Should Ukraine Strike Russia with Western Weapons?

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[@dontsupportrats4089]

I am still highly intrigued by Patrushev being put in charge of ship building. It would seem to me that would be the arm of Russia's military likely to see the most money dedicated to it over the next 10 years. Nuclear Powered subs are expensive, doesn't this really put him in charge of a ton of money distribution?

[@gian7707]

Hey Vlad, I feel you. Axonal damage from GBS left me pretty much a quad. But I just wanted to say how much I admire your will. Physical issues 'DO' impact the mental condition immensely, pain, lethargy and the mourning of how we once were (PTSD)...I don't know how you deal. Even the commitment to your audience, that I know you truly love, is such a gift of the 'actual' functioning hours of your day that not many people grasp. You are simply 'amazing' !

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

@@gian7707 True, physical impacts mental as does mental impact physical...both systems are interdependent....problems with either system affects the other. Warmest wishes from Northern California 🌴🌞

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

Thanks Vlad for your hard work and dedication...especially with the health challenges...much appreciated. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[@gian7707]

@@suzannstrohmaier2578 Best regards to yourself too...from Melbourne Australia

[@barnabysalter3949]

Russia is striking Ukraine with Iranian and North Korean weapons. Why is this a one-way thing?

[@Rutyos]

And mercenary soldiers from around the world.

[@ottrakkaselg8033]

this is not some divine law. it is simple. russia is not afraid of us, but we are afraid of russia. russia did not set this rule, this rule/restriction was set by us and russia is just exploiting it. we played that hand to russia.

[@yidavv]

You guys really are miss8ng the whole point. This is such childish and reactive response to what's he's discussing. You're exactly the problem he is talking about how we can't have conversations about Ukraine strategically and maturely. There are ppl like you just there to cry and whine at every little thing

[@Katoshi_Takagumi]

Apparently, western philosophical outlook favors the aggressor or something. Throughout history, they've always picked on those weaker than themselves.

[@petefrys545]

@@yidavv Surely using your argument the US and UK using missiles to down Iranian missles, indicates the these countries are proxy's for Israel?

[@Mrblazed420]

That not even a question ukrainie will never win while russia can just keep most of its equipment just across the border

[@isonnol]

It's clearly true that no battle, much less a war, can be won if the aggressor can somehow remain off-limits. @Vlad, you are an impressive person. Giving examples of reasonable, responsible, mature behavior in the modern information space. Funny enough, I expressed this while misreading Mrblazed's comment, and concluded that I was a less reactive shit partially due to your efforts on this platform. I'm glad my word choice was "less reactive" 😄. I stand by the sentiment.

[@Mrblazed420]

@isonnol he dose stand out from some other youtuber and explains things in a different way he's one of the best people who talk about russia and its politics and ukrainie war

[@anthragestormrider2493]

This is even more problematic when you consider the world allows Russia to claim more and more of Ukraine's territory. This is why those pushing to agree to Putin's current proposal to end the war but have Russia keep the land it has occupied are so absurdly stupid - these will just become more lands troops and equipment can be position in which the west will disallow attacks on.

[@doc7000]

I don't completely agree with this point, despite what people say there is a limit for how much war and loss Russia can sustain and no it isn't after the last Russian person is dead. Though this means that Ukraine needs to keep enough pressure on Russia to force Russia into making choices in which it is a net negative for them no matter which one they make.

[@goenzoy712]

This net negative will never happen.Natural gas has given Russia power as example It will be still there in 3 or 6 years Selling it later doesn't make much of a difference

[@DavidSmith-yi8ou]

Of course. Russia doesn’t get to dictate the terms on a war it started.

[@MartinLundström-l4v]

They do...through US. ( secret deal...)

[@nikbear]

​@@MartinLundström-l4v What utter rubbish, adjust your tinfoil hat you silly troll 🧌

[@kvici]

​@@MartinLundström-l4vbe so nice, anonymous user, and enlighten us all.

[@theodorekorehonen]

@user-mz3in7vo5b ... (...)... (... Secret... Deal)... (... That only exists within... your delusions)... ...

[@Maelli535]

@@MartinLundström-l4v Total rot.

[@diane9247]

Since the end of WWII, my country, the US, has been involved in proxy (and even invented) wars large and small. Ukraine is the first one I've supported. I thank you, Vlad, for calling it what it is and legitimizing it. Several hundred million of us are jittery thinking of the November election.

