we saw when then-businessman Donald Trump first declared his intention to run for president and a number of journalists quickly identified themselves as part of the “resistance” against him, ethics and professionalism can be put to the side based upon ideology, personal animus or a mob mentality. But at what cost to the actual truth and the welfare of our nation?


The same question now pertains to Ukraine. I have no problem with anyone being vehemently opposed to Vladimir Putin and Russia. But such opposition should not blind them to the obvious questions that must still be asked about what is best for the U.S. and our people.


And guess who has been asking those questions — while issuing critically needed warnings — since day one? Trump.


During the earliest months of the war, while making an appearance on 77 WABC radio, then-former President Trump was asked by host John Catsimatidis what things “keep you up at night?” Trump answered, “I think more than anything else, I think we could end up in World War III and it could be because of all of the horrible things that took place in Ukraine.”


For three years, Trump has not only been warning about the war in Ukraine igniting World War III but crying out to stop the tragic slaughter of the human beings caught in the crosshairs. Warning and cries that were ignored by so many, especially on the left and in journalism.


This fact is curious when you realize that so many from the left and in journalism spoke out so loudly and consistently against the war in Iraq because of the deaths triggered by the “illegal war” of President George W. Bush. Where have those voices been for the last three years? By any accurate and honest measurement, many more have been killed or wounded in Ukraine than the Iraq War.


This week, Trump rightfully decided to put Zelensky on the spot via a Truth Social post. He wrote: “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle … On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’ He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left…I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died — And so it continues …”

[VitaMan]

Bill O'Reilly gives the best explanation on this, and a lot of other things.

[BobbyBeeBrown]

Yeah, nice job ignoring this part of the sentence:

"....Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start..."

Three lies by Trump in that one sentence. Especially the one about $350 Billion Dollars. That's okay, though. We just let him do this. Over and over and over and over and over and over and...

Heil Trump! Heil Elon!

[The_Waco_Kid]

Originally Posted by VitaMan

Bill O'Reilly gives the best explanation on this, and a lot of other things.

feel free to share O'Reilly's comments so we can all enjoy them

Originally Posted by BobbyBeeBrown

Yeah, nice job ignoring this part of the sentence:

"....Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start..."

Three lies by Trump in that one sentence. Especially the one about $350 Billion Dollars. That's okay, though. We just let him do this. Over and over and over and over and over and over and...

Heil Trump! Heil Elon!

also feel free to add proof to those claims

[BobbyBeeBrown]

Originally Posted by BobbyBeeBrown

Yeah, nice job ignoring this part of the sentence:

"....Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start..."

Three lies by Trump in that one sentence. Especially the one about $350 Billion Dollars. That's okay, though. We just let him do this. Over and over and over and over and over and over and...

Heil Trump! Heil Elon!

Originally Posted by The_Waco_Kid

feel free to share O'Reilly's comments so we can all enjoy them


also feel free to add proof to those claims

Please pay attention. I didn't post anything about O'Reilly.

I merely quoted YOUR post from above!

And proof? You are kidding me, right?

It is literally EVERYWHERE.

Zelenskyy didn't "talk us into" anything. And we haven't spent anywhere near $350 Billion.

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-tru...aid/a-71702392

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-figures...g/7981441.html

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/polit...ine/index.html

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2...ims-on-ukraine

https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/pent...740305866.html

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-...kraine-2033333

NY Times and Wall Street Journal too. But those are pay sites. Dozens more.

[VitaMan]

O'Reilly has a show daily. They are on YouTube. Feb 13 is a particularly insightful show.

[The_Waco_Kid]

Originally Posted by BobbyBeeBrown

Please pay attention. I didn't post anything about O'Reilly.

I merely quoted YOUR post from above!

And proof? You are kidding me, right?

It is literally EVERYWHERE.

