Drew HerzigSep 20, 2023
Anne Applebaum

The majority of Americans continue to support Ukraine, want the US government to continue military and financial aid to Ukraine, recognize that Russia has genocidal policies in Ukraine and want Ukraine to defeat Russia.

TV people! Please stop asking Zelensky (and me, and everyone else) about what happens when Americans will "get tired" of Ukraine, and ask them instead to explain why support for Ukraine continues to hold, which is more interesting and rather remarkable

Sep 20, 2023 at 6:33amWeb
Show threadKevinSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum Zelenskyy looks pained every time he’s asked that. That 60 minutes interview was just grueling to watch (I saw the extended Ukrainian version, not the dubbed one that aired). I’m sure he sees the same polls, but I really hope he *feels* the support of ordinary people.
Show threadxs4me2Sep 20, 2023

@anneapplebaum

Plain as day…

Show threadbouriquetSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum We need to instead admit that we’re now committed to a conflict where there can be no going back, no pullback of support. Doing that would mean abandoning our position in NATO and leaving the other NATO nations supporting Ukraine. That would be like a surrender to Putin.
There is no going back, there is no surrender. So stop talking about that in the media and focus on the impacts of climate change.
Show threadjokibitzer 🇪🇺Sep 20, 2023

⬆️ @anneapplebaum

If #USA stops supporting #Ukraine:

#USA reduces its share of the Ukrainian victory over Russia.

#USA reduces its influence.

#USA reduces its security.

#USA reduces its wellbeing.

Show threadIsaac Rodriguez 🇺🇦Sep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum Americans, express those opinions in the polls and vote out politicians that don't support Ukraine
Show threadToni ScottSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum
It’s not that the public no longer supports Ukraine, it’s that reporters are bored with covering it. They are indifferent to the outcome.
Show threadtoxtethogradySep 20, 2023
@ToniScott @anneapplebaum But now it appears that the Ukrainian forces are advancing. War is slow as hell...
Show threadexcited for the mastodon riseSep 20, 2023
@ToniScott I'd say it's that the oligarch owners of the various legacy media corporations want oligarchs to win, so they get their reporters to wedge people away from Ukraine.
Show threadTom RitchfordSep 20, 2023

@anneapplebaum I'm a strong pacifist, but that doesn't mean I don't support self-defense.

We can't allow Russia to simply take territories by military force. Even if they stopped with Ukraine, it'd be morally wrong, and who would be so stupid as to believe that success with their invasion would discourage them from further invasions?

Show threadHudsonSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum I support Ukraine, free college tuition, free healthcare for all, housing the homeless, world peace, voting rights, keeping oil in the ground and taxing the rich and corporations. As long as we’re actively, aggressively pursuing each of those goals, no problem.
Show threadOrigi_AaronskiSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum 80% of them without a passport couldn't even point of Ukraine on a map.
Show threadPatrick GillamSep 20, 2023

@anneapplebaum

As usual, Timothy Snyder nailed the issue in his most recent podcast, in which he reviewed 10 reasons to be thankful to Ukraine. I wonder what sorts of questions TV producers would formulate if they first spent 15 minutes with this information?

https://snyder.substack.com/p/thanking-ukrainians

Thanking Ukrainians

Listen now (16 mins) | For these ten things, from security to freedom

Thinking about...
Show threadbrickbatSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum On what does the media base its adverse opinions? Are these peope purposefully anti-American or are they ignorant stooges. And who, exactly, do they represent?
Show threadSue B.Sep 20, 2023
@brickbat @anneapplebaum
I'd ask how much money from sanctioned Russian oligarchs media outlets took under the table.
Show threadtoxtethogradySep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum The fact that the average MAGA Republican is a cheese-eating surrender monkey seems to generate better talking points...🙄
Show threadArmy GirlSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum I think many miss the point that Ukraine is destroying the "great" Russian military with no risk to American lives. Well worth the $$$.
Show threadAnnietimeSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum the tone of doubt, skepticism, the media express is so disheartening and this time I’m just getting angry about it. They are on repeat, questioning the slow progress of the Ukrainian offensive. Yeah it’s slow, there are mines everywhere. This bullshit plays right into Putin’s hands. It’s exactly what Putin is waiting for. That the West gets tired of it all and aid just peters out so Putin can walk right in and take what he wants. And the voices in the microphones are paving the way for him.
Show threadMessagingMattersSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum "TV people" should ask what happens if #Russia defeats and occupies #Ukraine because we didn't stop them, then invades our #NATO allies
Show threadStarkRGSep 20, 2023
@anneapplebaum "Probably something similar to what happens when they get tired of you and your biased questions." could be a good response.
Show threadwilliam.maggosSep 21, 2023

@anneapplebaum

As regards the two-year-old conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Obama said in 2016 that Ukraine is a core interest for Moscow, in a way it isn't for the US. "We have to be very clear about what our core interests are and what we are willing to go to war for.”

After he left, we trained and gave them lethal aid. Russia sees this as a threat on their border, as we would if Mexico was belligerent and China trained/armed them. Sadly, this only ends when we stop supporting Ukraine.