[@Griezeejs]

Dono Dono Ukraine was one of biggest Eu economics and they got ~38++ million residents now they got probably 15M++ big part flees to Eu Russia 1m+ lost in war

[@GalAxy-u9s]

You support this war because no Americans are dying? Have you considered visiting a doctor? Or a priest?

[@chrisstrawn4108]

@@Griezeejs rule of 10% for full mobility means even with these numbers Ukraine can raise an army of at least 1.5 million. Russia's total casualties are much closer to 500k. Russia can produce an annual recruiting class of 2-400k which has been shown by the now three armies they've cycled through Ukraine. Horrible as it is the scale of attritting Russians needs to be increased greatly. It is not pleasant to say, it's awful but Russia needs to have about 2 million casualties, 2 million is too large for Putin to hide. The Iran-Iraq war 1980-1989 produced about 1 million casualties, fighting was remarkably similar (except no drones). Once they lost 1 million both sides were exhausted but even combined the two countries had less than Russia's current population. In English we are about 25% into this godawful tragedy.

[@woodreauxwoodreaux6298]

Ethical answer: YES. Moral answer: YES. Matter of survival answer: YES.

[@florete2310]

I agree on all points.

[@Griezeejs]

Bad chooses by Ukraine politics. The are just USA EU puppets :( They was need Do to make independent Ukraine not slaves of globalists.

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

Sadly as the war drags on, I too start seeing it more and more that way. In the beginning I wanted a quick response to push Russia back....ideally through diplomacy...but by any means a quick end to the fighting. In the beginning the Russian troops were very chaotic and not showing any discipline or organization...now they seem to be more focused....at the start was our best bet to get them out of Ukraine. How we (USA) keep allowing so much bloodshed is horrible. We have the power and authority to insist on peace talks....it no longer feels like help as we allow Ukraine to suffer more and more. If Russia gets a very strong position in Ukraine that will make the inevitable negotiations all that much more difficult for Ukraine. I do want us to support and help Ukraine, but in a pragmatic and logical way....not letting them bleed themselves dry and lose their land.

[@davidjacobson9907]

yes, they must.

[@gian7707]

Hey Vlad, I feel you. Axonal damage from GBS left me pretty much a quad. But I just wanted to say how much I admire your will. Physical issues 'DO' impact the mental condition immensely, pain, lethargy and the mourning of how we once were (PTSD)...I don't know how you deal. Even the commitment to your audience, that I know you truly love, is such a gift of the 'actual' functioning hours of your day that not many people grasp. You are simply 'amazing' !

[@williamhenry8914]

100% yes. Our timidity has caused us to draw our own red lines miles below where they ought to be. Like a tourist who thinks they got a good deal on a $500 knock-off wristwatch at a Delhi bazar. It's time to for us to grow up, accept that the rules are only observed for so long as they are enforced, and stop being cowards

[@glenn5328]

Hi Vlad Before I listen to you my view is yes Ukraine should be able to take the fight to Russia……whether the weapons are supplied by USA, Europe or even Amazon! Now having listened to you I have the view that the overriding issue is that Ukraine is fighting for its existence against an imperial “superpower” and it must be entitled to use the weapons that it is supplied with without limitations. The Americans will not provide Ukraine with its latest weaponry anyway. Whatever the USA sends to Kiev then Kiev should be the decider of how and where those weapons are used. Any lack of clarity in the West over its strategic approach should not act as a break on Ukraine in fighting this war.

[@valgehiir]

Thank you for cutting through Vlad's babble. Vlad is like, should we even debate Ukraine's right to defend itself, lets spend 15 minutes saying nothing.

[@chrisstrawn4108]

"Americans will not provide Ukraine with its latest weaponry anyway." This is only partially true. The MIM-104 Patriots we and Germany have provided are state of the art. Ukraine is fighting for all of us but we are juggling an alliance which means we have to consider allies like Germany who are desperate to avoid escalation. If we didn't have to work with allies we'd not only be supplying more weapons, the ones we send would be newer. I wish we could get there sooner and am ashamed Ukraine is being shortchanged, but these are the limitations of alliance.