Zelenskyy didn't "talk us into" anything. And we haven't spent anywhere near $350 Billion.

https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-tru...aid/a-71702392

https://www.voanews.com/a/us-figures...g/7981441.html

https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/19/polit...ine/index.html

https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2...ims-on-ukraine

https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/pent...740305866.html

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-...kraine-2033333

NY Times and Wall Street Journal too. But those are pay sites. Dozens more.

well lets just skip right past the obviously biased sites like newsukraine and euronews and what does that leave us?



newsweek .. and CNN



it was 183 BILLION we gave. it will take 350 Billion to rebuild Ukraine. and Ukraine



Trump has floated the $350 billion figure before, mentioning it in a December 2024 interview on "Meet The Press." In September 2022, the World Bank said it could cost $350 billion to rebuild Ukraine, according to a Reuters report,


US wartime aid to Ukraine
In the Wednesday social media post, Trump falsely claimed that Zelensky “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars” to “go into” an unwinnable war.
The $350 billion figure, too, is far from reality.



According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine, the US had committed a total of about $124 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine between late January 2022, just before the Russian invasion, and the end of December 2024; the think tank found the US had actually allocated about $119 billion.



It’s possible to arrive at different totals using different counting methodologies, but there is no apparent basis for Trump’s “$350 billion” figure. The US government inspector general overseeing the Ukraine response has said on its website that “as of September 30, 2024, the U.S. Ukraine response funding totals nearly $183 billion, with $130.1 billion obligated and $86.7 billion disbursed” – and that includes funding spent in the US or sent to countries other than Ukraine.



all this shows is why Trump and the US need to end this wasteful regime change nonsense and save the world from WWIII

[Jacuzzme]

Any amount over $0 is too much to throw at a war we shouldn’t be involved in.

[Salty Again]

Originally Posted by The_Waco_Kid

Opinion - Trump is correct on Ukraine and right to put Zelensky on the spot




Douglas MacKinnon, opinion contributor
Sat, February 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM CST
5 min read


https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-t...rc=fp_deeplink


Multiple times on this site over the last three years, I have advocated for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine.


I have argued that Americans were well within our rights to ask hard and needed questions about the various tripwires littering the battlefields in Ukraine, which could trigger World War III; the background and connections of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; strict accountability for the hundreds of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars shoveled into the country by the Biden-Harris administration; off-shore bank accounts; if regime change in Russia was the ultimate goal, with Ukraine being used as a proxy; and the more than 1 million human beings killed or wounded in that war.


So many seemed unwilling to pose these questions. Why?


Since the outbreak of the war, it has seemed that “journalism” partially disappeared as many of the “news” reports about the war began with “Ukraine says …” or “Zelensky says …” News editors and journalists are human. Humans have biases. That said, the professional and ethical standards of journalists should override such biases.


Unfortunately, as we saw when then-businessman Donald Trump first declared his intention to run for president and a number of journalists quickly identified themselves as part of the “resistance” against him, ethics and professionalism can be put to the side based upon ideology, personal animus or a mob mentality. But at what cost to the actual truth and the welfare of our nation?


The same question now pertains to Ukraine. I have no problem with anyone being vehemently opposed to Vladimir Putin and Russia. But such opposition should not blind them to the obvious questions that must still be asked about what is best for the U.S. and our people.


And guess who has been asking those questions — while issuing critically needed warnings — since day one? Trump.


During the earliest months of the war, while making an appearance on 77 WABC radio, then-former President Trump was asked by host John Catsimatidis what things “keep you up at night?” Trump answered, “I think more than anything else, I think we could end up in World War III and it could be because of all of the horrible things that took place in Ukraine.”


For three years, Trump has not only been warning about the war in Ukraine igniting World War III but crying out to stop the tragic slaughter of the human beings caught in the crosshairs. Warning and cries that were ignored by so many, especially on the left and in journalism.


This fact is curious when you realize that so many from the left and in journalism spoke out so loudly and consistently against the war in Iraq because of the deaths triggered by the “illegal war” of President George W. Bush. Where have those voices been for the last three years? By any accurate and honest measurement, many more have been killed or wounded in Ukraine than the Iraq War.


