President Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, told reporters at the White House Tuesday morning that North Korea would pay a price if it goes through with an arms deal agreement with Russia. Sullivan stated that giving any weapons assistance to Russia "is not going to reflect well on North Korea, and they will pay a price for this in the international community." 

This follows rising tension with Russia after they promised "escalation" against the United States if the U.S. Military stationed any nuclear weapons in England. However, at this time, there has been no official statement, decision, or anything that would indicate that the U.S. plans to temporarily or permanently station any nuclear weapons in England. 

“If this happens, it will be treated by us as an escalation, which will lead to the exact opposite of achieving the pressing task of removing all US nuclear weapons from Europe,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday, according to state news service Tass.

The US Air Force has earmarked $50 million in funding for military housing at a UK air base. The language used to describe the purpose for the increased personnel usually refers to the handling of nuclear weapons, The Guardian reported last week.

The Russians have not been quiet about their nuclear weapons or possible uses, as there have been several mentions of that ever since the war in Ukraine began last year. Just last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that he intended to finish the nuclear weapons storage facility in Belarus.  And for the umpteenth time, Russian state news host Igor Korotchenko threatened an all-out nuclear war against the United States. 

Attention, United States!

Russian propagandists threaten with nuclear strikes on U.S. territory. pic.twitter.com/EwfwxREWKZ

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) September 3, 2023

Recent reports of Ukrainian forces making significant progress in one of their offenses in the south would indicate that Russian forces are being slowly beaten back, or at the very least, being stretched too thin. 

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that over the previous three days, the Ukrainian armed forces had made "some notable progress" on the southern line of advance from the Zaporizhzhia area.

"They have achieved some success against the second line of Russian defenses," he said, describing the fortifications that Moscow's troops had dug before Ukraine started its push to recapture Russian-occupied territory around June 4.

US intelligence estimates that Russia has lost nearly double the number of troops killed while fighting Ukraine. They estimate their losses to be approximately 120,00 killed, compared to approximately 70,000 Ukrainians killed. 

Russia’s military casualties, the officials said, are approaching 300,000. The number includes as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injured troops. The Russian numbers dwarf the Ukrainian figures, which the officials put at close to 70,000 killed and 100,000 to 120,000 wounded.

But Russians outnumber Ukrainians on the battlefield almost three to one, and Russia has a larger population from which to replenish its ranks.

For all intents and purposes, it would seem that Russia is not doing well in its war with Ukraine. And America's funding of that war continues as we are set to send billions of dollars more to Ukraine, further driving up our nation's debt.

In June, it was revealed that the federal budget deficit in the United States was $2.1 trillion over the last year. That marked a 50 percent increase from fiscal year 2022

The Russian war with Ukraine is costing more than just human lives; it is costing a lot of money. Additionally, it is depleting our nation's military stockpiles of weapons and ammunition. We cannot sustain this proxy war against Russia much longer with a looming threat of China in sight. The rising tensions aren't a cause for alarm as far as war with Russia goes. US intelligence doesn't view the repeated threats by Russian state media for nuclear war against the United States as credible, let alone likely. It makes no sense for Putin to use nukes against us — or against Ukraine. 

Where it hits us the most is in our military readiness to handle a major conflict with a near-peer adversary like China. We simply do not have the logistical supply to engage in such a conflict. The Ukraine conflict is depleting our economy, and that is important. But where it really affects our national security is our military readiness. We simply cannot maintain any major defensive or offensive military operation with our logistical stockpiles at the level they are. Additionally, refilling our stockpiles would require a significant spending package specifically aimed at ammunition and weapons production, and we all know how that will go over with the American public. 

We can only hope this war ends and ends soon. American support for our involvement in that conflict is falling fast. 

Not one hand goes up when he asks if they “support Ukraine in the fight against Putin.”

One guy has the unbridled temerity to question how our money was being spent, that so much was being poured out to Ukraine.

It is time to start talking about ending the war, not by funding it until it stops, but by engaging in legitimate diplomatic negotiations. Then, and only then, can we put an end to this nightmare and get back to making the lives of Americans our Nation's top priority.