Russia - threadbanned users in OP

Well that would be in character.

The chances of a Ukrainian win this year were quite small and needing Russia to even be more of a fk up than it already is.

Washington and much of Europe are pushing for a ceasefire and a pause, that means just enough to limit Russia to the 4 oblasts it has claimed and always late with supplies.

Holding the line near where it is is going to be a big ask for Ukraine and a big Russian offensive might smash through and take more than that.

It's a catastrophic approach by the West and driven by a foolish belief that peace and jaw jaw are always the best or preferable option

Holding Russia in a qtr of Ukraine might bring peace but it also means a permanently failed Ukraine, a Russia that has had a reward and every evil group from Hezbollah, Iran, China etc confident that the West won't defend democracy, itself or long term peace and stability.

Europe is tapped out of military hardware and America could flood Ukraine with it but chooses not to, never mind the bits Congress debated on.

Russia wants to win l. The West doesn't really care either way what happens.

"tHe amErIcaNS hAVE LOst inTEreSt!!"

No, specific Americans like Marjorie Taylor Greene are doing their level best to block any aid getting through. Let the record show it.

mate. Stop saying Europe and us are pushing for a ceasefire and a pause. Unless you have some solid supporting references. Otherwise you’re a spoofer talking out your arse tbh.

The Yanks finally pulling the finger out on this much needed package for Ukraine right when things have been looking exceedingly bleak for them, reminds me of that (possibly apocryphal) quote from Churchill:

"Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.” 

@Brussels Sprout

"Americans can always be trusted to do the right thing, once all other possibilities have been exhausted.” 

According to quote investigator Churchill most probably did not say this, but the sentiment is solid.

Unfortunately, it's just a part of human nature to tend not to deal with a problem until it's right in your face. We'd all be in a much better place as individuals and a species if we dealt with problems preemptively rather than waiting until there is no other options.

And it's a tendency that trolls and those fed by trolls will feed upon. There'll always be some more pressing issue they'll want to give money to as a way out of giving money to anything.

Other than Moscow Marge ranting and raving disprovable nonsense and russian propaganda and trying to zero out the bill, the floor debate has been overwhelmingly in favor of the bill.

Vote begins now. It already has a number of Republican votes and seems poised to sail. Some votes against by the Democrats are signaling against the genocide in Israel.

seems to be.

Are the American tax payers obligated to continue funding the Ukrainian war effort indefinitely though?

Your phrase "pulling the finger out" seems to suggest an element of entitlement to these funds, rather than them being a charitable contribution to help Ukraine fight their war.

How strong would you say the Russian military are, to have caused this bleak outlook for the Ukrainians without having the benefit of such massive aid packages themselves?

Many people are saying the Russian defences are near impenetrable in most parts of the frontline now, with row after row of trenches, anti-tank obstacles, ditches, reinforced bunkers etc often many kilometres deep. Apparently, this is seriously sapping the morale of the soldiers, which I can fully imagine it might. It sounds like an old-fashioned ww1 gruelling style of war. Can this latest aid package make much of a difference in such a war of attrition?

lol of course it can. In a war of attrition the side with the largest economy will win with time. And Russia is dwarfed by the NATO economy, especially the US military industrial complex. And Russia has indeed had to transition to a full wartime economy while the US is business as usual.

latest tally. I guess I was wrong to think the Dems would overwhelmingly support the bill. Strange given how a great many of them still express support for Israel. It's going to be tight.

In retrospect, it was more Western sources who were predicting the lines to move, big style, when the Ukrainians began their summer offensive last year. General Zaluzhny had said in various news outlets that people would have to temper their expectations as to what Ukraine could actually do and, as it turned out, that wasn't a psy-op or anything.

… oh

The first vote that took place was to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 3602, a border security bill. The motion needs two-thirds approval, 290 votes, to pass. It failed with 215 in favor, 199 against while 17 members did not vote. But Republicans wanted votes on the record where lawmakers stood on the issue.

Earlier this week, three hardliners on the House Rules Committee prevented its passage in protest of House Speaker Mike Johnson’s overall plan. Had that passed, the bill would have required just a simple majority vote in the House to be sent to the Senate.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/04/20/house-vote-ukraine-israel-aid-johnson/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/3602