This week, Trump rightfully decided to put Zelensky on the spot via a Truth Social post. He wrote: “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start, but a War that he, without the U.S. and ‘TRUMP,’ will never be able to settle … On top of this, Zelenskyy admits that half of the money we sent him is ‘MISSING.’ He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left…I love Ukraine, but Zelenskyy has done a terrible job, his Country is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died — And so it continues …”

... Too right! ... THIS is the way that I see things also!

#### Salty

[1blackman1]

Bad opinions are like assholes. Trump tongue kissing all of them.

[BobbyBeeBrown]

Originally Posted by The_Waco_Kid

well lets just skip right past the obviously biased sites like newsukraine and euronews and what does that leave us?



newsweek .. and CNN



it was 183 BILLION we gave. it will take 350 Billion to rebuild Ukraine. and Ukraine



Trump has floated the $350 billion figure before, mentioning it in a December 2024 interview on "Meet The Press." In September 2022, the World Bank said it could cost $350 billion to rebuild Ukraine, according to a Reuters report,


US wartime aid to Ukraine
In the Wednesday social media post, Trump falsely claimed that Zelensky “talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars” to “go into” an unwinnable war.
The $350 billion figure, too, is far from reality.



According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a German think tank that closely tracks wartime aid to Ukraine, the US had committed a total of about $124 billion in military, financial and humanitarian aid to Ukraine between late January 2022, just before the Russian invasion, and the end of December 2024; the think tank found the US had actually allocated about $119 billion.



It’s possible to arrive at different totals using different counting methodologies, but there is no apparent basis for Trump’s “$350 billion” figure. The US government inspector general overseeing the Ukraine response has said on its website that “as of September 30, 2024, the U.S. Ukraine response funding totals nearly $183 billion, with $130.1 billion obligated and $86.7 billion disbursed” – and that includes funding spent in the US or sent to countries other than Ukraine.



all this shows is why Trump and the US need to end this wasteful regime change nonsense and save the world from WWIII

THANK YOU for confirming my argument: Trump lied about the $350 Billion. Biased sources be damned. There aren't ANY sources that say otherwise. None. And you trying to deflect by saying that it will take $350B to "rebuild" Ukraine was NOT the discussion and does not negate Trump's lies.

[1blackman1]

Everyone on except Salty knows Trump lies about nearly everything. He’s like a broken clock though and the couple of things he might get right accidentally is enough proof for the Trumpys that he’s honest.

It’s been pointed out numerous times that the US has spent about 170-180m in Ukraine with the vast majority of that money going to US companies. Europe also has spent about that amount with a lot of that going to US companies as well.

The US taxpayers are not going broke because of Ukraine.

I wish folks would actually use facts to support their arguments rather than continuing to repeat Trump lies over and over. Might actually make for some convincing discussions. If that was actually something folks were interested in.

[The_Waco_Kid]

Originally Posted by 1blackman1

Bad opinions are like assholes. Trump tongue kissing all of them.

amusing how dismissive people are with the opinions of others when it doesn't suit their narrative

Originally Posted by BobbyBeeBrown

THANK YOU for confirming my argument: Trump lied about the $350 Billion. Biased sources be damned. There aren't ANY sources that say otherwise. None. And you trying to deflect by saying that it will take $350B to "rebuild" Ukraine was NOT the discussion and does not negate Trump's lies.

you really think only 350 billion will restore Ukraine? it will cost 1 trillion because 350 billion is just the start of it and we should not pay one cent of it unless we get Ukraine's resources in compensation. otherwise fuck Ukraine.

[1blackman1]

Ukraine can rebuild themselves. They can use and sell their own minerals and natural resources on the open market. That’s why the US should not be angling to get them. Allow what would make a great ally remake itself in the wake of defeating the Russian invaders.

[VitaMan]

Please back up your 1 trillion to restore Ukraine. Or is it only your opinion ?