[@louisquatorze9280]

The US learned the hard way during the Vietnam conflict that if your enemy is allowed sanctuary across borders while they can cross borders to attack with impunity, there is no winning. Having said that, Russia is not going to stop with Ukraine - if they are allowed to take Ukraine. They have made that quite clear.

[@CollectiveWest1]

Yes, Western policy allows Russian attackers to have 'safe haven' or 'sanctuary' from Ukraine's self-defence

[@guydreamr]

*Very* clear in the 6,000-word essay "On the Historical Unity Between Russians and Ukrainians" published by the Russian leader in July 2021, which among other countries mentioned Lithuania no less than 17 times.

[@MartinLundström-l4v]

Yes US, make themselves loose....

[@goenzoy712]

But Lithuania is a country where young people run away voluntary

[@everTriumph]

So that is why the US bombed crap out of Cambodia, without even a 'by your leave'.

[@michaeldarling1759]

Sometimes I manage to shut up when you're talking, Vlad. Very good talk today. Something you said about ethics in war reminded me of what Goering said after he bombed Rotterdam in May 1940. He said, "We did it because we can." Flippant. That night, or the next, the British bombed a little town on the German North Sea coast obliterating it and the rational the British gave was, "We did it because we can." I suppose the moral of that story is that the aggressor writes the rules. Specifically, bombing civilian targets is now on whereas before the bombing of Rotterdam it was taboo. (And there is the rule of retaliation, of course.) The Russians today think it's okay to bomb civilians. But the Ukrainians have not followed suit (usually) in bombing shopping malls and residential areas, though they do bomb power stations (which is fine by me) in retaliation to the Russian bombing of Ukrainian power stations. Things do evolve, eh. Another example is Western soldiers haven't been shooting prisoners of war (usually) for over a hundred years, whereas the Ruskkies haven't any qualms about it at all, apparently. Again, the Ukrainians have not followed suit (usually).

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

The "because we can" sends a message but may not be militarily effective. Dresden was a bit much and more of a science experiment. The two atomic bombs had strategic effects (and coincided with fire bombing raids by Curtis LeMay as a convincer).

[@MarcinP2]

To make this distinction on the Russian side would mean admitting that despite the legal process the occupied territory is not Russia.

[@stephenhill545]

It is obviously not Russia.

[@Fishpasta4]

Well Russia does claim that the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts as part of Russia by Russian law... so technically Ukraine has already been using them on 'Russian' soil for well over a year now. Just saying.

[@Piden-l4b]

Absolutely! They spin it any way to their benefit

[@petefrys545]

But that acknowledges that Russia annexations actions are acceptable

[@Griezeejs]

@@petefrys545 those territories was never Ukrainian before 1918 year. Precise dates when CCCP give then those territories check by self.

[@petefrys545]

@@Griezeejs Oh yes they were under the Ukrainian People Republic 1917-1920. You check it out instead of repeating KremlinBS

[@petefrys545]

Yes but they're Ukrainian under international law

[@IW4DBX]

Short reply YES

[@natty5129]

Yes. Like yesterday already!

[@hadtopicausername]

As Inspector Clouseau said, when asked what kind of "bömb" it was: "The explöding kind!"

[@henrya3530]

What amazes me is that there are policy makers in Washington who believe the largest land war in Europe since WW2 can somehow be contained and restricted to only the territory of Ukraine.

[@abr00ky]

Yes they should.

[@factchecker1980]

Russian attacked Ukraine, so all targets inside Russia are fair game, with any weapon system avaliable.

[@ak5659]

I agree and yes, it really is that simple.

[@lisbethmllegaard8437]

…don’t over think it …the answer is YES! 🌻

[@Timmerdetimmerdetim]

that's a big ask on this channel😉

[@lisbethmllegaard8437]

@@Timmerdetimmerdetim couldn’t help myself 😎

[@Timmerdetimmerdetim]

@@lisbethmllegaard8437 no need to apoligize. You were on the 🫰

[@Jancuks04]

Lurker here, just here every time to adjust and compare notes on moral compass. Sometimes it's hard to say things that may hurt others feelings, but need to be said, however it's most times never about feelings themselves. Especially when the receiving end devolves into becoming a victim to downplay or deflect any incoming criticism. You make my compass straight and true in difficult arguments! Thank you so much!!

