148
votes
Why does the US keep announcing what they think Russia is going to do in Ukraine?
I think that the motivation is mostly to make it very hard for any Russian narrative to gain traction in the international public opinion, including in Russia.
From a political perspective, Russia ...
- 16.2k
144
votes
Accepted
Why is the US under Biden so strongly supporting Ukraine in the war?
At 0.4% of GDP total US aid commitments (this includes non-military aid -- military aid is about 0.2% of GDP) are similar to the UK, but only 2/3rds that of Poland. Some people might not consider that ...
- 886
111
votes
Accepted
Why does the US treat the problems of Russia and Ukraine as its own?
The 1994 Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is an agreement between Ukraine, the Russian Federation, the ...
- 12.6k
109
votes
Why is the fact that Ukraine President Zelenskyy publicly stated that Trump didn't pressure him whatsoever being ignored?
I wouldn't necessarily say that the mainstream media is ignoring Zelensky's statement. (NY Times, Washington Post analysis, Fox News). However, he made the statement at the end of September, and it'...
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99
votes
Accepted
Why does the US keep announcing what they think Russia is going to do in Ukraine?
This is fairly common political technique called 'poisoning the well'. The US is laying out all of the actions and steps that Russia has been taking — and some that they expect Russia will take if ...
- 67.7k
95
votes
Does the DOJ's declining to investigate the Trump-Zelensky call ruin the basis for impeachment?
Please, understand me in a right way - I'm not position myself as pro-Trump/pro-democrat - it is inner deals of foreign country for me, like a chess party. But this is just interesting question, I ...
- 3,359
95
votes
Accepted
Does the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have any means to force Ukraine into negotiating peace with Russia? Does the U.S.?
I think at least one answer should point out the elephant in the room: It's not really Ukraine that is blocking negotiations for peace, it's Russia.
Russia stole Crimea from Ukraine, had a frozen ...
- 3,631
93
votes
Why didn't the US just complement Russia's security demands to avoid the invasion of Ukraine?
Russia essentially asked to ban not-yet-joined ex-USSR countries, which I find quite reasonable for maintaining the so-called buffer zone.
That's not reasonable. Those are sovereign countries with ...
JJJ♦
- 38.9k
91
votes
What would Ukraine gain by joining the European Union rapidly?
The simple fact is that it is not feasible. Even if everybody agreed in principle, the EU was ready to waive some of the requirements and ignore all other political considerations, it would still take ...
- 30.5k
86
votes
Why is it not an invasion if Russia sends troops into Ukraine?
If the breakaway 'republics' are sovereign, which Russia now accepts but which the international community does not accept, Russia would be defending two allies at the invitation of those allies. Not ...
- 106k
80
votes
Accepted
What would Ukraine gain by joining the European Union rapidly?
Zelensky does not actually expect that Ukraine will be able to join the EU right now. However, even starting the application process now brings benefits, even more given the expected response by the ...
- 12.7k
75
votes
Why is the ICC focusing on the transfer of war orphans to Russia rather than Russia's much more obvious crimes in Ukraine?
Mass children abduction is not a "minor" crime. Connecting with Putin's denial of Ukraine as a separate nation and country, it is one of five acts that constitute genocide.
forcibly ...
- 2,601
74
votes
What is the motivation for the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe, including Ukraine, at the risk of starting a hot war with Russia?
However, what NATO was doing in the recent years seemed to raise the risk of hot war with Russia. For example, NATO tried to build missile bases in Eastern Europe and even trying to include Ukraine, ...
JJJ♦
- 38.9k
74
votes
Why is the US under Biden so strongly supporting Ukraine in the war?
The US (like any other country supporting Ukraine) is of the view that, in the 21st century, no country is supposed to redefine its borders by force. Any wars aiming for that should remain history ...
- 1,506
69
votes
Why is sending troops different from sending military equipment?
Already many good answers, I just wanted to add another facet
The weapons change ownership; the soldiers don't.
