Ukraine

Opinion
Does Trump have a point about Ukraine?

As House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and former president Donald Trump blockade further U.S. aid to Ukraine, you might wonder why the United States should send billions to a faraway country when Americans need help here at home.

Notice above, WaPo's willingness to play into the bullshit rhetorical construct that pits Americans against Ukrainians, as if we're enemies.

What do the facts suggest? Some of the questions below might seem easy. But they weren’t for many of the people we asked. (We partnered with Gapminder, a Swedish nonprofit, to survey 600 people ages 18 to 65 about Ukraine spending. The sample was balanced to reflect U.S. demography.)

Some 20 other nations have spent more supporting Ukraine, as a share of their economies, than the United States has. Even so, the entire U.S. economy is so big it’s hard to grasp. How about comparing U.S. aid for Ukraine with spending on critical domestic programs?

In fairness, the U.S. government spends a lot on Social Security every year. The program is the federal government’s second-biggest budget item. Let’s find a more modest comparison.

"In fairness"? Are you really trying to be "fair", WaPo? Or are you backhanding retired people because you think we cost you more than we're worth? Sounds like you're doing that standard bullshit again - pitting older Americans against newer Americans.

Now let’s explore how Ukraine military aid compares with U.S. defense programs.

Millions, billions, trillions — the numbers can seem the same: impossibly large. Perhaps that is why this essential reality is not more commonly understood: Investing in Ukraine’s defense doesn’t cost the United States all that much in the grand scheme of U.S. priorities, particularly if it deters Russia from threatening NATO allies that the United States is treaty-bound to defend — or China from committing acts of aggression, perhaps against Taiwan. Not to mention that, as Marc A. Thiessen explained in a recent Post column, much of the spending goes to U.S. firms manufacturing weapons for Ukrainian use.

The investment isn’t costless or without risk. It’s possible that Ukraine might never develop into the full-fledged, Western-oriented democracy it has the potential to become. But the opportunity to cultivate one of Europe’s largest countries, rich in resources, as a U.S. partner holds the promise of direct benefits to the United States and its allies. Even if you aren’t persuaded by the moral case for helping a vulnerable democracy fight for its freedom, the spending is still worth it.