[@AstroGremlinAmerican]

Some people find free speech and the free exchange of ideas painful and threatening. They want them to stop, thinking that will avoid the greater pain of error.

[@eriks.9730]

Yes! France didn’t stop being an aggressive continental power until it got its clock cleaned twice. Same for Germany. Russian imperialism won’t stop until it sees that its ambitions are fruitless. If they keep it up they may lose territory to China.

[@blueclue57]

When it is a crisis and an emergency.. when survival is at stake and there is necessity for action, there is little time and patience to sit down and develop a strategic plan. So I don’t fully appreciate that the answer to this question must flow from some strategic thinking and assessment. I don’t like to use the word “proxy” because in common meaning it has too much closeness to “puppet”, and Ukraine is absolutely not a puppet of the USA. I greatly respected your analogy of the neighbor and friend. And when my friend comes and asks for my help in a crisis, I will not tell him that I need to make a plan - I ask my friend how I can help, and do what I can. To me, a true friend doesn’t put strings or conditions on what help is shared. You help or you don’t. As an American, I see that our friend Ukraine needs our help and I am proud that we can provide it. I see the urgency and necessity. They need our full and unconditional support, and as global friends we must give it.

[@CollectiveWest1]

Thanks Vlad. Very helpful. I start from Ukraine's right to defend itself - as you said, that involves considerations of necessity. It is necessary for Ukraine and its supporters to consider targets in Russia because of the aggression by the Kremlin regime. If there were no invasion by Moscow - then there would be no such necessity. Perhaps one approach is proximity or causation of potential harm by a target. That is most obvious for Moscow's bombers, missile ships and army units just across the border which are attacking Ukraine or supporting such attacks. They are attacking Ukrainians now, today, every day, including civilians. There will be different views about how far beyond those categories to draw that line of proximity but those primary categories should be clear and possible to agree on. BTW, I dislike the term 'proxy' because it might imply lack of agency by Ukraine (you said here that you do not accept that objection but my concern is how less informed and thoughtful people will understand that term). I prefer 'common interest' - as a comparison, the UK was not a 'proxy' for the US in 1940 and 1941, but the US was directly interested in UK survival and eventual victory (and even agreed aspirations in the Atlantic Charter). 'Incomplete' is a polite description for Western strategy - I'd say 'incoherent and contradictory'. The West has an extra interest in Ukraine winning this war as quickly as possible because it is enabling hostile states to develop weapons and techniques which will be used against the West later.

[@mattleach958]

Yes, absotutely

[@rickhill5161]

Thank you for your efforts to educate/challenge our thinking abilities. Good health days for is my sincere hope! Slava Ukraini

[@everTriumph]

Lets hypothesise a bit. Say in WW2 the US was not at war with Germany, but was supporting the UK with bombs. UK cities were being blasted with V1's and V2's launched from the continent. The UK had bombers which could hit the launch sites and factories, but could not do so without using US bombs, which the US would not allow as it would 'escalate' the conflict. Leaving aside the fact that Germany had plans to similarly decimate US cities, when the UK was left smoking and 'under the boot', would that policy be judged as logical (and sane?).

[@cabanford]

Yes. Of course.

[@MarkGreen-uy9em]

Good to see you out and about. Stay well my friend.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you!!

[@jamesodwyer4181]

I appreciate such a nuanced discussion on the topic. It has seemed to me that, on this topic, folk are often trying to have multiple conversations simultaneously, each with its own distinct aspects. For a loose example 1) The practicalities of war and defense against invasion 2) The geopolitics attached to the logistics of sustaining the defense of a nation At the same time such conversations can get tangled by disinformation/reductio ad absurdum/etcetera across the various online realms of social media. Thank you for taking the time to split apart the strands to make these topics more approachable

[@Maxtcc]

Absolutely. They have been invaded. So of course it is necessary to strike the home field the aggressor. It is complete folly to restrict the use of any applicable arms. They were given, to aid Ukraine, therefore it is for Ukraine to shoulder the burdens of use. Any other answer from the donating country would be to interfere in the politics of the receiving nation.

