This is a valid economic question.
Reagan spent the former Soviet Union into the ground via the arms race, and ultimately that was one of the major factors leading to its collapse.
What if that is Putin's long game(?); because it's becoming very apparent this war could, and more than likely will, drag on for years.
Think about it, it makes perfect sense. Putin can (will) continue to send human cannon fodder and junk equipment there for years. It makes sense. For one he's a war criminal so he might as well drag this out until the day he dies, and two, he doesn't care about the loss of his own conscripts. It's about Mother Russia. I'm sure in his mind it's a justifiable sacrifice for the annals of history to record. He will do just enough to keep NATO at bay, while at the same time draining their (OUR) coffers as Zelensky pleads for more and more armament and aid--- month after month after month.
At some point, the American people are going to say "enough". We're sick of sending money down a black hole when we can't even spend money to harden our elementary schools, that, and 2 dozen other things right here at home that need dire attention. This moment may not be now, but mark my word, its day will come. And with all that, on top of the money, more division amongst ourselves.
Putin is in a win win. He is. Either Zelensky sues for peace and Putin gets the parts of Ukraine he wants, or Putin just sits back and watches as the years go by and he slowly bleeds the U.S. and the EU dry. The economic effects of that are yet to be determined, but in no way will they be good.
I am not being political or anything else here, I am merely pointing out that this is where it's going.
It's one big geopolitical and economic game of chess, and even though no one can see it yet, Putin is running the board. He can exercise patience in this matter until the day he dies. But ya know who the real winner will be? China because they too can be patient and they'll be around a lot longer than Putin.
