J.D. Vance: The Math on Ukraine Doesn't Add Up

[BeyondGeography]

25. "We failed in Vietnam because our military stupidly thought they could win a war in a foreign country."

And this is why Ukraine will endure in the end, provided that it has adequate support.

Yes, it could and will take many years, but, as Foreign Minister Kuleba has said, “we will fight them with shovels if we have to.” Russia is right next door so the situation is obviously different than Vietnam, but the dynamic is similar: one side is fighting for its life as a country and the other is fighting a war of choice. Putin is not just interested in a tranche of land here and Ukrainians will never accept a return to Russian rule. This war will continue for years even without our involvment. A full occupation of Ukraine is unattainable for Russia and if a Putin puppet was installed in Kyiv it would only lead to civil war. An achievable victory is a sovereign, EU-facing, sustainable Ukraine shored up with western security guarantees and reinvestment fueled by Russian reparations; what mostly stands in the way is MAGA Republicans, not math.