[@MsZeeZed]

A *Proxy* is someone who depends upon another, but isn’t directed by that other as a result. A state actor who is dependent AND directed in International Politics is a *Puppet* The Russian Federation, looking back to the “height” of Imperial or Stalinist Russia, slipped back into its own definitions from the previous centuries were *Allies* & *Proxies* & *Puppets* are all the same thing to an Empire. Those definitions also allow them to see Ukrainians as just a type of Russian and so at heart they too must also want to be ruled by a Moscow Tsar. It’s these fundamental distortions in Moscow’s lens that lets them see opposition as fascism, a lie as the truth and what’s yours as really theirs.

[@marijo1951]

Thank you. This makes really useful distinctions. Russia certainly does behave as if Ukraine is a puppet of the West which is far from the truth, given the Ukrainians' resourcefulness and independence of spirit.

[@FatFrankie42]

I think Ukraine should be allowed to use Western weaponry within a certain range of their borders. Especially where Russian troops, vehicles, equipment & weapons are building up & gathering together in preparation to either cross into Ukrainian territory or strike targets in Ukrainian territory should all be fair game. It's just a thought...

[@VladVexlerChat]

The case for that is very strong indeed.

[@Piden-l4b]

Wars are never fair. Ukraine has to do whatever they can to defend itself

[@thedealermusic]

And what about air bases 1000km + from Ukraine that are being used for bombing sorties into Ukraine? It can’t just be build ups around the border. People are dying unnecessarily due to these restrictions

[@FatFrankie42]

@@VladVexlerChat Thank you for saying that! Your opinion means a lot to me.

[@stephenhill545]

​@@Piden-l4bNormally, your supporters don't kick your feet away. The other side tries to do that.

[@memirandawong]

You are nothing short of fantastic Vlad! Regardless of your channel content (which is beyond reproach) you are an inspiration for me to simply get my ass up in the morning.

[@LvB-do8cm]

Thanks Vlad for your vision/opinion..really gives the B. Community strenght to hang on, therefore right back to you brother; hang on🍀 Leon (The Netherlands)

[@menschin2]

Hello, it's good to see you. I'm really the opposite. I got rarely ill, but I worked in an emergency room for 25 years. I've seen a lot. I think you are blessed with a good mental health. Best wishes.

[@jajamuc]

Vlad, you are such a likeable and inspiring person! I feel blessed to be a member of your community. You are a helping me a lot to stay sane and balanced in this challenging world. Thank you!

[@VladVexlerChat]

I am so grateful to have you. Thank you.

[@luminyam6145]

So happy you felt well enough to do a video, it is good to hear your voice and see you Vlad.💖

[@vaitesey]

YES!!

[@alexlarsen6413]

The west's strategy is "incomplete". Well if that isn't the eufemism of the century, I don't know what is. 😅 Yes, of course Ukraine should be able to use our weapons in Russia. If anything that should give the western politicians more strategic clarity...or completeness, if you will. Cheers!

[@robotjeans]

Great and insightful upload as always Vlad.

[@tgalloway]

Do the US not realise that the current restriction is an expensive sticking plaster. The funding supplied may not come around again, it just be used to the full, now...

[@BC-tp8ep]

I hope that’s a rhetorical question

[@yidavv]

I hope you watched the video

[@kernowpolski]

Very good analogy on "where your security is dependent on the outcome of quarrel of neighbour with his wife". The claim that the Ukraine War is a proxy war is simply not true - it is more akin to breaking away from an abusive partner.

[@blairmarshall544]

In my opinion as soon as they weapons are gifted they are no longer western weapons. If I give my family a gift I don’t then assume it’s still mine. They can do what they want with it.

[@Fraudebs-r2u]

🎯

[@davidspencer3726]

Yes. But the opinion that matters here is Putin's. He's already said he doesn't believe Ukraine has the wit to do as well as it has done, so if he believes Western intel and Western weapons were used in a strike inside Russia, it's not a huge leap for him to decide that this was a direct NATO attack on Russia, albeit passing through a (non-agency) Ukrainian proxy.

[@MagMar-kv9ne]

@@davidspencer3726 Because we have let him get away with him believing what he thinks matters a great deal to us and also trumps every objective reality. We have spoiled Putin in two decades and we are now paying the price.

[@wasakawakawaka2028]

12:22 I would like to take this scenario a step further. Let’s say your nephew or niece is being abused by their father and you want to step in, however the father says if you do he will abuse more family members so you instead tip toe around the matter and give your nephew/niece a slingshot to defend themselves but say it’s up to them to find the rocks.

