By Joseph M Bianchi

1-8-25

A Ukraine in the Russian orbit that could pose a death knell to Europe. Russian tanks rumbling through the streets of Warsaw on their way to Berlin—and then other capitals. A world held hostage by Russian hegemony.

These are only a few of the absurdities pressed upon a watching American public as the lame duck president Joe Biden rushes to send military hardware and financial help to Zelensky’s Ukraine before the new administration may suspend it.

And why so?

That, of course, is the question. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the American people have been practically told that the fortunes of Ukraine and their suffering is inextricably linked to that of America; that Zelensky is the new Churchill fighting to save Europe, and that we should all be very naughty for not bending the knee to do his will.

But behind this dark lie are even more lies that make the novel 1984 look like the Gospels.

It is an open secret that Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and perhaps other members of his family, were benefiting from their financial and cozy relationship with Burisma, the Ukrainian gas company giant. Indeed, Hunter Biden, who had no energy industry experience whatsoever, was a board member. He even requested the United States government help Burisma with a geothermal project in Italy that the company hoped to make a windfall on. It is a good bet that this chummy situation brought a lot of Biden secrets to the top that the Zelensky government was all too happy to tuck away as a security blanket—just in case.

Could this have something to do with the millions of dollars of military equipment shipped to Ukraine? Does Zelensky have something “on” the Bidens that allows him to turn on the financial faucet with no restrictions? One would have to think so.

But let’s put aside the Bidens for a moment and think about the conflict itself. Without going into a lot of detail, Russia felt threatened by Ukraine’s desire to join NATO. The Russian government has always felt that Ukraine was nothing more than a NATO launching pad for a Russian invasion. Nuclear missiles placed in Ukraine right on the Russian border would be an existential threat to Russia proper. Ukraine’s nuclear arsenal was removed as part of the Budapest Memorandum in 1995, with the very last nukes leaving in 2001. Zelensky’s shocking statement back in October that he desires to have them back did not help for a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

Despite this, the Biden administration kept on giving—and giving. In light of this, we must ask: how is this conflict and our support for Ukraine protecting American interests? The simple answer is: it is not. In fact, it is not our fight at all. Russia and Ukraine are two Eastern European countries that are slugging it out. Let the situation come to its natural conclusion.

And what of Mr. Zelensky? Is this a democratic loving leader bent on defending all of his people from the Russian threat? Consider that this is a man who suspended no less than eleven political parties in opposition to his own. Moreover, he consolidated all radio, TV, and online media into one amalgamation—to be controlled by he and his government.

Democracy? Absolutely not.

Most of the American media has “drunk the Kool-Aid” with their rabid support of Zelensky and their abhorrence of the Russian invasion. Their tired phrase, “threat to democracy,” is nary heard in regard to Zelensky’s leadership.

Amongst all the aforementioned is the carnage taking place on the battlefield. Thousands of young men on both sides have lost their lives. The Ukrainian people have suffered terribly, too. With hard strikes by Russia on their infrastructure, especially the power grids, Ukrainians have had to take refuge in bunkers and underground train stations.

Meanwhile, if a journalist or politician dares question America’s support for Ukraine, they are met with, “Don’t you want Ukraine to win—to defeat Russia?” But the fact of the matter is, they cannot win; they do not have the military might nor the know-how to do so. What’s more, many sophisticated US weapons systems that we could give them would require American personnel to man them—a very dangerous escalation, if it is not going on already.

What about the diminishing of our own military weapons stockpile? As we give logistics to Ukraine to make them stronger, we are simultaneously making ourselves weaker. What if China decided to move on Taiwan, or threatened one of our bases, or challenged the free flow of ship navigation? The US arsenal could be dangerously drained if we continue on the present path.

The solution is for the US to stop all support for Ukraine and let them realize when they come down off their sugar high that their situation is, from a military standpoint, hopeless. Immediately, the Zelensky government must sue for peace, even if it means giving up land and forgetting the NATO angle.

Peace must come, but it cannot come from a war that cannot be won by our alleged ally, or from feeding a relentless military and financial appetite that shows no sign of an end game.

Like a schoolyard brawl, you would do best to stay out of the fight and let the natural order of things take place.

Joseph M. Bianchi is an independent journalist based in Greenville, SC. His work has appeared in national and international publications. He is also the author of the novel, Unnecessary Noises.