Arming Ukraine

As Putin has increased his aggression in Ukraine, there are now some clamoring for the "West", i.e., the US, to arm the central government of Ukraine. I doubt that this idea can be taken seriously. Handing a few hundred tanks and jets to Ukraine is unlikely to change the balance of power. Putin is closer and can just push more Russian "volunteers" into the fight.

Moreover, new weapons would be useless without the elaborate training necessary to use them effectively. Of course it would just play into the Kremlin narrative that the West is the side meddling in Ukraine. Worst, of course, is the chance that such escalation would provoke a global war of annihilation.

That said, some bright lines need to be drawn, making it clear that any aggression against a NATO country would be met with maximum force.

It's still a scary world.

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