[@mrharry448]

I weep over the satellite images from a year ago of huge gatherings of tanks and equipment and vast encampments of tens of thousands of troops amassed just across the border and 'out of bounds' to Ukrainian attack. An acquaintance of mine, a combat medic might still be alive if these sitting targets had been hit

[@SeeLasSee]

Lurkers? 🤣😂🤣

[@petercolledge2236]

Product of an emergency situation...very good, Vlad.

[@catylist8378]

Hi Vlad, would you consider a chat on Taiwan and China? Especially on China as a whole and your view on the CCP and such…

[@technologic21]

I feel that way about Gaza, ethical values have receded into the background. Reactions to reactions to reactions based on emotional drivers. Doesn't matter where weapons of war come from, or what they are. It matters who wields it. War is hell.

[@FelixMeister]

Thankyou very much. Over the past couple of years you have been invaluable in helping me understand how to think about Russia's invasion. Not what to think, but how, and that has allowed me to better incorporate other sources of information into my opinions and reasoning. Thankyou for this amazing service, you are a gem among people.

[@3991-m6u]

I would love to hear you talk about your mental health and how you manage to keep it so good Vlad. For me it's the main sticking point for engaging with politics - if I get into thinking about politics much at all it definitely impacts my mental health, I drift away from doing things which are good for me, being active etc. My mind travels further from the peak Epicurean savouring of experiences that I feel at my best, further towards a kind of critical, fault finding frame of mind and subsequent frustration as that frame of mind bleeds into everything. I neglect my own mental and physical health and find myself despondent and struggling just to leave the house and get on with doing things that need done. I walk through a beautiful forest on a balmy day, birds singing etc... and I am angry because of the state of land ownership in my country. For example.

[@neilclay5835]

Hi Vlad. I didn't really understand your message until the footnote at the end, when it suddenly all dropped into place. This is quite possibly a function of me having a brain-dead evening though after a full-on work week 😆 Best wishes to you.

[@VladVexlerChat]

Warm wishes your way Neil! Hope the full on week wasn't too stressful.

[@tickypaper6835]

I don't think the spectators who supply the weapons to Ukraine get to play coach. Your donations do not provide a license to set limits. Provide troops and then you can open your mouth. By then it will be obvious what needs to be targeted and by whom.

[@yidavv]

Have you actually watched the video?

[@tickypaper6835]

@@yidavv Yes. Following your question I watched again. I would modify my comments to include, we in the west see the world as divided into separate countries. In places like China and Russia there is an idea that there is ownership beyond their internationally recognized borders. So your question is thus, is it more important to be able to protect your territory or your right to invade that of another? I think once the decision is made there you should get all the help you can to realize your goals. But you must choose one or the other. One at the price of the other.

[@warruzziaukraine3997]

Vlad you are akways so quiet, any chance of turniing up the volume?

[@VladVexlerChat]

Thank you for reminding me. I will try.

[@deevnn]

3997...why don't you just turn your volume up???

[@VladVexlerChat]

@@deevnn these videos aren’t edited so they go straight from my phone onto YT. If I raise volume on my audio recorder the sound will spike, but I can get the mic closer to me! I will try to do that. It doesn’t make a difference to 95% but for anyone watching straight from a mobile device with no headphones it may be too quiet.

[@annnee6818]

Yes they should. Thank you for your attention.

[@luluna53]

Thank you once again.

[@wanderingvibespodcast]

Strong chat.

[@susanaqueiroz9366]

Obrigado!

[@tobiasruland4553]

Love to you, Vlad ❤

[@VandyMas]

Hi Vlad. Lurking 👀

[@VladVexlerChat]

Khello and thank you for lurking!

[@gorgthesalty]

I don't need a 17.5 min video. Just one word: *YES*

[@clairerobinson7658]

Love to you Vlad. Thank you for help me to expand my thoughts on politics.

[@VALUST17]

Yes.

[@spacemanonearth]

Absolutely YES! Even if there is a risk of a Nuclear War, do not care any longer, this has to stop now! Thanks for your videos and efforts Vlad

[@mrbaker7443]

Are you mad?

[@spacemanonearth]

@@mrbaker7443 Why, this has to stop! And the worst will likely happen regardless sadly. All the best, and thanks for your view!

