As I wrote in the second sentence of my response, "Russia is not justified in their horrible invasion of Ukraine." I am also correct that what you call "whataboutism" is just you not being able to answer for our (US) hypocrisy.
If the US had not:
- expanded NATO to Russia's borders,
- put missiles and troops in Poland 100 km from the Russian border,
- put missiles and troops in Romania,
- sent over $3 billion in weapons to Ukraine just since 2014,
- overturned the 2004 Ukrainian election,
- backed the 2014 Ukraine coup,
- supported Zelensky in NOT implementing Minsk II,
- sent the CIA into Ukraine to specifically train Ukrainian troops on how to kill Russians,
- trained Ukrainian troops in Poland on NATO weapons,
- supported Zelensky publically on NATO membership,
- supported Zelensky when he talked about getting nukes in Ukraine,
- supported Zelensky in increased bombing and attacks on the Donbas (including 3 senators talking specifically about attacking Russians from Ukraine and getting them more weapons)
then there VERY VERY VERY likely would not have been a Russian invasion.
It is a completely disingenuous argument to claim that US actions have "little to do" with what is happening in Ukraine today. We are the world's only superpower since 199. We have been acting aggressively towards Russia since the fall of the USSR. Dozens and dozens of Russian experts have been saying for fucking decades that if we continue on our path of aggression towards Russia, eventually Russia will respond violently.
Yes, Russia invaded and should be held to account for that. But WE in the US bear a huge responsibility for setting up a situation where Russia felt it had to invade.
The fact that since hostilities began the US is doing NOTHING to stop the fighting and doing EVERYTHING to continue the fighting makes it clear that we did everything we could to make this war happen, and are now doing everything we can to make it continue.
War crimes happen during wars. No shit, Sherlock. War crimes committed by Russia should be adjudicated - after the war and with independent investigations. Not just BTW: Russia asked the UN security council for an independent investigation in Bucha. The UK, supported by the US, said "No." That says a lot about who wants the truth to come out about who is actually committing war crimes in Ukraine.
One of the reasons war crimes allegations are not taken so seriously by Russia will be because no one prosecuted US war crimes in Iraq. The US is currently occupying 1/3 of Syria. That is a war crime.
Of course, dishonest debaters like you cry "whataboutism" because you want to pretend that war crimes by the most powerful country in the world don't count. The opposite is true. By making it clear to the world that we can commit war crimes and get away with it, we invite brutal dictators around the world - including Putin - to commit war crimes as well.
Biden says Russia should be tried for war crimes. Where would that be, Joe, at the ICC in the Hague? Oh, wait. The US is not a member. Because we don't want to be tried for our war crimes.
What about that hypocrisy, Larry? Or does that not matter either. Do you think the example of the most powerful country in the world NOT being a member of the ICC and committing decades of war crimes doesn't matter? That is rhetorical. Thousands of years of examples belie that position and show you to be a dishonest actor.
I'm done. Bye now.
