Sen. Ron Johnson and Elon Musk explain why Ukraine will lose the war in X discussion about Ukraine spending bill
In a Spaces discussion on the social media platform X hosted by venture capitalist David Sacks, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin) and Elon Musk talked candidly about why they oppose the war in Ukraine – and why Ukraine’s chances of winning the war are so abysmal.
They were joined by Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
Sen. Johnson said: “We all have to understand that Vladimir Putin will not lose this war.” With four times the population of Ukraine and a far bigger industrial base, he believes Ukraine doesn’t stand a chance.
“Russia can produce 4.5 million artillery shells per year. We’re not even up to 1 million per year. The average age of a Ukrainian soldier right now is 43 years old,” he noted.
He added that around 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, so those who say they are concerned about the Ukrainian people should also want the war to end. The country faces almost total destruction if the war continues. Of course, Russians are also dying, as are civilians on both sides.
Anyone who expects a victory for Ukraine, according to Senator Johnson, is “living in a fantasy world.”
Elon Musk agreed with Senator Johnson. “As you said, there’s no way Putin is going to lose. If he backs off, he will be assassinated. And for those who want regime change in Russia, they should think about who is the person that could take out Putin, and is that person likely to be a peacenik? Probably not” he said.
He also responded to previous charges that he is a Putin apologist, pointing out how his businesses have indirectly worked to undermine Russia. For example, he said that SpaceX has been instrumental in taking clients from Russia’s space launch business, while the Starlink internet service they have provided to Ukraine has been vital for the country’s communications.
They made it clear that they don’t think the $95 billion spending package containing $60 billion for Ukraine that recently passed a Senate vote will do much to change the situation. According to Sen. Johnson, the money will just needlessly add “fuel to the flames of a bloody stalemate.”
Musk concurred: “The really important thing to keep in mind here is that this spending does not help Ukraine. Prolonging the war does not help Ukraine. This is very important to appreciate.”
He said that while it’s nice that America wants to help, prolonging the war only means that more people are going to die.
Musk has made similar comments on X in the past, expressing his doubts that Ukraine can win the war and calling out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for repeatedly asking for aid.
Sen. Vance warns aid package text paves the way for potential Trump impeachment
Sen. Vance said the aid package, which also includes funding for Taiwan and Israel, along with humanitarian aid for Gaza, needs to be killed. The lawmaker sent a memo to his Republican colleagues in Congress pointing to an “impeachment time bomb for the next Trump presidency if he tries to stop funding the way in Ukraine” that is hidden within the text of the funding bill.
While the bill guarantees federal funding for Ukraine through September 2025, Trump has stated publicly that he will end the war within 24 hours of taking office. This would also naturally end the funding, which provides the grounds to impeach him, Vance believes. It would effectively prevent him from making his own decisions about federal funding for Ukraine.
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