Ron Paul: Is Washington’s Dangerous Ukraine Boondoggle Starting To Unravel? – OpEd

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Last week the world stood on the very edge of a nuclear war, as Ukraine’s US-funded president, Vladimir Zelensky, urged NATO military action over a missile that landed on Polish soil. “This is a Russian missile attack on collective security! This is a really significant escalation. Action is needed,” said Zelensky immediately after the missile landed.

But there was a problem. The missile was fired from Ukraine – likely an accident in the fog of war. Was it actually a Russian missile, of course, that might mean World War III. But Zelensky didn’t seem to be bothered by the prospect of the world blown up, judging from his reckless rhetoric.

While Zelensky has been treated as a saint by the US media, the Biden Administration, and both parties in Congress, something unprecedented happened this time: the Biden Administration pushed back. According to press reports, several Zelensky calls to Biden or senior Biden Staff went unanswered.

When US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan finally returned Zelensky’s call, he is reported to have said, “tread carefully” on claims Russia was behind the missiles landing in Poland. The Biden Administration went on to publicly dispute Zelensky’s continued insistence that Russia shot missiles into NATO-Member Poland. After two days of Washington opposition to his claims, Zelensky finally, sort of, backed down.

We’ve heard rumors of President Biden’s frustration over Zelensky’s endless begging and ingratitude for the 60 or so billion dollars doled out to him by the US government, but this is the clearest public example of the Biden Administration’s acceptance that it has a “Zelensky problem.”

Zelensky must have understood that Washington and Brussels knew it was not a Russian missile. Considering the vast intelligence capabilities of the US in that war zone, it is likely the US government knew in real time that the missiles were not Russian. For Zelensky to claim otherwise seemed almost unhinged. And for what seems like the first time, Washington noticed.

As a result, there has been a minor – but hopefully growing – revolt among conservatives in Washington over this dangerous episode. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene introduced legislation demanding an audit of the tens of billions of dollars shipped to Ukraine – with perhaps $50 billion more in the pipeline. The resolution currently has eleven co-sponsors.

Rep. Matt Gaetz has publicly stated that he would not vote for one more dollar for Ukraine. Others, like US Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), have gone even further. In a recent Tweet Rep. Gosar called US support for Ukraine a “corrupt money-laundering operation.” As the fallout from the recent collapse of the FTX crypto exchange points to possible political corruption, his claims may prove to be accurate.

When Sen. Paul introduced an amendment to the massive aid package to Ukraine calling for someone to audit the funds, he was ridiculed and attacked. Some seven months later, his position appears far more accepted. And that’s a good thing.

When the Ukraine war hysteria finally dies down – as the Covid hysteria died down before it – it will become obvious to vastly more Americans what an absolute fiasco this whole thing has been. Hopefully Republicans will accelerate that process when they take the House in January. It cannot come too soon!


This article was published by RonPaul Institute.

Ron Paul

Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (born August 20, 1935) is an American physician, author, and politician who served for many years as a U.S. Representative for Texas. He was a three-time candidate for President of the United States, as a Libertarian in 1988 and as a Republican in 2008 and 2012.

3 thoughts on “Ron Paul: Is Washington’s Dangerous Ukraine Boondoggle Starting To Unravel? – OpEd

  • November 21, 2022 at 6:55 pm
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    What will happen is what always happens the US will simply abandon any ally they have totally for self interest. This is something that they always do and then wonder why the rest of the free world qustions their comittment ? Time to get real US the reason US influence is waning fast is due to US actions concerning their attitude to allies .

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  • November 22, 2022 at 2:56 am
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    For decades we’ve been told by the GOP that the trillions of dollars spent on weapons and our military was necessary to deter and possibly fight against Russian aggression and expansionism in Europe. Since February 2022 we’ve seen that this threat was not imaginary, but 100% real. Without having to place any of our own men and women in uniform at risk we’ve actually been able to use that huge, expensive arsenal for the exact purpose it was intended for all along. Where were the GOP cries for audits and accountability when many wasteful weapons projects, now defunct, were being voted for solely for the money they brought to their home states and districts? Please Mr. Paul, present us with that lengthy list of bases and projects in your home state that need to be closed/ended since your many years of service obviously make you eminently well informed on that topic. Or are those wasteful dollars ONLY being spent outside your state? History rarely gives an alliance the chance to meet and defeat adversaries in sequence, rather than simultaneously. NATO has an opportunity to set back Russian ambitions for years to come by supporting Ukraine right now, before having to deal with offensive moves by China and/or North Korea. The spectacle of a sharp Russian defeat while giving the West more time to confront China and North Korea can only have a chastening effect on their plans. But Putin’s GOP handmaidens, Ron Paul included, are bent on making sure that all three of our adversaries will be better placed to oppose us and our allies.

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  • November 22, 2022 at 11:35 am
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    It’s past time for an audit and also time to audit Zelensky and his oligarch financiers. As usual the American people are being scammed by the military/industrial complex who just may be ( after politicians ) the most greedy people on earth.

    This Ukrainian fiasco was always a proxy war against Russia. It’s gotten completely out of hand thanks to Biden and his cronies, who were trying to save face and distract after Afghanistan. Wise up Americans, we are being played.

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