[@spacemanonearth]

@@mrbaker7443 And Yes, I am furious with Putin, and those who support national terrorism. Have seen it all every damn day.

[@Piden-l4b]

You can’t really mean this

[@kparker2430]

i'm with spacey - what is the future with maniacs using nuclear blackmail - starting wars and making blatant nuclear threats.?

[@thomasherbig]

This situation reminds me of the Korean War, where Soviet aircraft were used against UN forces - from Soviet or Chinese territory. UN pilots were allowed to engage up to the border, after which they had to break off the chase. It’s a similar situation: a base for projecting power that is protected by sanctuary. Militarily, the choice is obviously to go the root of the problem. The decision not to pursue was a political one to avoid bringing the Soviet Union into a war that can escalate into another world war.

[@DougWedel-wj2jl]

What factors are involved with giving or withholding permission for Ukraine to strike Russian territory? Saying we let Ukraine do what it wants but urge them to restrict their targets to military on their own land is a reasonable political statement to soften Russia’s position against the US. About a month ago, reports surfaced that ATACMS were used to strike military bases close to (but not in or near) Moscow. It may have been the case that Ukraine actually did decide to use a few on Russian soil, so the news claimed Ukraine got permission to use them in this way. Then they backtracked and reiterated they recommend they don’t in future. It might have been mere words to calm Russia down. It also invites Russia to use up their military resources. If Russia sits on massive stocks of tanks, jets, bombs, they might be a little faster to use war vs diplomacy than if war stocks are depleted regardless of other concepts like sharing cultural and economic ties with each other. This is the sunk cost effect. It’s a bias we in the west also need to guard against. After all that effort and cost of the Manhattan Project, the likelihood the US would NOT drop a nuclear bomb on someone was pretty remote. One caution might be kept in mind. If Russia uses up all its arms, they will want to produce more, more modern and effective ones. As long as they have massive caches of Soviet weapons, they can be more inclined to not build new ones. Like their aircraft carrier that never was put into service. They keep spending resources on fixing this current one that doesn’t work. If Ukraine was to sink it, they have a reason to build a new one, that might actually work. Restricting Ukraine in some way means encouraging Ukraine to produce their own arms. This makes Ukraine more self reliant and fosters massive innovation and invention with drones and methods of combat. One more thing. When someone goes to war with us, we fight back. We tend to overlook ways of peace. Stephen Kotkin frequently talks about how the US lost the Vietnam war but they won the peace. He actually encourages Ukraine to do the same, to concede Crimea to end the war. I don’t think that’s going to happen. If it got a temporary truce it would invite Russia to turn its resources elsewhere, to fight in Georgia, Moldova and half a dozen other places, would encourage China to conquer Taiwan, and likely other people around the world would pick fights with each other. I see this the other way around. Russia could have won Ukraine by peaceful means, with economic trade and cultural ties. That may be something they try if and when they completely lose this war but not before. What other factors are involved with restricting Ukraine’s use of American aid? And how might this distract us from focusing on them winning the war... and winning the peace?

[@walterjohnson6357]

The question is moot.

[@deevnn]

Of course.

[@simonphelps3680]

Really need a quick response from the west about near targets. Should be 'obvious'. Interesting the complexity of distant targets. Need to keep the structure of MAD intact.

[@jondoe1622]

Yes. And they should make their own and use those too.

[@CapnBlackJackHonour]

Yes. Next question.

[@videobyredjade]

Thank you

[@chriswilliams1096]

When a major war breaks out, opinions will necessarily be polarised. Each side will have its own propaganda and the full truth of the matter may not be known until long after the conflict is over. While this situation exists it is important that calm and rational minds broker discussion between the extremes of opinion. I, for one, am glad that we have people like Vlad to help lead the discussion to more considered conclusions. Thank you Vlad.

[@danielmadar9938]

Thanks

[@richardoldfield6714]

"The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war." From 'Euphues: The Anatomy of Wit', by the English writer John Lyly, published in 1578.

[@Piden-l4b]

"The agreements signed by Russia aren't worth the price of the sheet of paper they are written on" Otto von Bismarck

[@paulsustain3954]

Lifting this already bizarre rule is imperative!!