If Poland (for example) sends a gun, a tank, an airplane to Ukraine, the moment the ...
- 31.2k
66
votes
Accepted
Why didn't the US just complement Russia's security demands to avoid the invasion of Ukraine?
Well, the catch is that Russia put out two documents (the same day). You missed the other one which did have proposals found a lot more objectionable in the West.
Article 4
The Russian Federation and ...
- 146k
65
votes
Why is the fact that Ukraine President Zelenskyy publicly stated that Trump didn't pressure him whatsoever being ignored?
Given how Zelensky was willing to agree with everything that Trump was saying in that conversation, it shouldn't be too surprising that Zelenskiy agreeing with Trump in public too doesn't seem ...
- 146k
64
votes
Why do some people support Russia's war in Ukraine?
TLDR: For real and imagined reasons, the West is less popular than it thinks it is and this is war is framed, by Russia, as them standing up to the West.
Russia has presented plenty of arguments for ...
62
votes
Accepted
What does it mean for Russia to put its nuclear deterrence forces on ‘high alert’?
Very hard to say what the actual changes are without looking at the specifics of Russian nuclear protocols (which nuclear countries do not generally share much, preferring to remain ambiguous).
Russia'...
62
votes
Accepted
Would a (nuclear) strike that hits an NATO member state embassy/extraterritoriality in Ukraine be considered a (nuclear) strike against NATO?
The NATO charter is not a smart contract that executes automatically. Article 5 doesn't just "trigger" and automatically launch jets and missiles.
The first point of the article is giving ...
60
votes
Accepted
What is the pacifist position on Ukraine?
Politicians, especially those who are sufficiently prominent to be involved in actual governance, are very seldom pacifists. Accordingly, I am unaware of any statements made by pacifist politicians on ...
- 2,482
60
votes
Accepted
What can be the reasons or advantages for Russia's candid admission of their own fighter dropping ordnance over Belgorod instead of blaming Ukraine?
Kremlin admitted the fact that it was Russia that bombed its own city, because if they blame Ukraine for the bombing, the Russian population will question the efficacy of the Russian air defense ...
- 10.8k
59
votes
Why doesn't Ukraine just buy the heavy/advanced weaponry that it needs
Buying arms isn't like buying a TV set, or even buying a car.
Normally, it takes several years from order to delivery.
In the normal case, arms are manufactured for the specific export customer, with ...
- 106k
59
votes
What is the political justification by China and India for not participating in the sanctions against Russia?
First, please understand that China and India are sovereign nations, not in the EU, not in NATO. They do not need to take a position. Just because you say they do does not make it so. *
Having said ...
58
votes
Why are Western politicians even bothering to react to Russian claims?
The point of propaganda is to manipulate perception. It's not to communicate alternative interpretations or to arrive at consensus. It is to make people see something very different from what is ...
- 7,952
57
votes
What would Ukraine gain by disclosing intelligence information about Putin assassination plans?
An important part of remaining in power as a dictator is the general impression that it is inevitable that the dictator will remain in power (at least for the medium term) — because then challenging ...
- 12.7k
56
votes
Why does the US treat the problems of Russia and Ukraine as its own?
Maybe because an international order where individual parties can revoke previous treaties and behave as bullies is generally bad for peace and security
There are generic reasons why world powers ...
- 3,629
55
votes
Exit strategies for the Ukraine war
This seems to naturally lead to case-fire negotiations that would determine a "line of actual control" close to an eventual realistic military outcome but save thousands of lives, let alone ...
54
votes
Accepted
How could the past NATO expansions in Eastern Europe be seen as justification of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022?
First, let's concede that many people will "justify" whatever they have chosen to justify. Giving support to Ukraine and oppossing Rusia involves some risks and cost.
I have met some of ...
- 31.2k
54
votes
Why is sending troops different from sending military equipment?
"Escalation" is mostly a red herring.
The big difference between sending weapons and sending troops to an ongoing war is that a dead soldier has a much larger political cost than a destroyed ...
- 2,482
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