One, Russia invaded Ukraine:
[Mattis] praised Minister Poltorak for his country's sustained courage in the face of Russian aggression[.]
Despite all the denials from Russia that they had anything to do with the "difficulties" Ukraine is having in the Donbas region (and the nearly forgotten seizure of Crimea from Ukraine), Mattis is unwilling to go along with that fiction.
As I've long said, Russia's "hybrid" warfare seems to be nothing more than Russia invading a country, Russia denying they've invaded a country, and the West going along with the Russian denial.
That's over, it seems.
Second, the readout concluded:
The two leaders pledged to strengthen a lasting partnership between the U.S. and Ukraine built on common security interests and shared principles.
The common interest in stopping Russia is clear.
But having shared principles of democracy and rule of law are important to both sustaining America's commitment to helping a free and democratic Ukraine resist Russia; and in making Ukraine capable of resisting Russia by building a free and prosperous democracy.
If Ukraine is just a smaller version of corrupt and un-free Russia, Ukraine will lose their subliminal war with Russia.