[@OlderPilgrim]

Vlad, excellent conversation as always. I have a question about the concept of sale of equipment. Russia has been selling military materials, equipment, and training for decades, to people and countries far removed from it's borders. The US and European countries have as well. When the equipment has been sold, granted, there are sometimes restrictions placed on the use, for instance, defense purpose, or maybe just sold and left o purchaser. So if the west has sold (at whatever discount, if any) Ukraine equipment, is it not the decision of the owner on how they will use it? For instance, if in active defense of an active attack, is it not up to Ukraine how to effectively use the material? must they strike the fist, or can they go for the more distant face? curious.. and thanks

[@angstrom1058]

Yes

[@yamaneko-ex8fy]

Absolutely YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@rowanhaigh8782]

Thanks Vlad❤. 😁

[@Dadagagarod]

the fact that we have to debate it is hypocritical

[@ugiswrong]

No, it is best to keep the moral high ground

[@nigelgarrett7970]

Please could you explain why it would mean giving up the moral high ground?

[@suzannstrohmaier2578]

@@nigelgarrett7970 The moral high ground would be not injuring or killing innocent civilians...I know we (USA) have a history of this....but unless we are directly attacked...we should not hurt any innocent people inside Russia. Besides the moral point of view....this would also escalate an already horrible situation.G Americans really have no desire to fight with Russia....as time passes it is becoming more and more difficult to pass aid packages. And there is a chance Trump could win in November...a lot of unkowns over here...so a cease fire would be an ideal outcome....if we limit our aid and Russia gains more territory it will make negotiations more difficult when they do come about.

[@suzannewman979]

Lovely to have my coffee with you this morning. Now I know better how to defend Ukraine if that propaganda use of 'proxy war' comes up. Much appreciated.

[@gpapa6292]

Be well.

[@editorrbr2107]

Yes. This is not even a serious discussion

[@Mike-br8zt]

"Should Ukraine Strike Russia with Western Weapons?" - Is the Pope Catholic?

[@ballelort87]

Yes. Yes, they should.

[@tecuci76]

Yes, by all means.

[@Rachotilko]

The only concern the West might have when deciding this question is about escalation, not ethics. Vlad's example of Washington not being in favor taking out the radar providing an early warning of impeding nuclear attacks, is very significant in this respect. Such an action would inevitably make Russia feel existentially threatened, namely by the West. As a response, Russia's escalatory dynamics would be less likely to be restricted by rationality concerns such as avoidance of MAD. It is Russia who would consider the use of western weapons to be the responsibility West. If existentially threatened, Russia would hold West responsible.

[@drscopeify]

What is your take on the Putin proposal to stop the war with the current front lines? Seems like just a catch to allow Russia to repair the massive losses and prepare to launch their next offensive in a few months or years

[@marijo1951]

Absolutely, but that won't stop some useful idiots taking him seriously!

[@jasft9746]

Non-issue. Unless you're trying to lose.

[@apachecadillac]

Perhaps the most useful part of this video was the first segment, discussing the displacement of the moral calculus by one of efficacy, although the proxy war point seems to be getting more discussion. For that matter, among the Russians (the older ones, at least), the legitimacy of Ukrainian sovereignty has never been accepted, in effect making the whole business a civil war, attempt at succession, etc,. International Law, norms and borders be damned, senior Slavic brother has the right to take the knout to the lesser siblings. There is really only one way to respond to that argument.

[@alankovacik1928]

YES!

[@tonyennis1787]

We need to take the chains off, and let Putin bear the political cost of this war he started. When his people begin facing the hardships he has put upon the Ukrainians he will have to answer for it.

[@manuelcampagna7781]

Why, Vlad, you're aware of Michael Ignatiev, that would-be prime minister of Canada!

[@criscruzparra2243]

Hope you feel better soon

[@beatonthedonis]

Russia using Iranian and North Korean weapons to strike Ukraine isn't an accurate comparison, because neither Iran nor North Korea have nuclear weapons (that we know of). The reason Biden doesn't want Ukraine using American weapons to strike Russia is to avoid the US being regarded as a belligerent. Britain (a nuclear power) said Ukraine could use weapons against Russian territory, and Russia threatened to strike British targets in Ukraine and beyond. This kind of escalation would be extremely dangerous.

[@Will67267]

Yes, Zelensky should try it and see what happens.

[@stephenhill545]

You mean, the Ruskies will fire at his country. Errmm..