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The argument -- Russia is more corrupt than Ukraine -- is the equivalent of the Bloods and Crips fighting, and one is supposed to pick their favorite.

Picking neither is a real and obvious option, refused of so many these days.

"Any Hint" of Corruption "Unacceptable": interview for Kyiv Post NAFTO GAZ, 17 October 2023
Corruption accusations continue to plague top Zelenskiy aides Reuters, 19 September 2023
How much progress has Ukraine's government made against corruption? NPR, 10 October 2023
'Ukrainians understand corruption can kill': Kyiv takes on an old enemy Guardian UK, 19 September 2023
Leaked U.S. strategy on Ukraine sees corruption as the real threat Politico EU, 19 September 2023
Ukraine uncovers corruption scheme implicating top officials Politico EU, 25 August 2023
Is Ukraine really interested in fighting corruption? Economist, 4 September 2023
US increases pressure on Ukraine to do more to counter corruption CNN, 3 October 2023
Battling corruption in Ukraine Financial Times, 30 September 2023
Ukraine struggles to curb corruption in its military Deutsche Welle, 17 August 2023
Corruption Is an Existential Threat to Ukraine, and Ukrainians Know It New York Times, 10 September 2023
Discontent grows over wartime corruption in Ukraine EuroNews, 8 September 2023
Corruption scandals continue to sweep Ukraine's government TIME, 13 January 2023
"In one poll, 77.6% of surveyed Ukrainians said Zelenskyy was responsible for government corruption."
Zelenskyy fires recruitment officials for accepting $10,000 bribes. Almost all Ukrainians think the country has a problem with corruption, survey suggests. Business Insider, 13 August 2023
"The majority of Ukrainians believe that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is directly responsible for dealing with corruption in the government and in military administrations."
Almost 80% of Ukrainians consider Zelenskyy responsible for dealing with corruption in government and military administrations Pravda UA, 11 September 2023
The US demands anti-corruption measures from Ukraine in exchange for economic aid EL PAÍS USA Edition, 26 September 2023
Putting Ukraine's corruption problem in context The Hill, 18 September 2023
Corruption in Ukraine: can crackdown on military change the course of conflict? FRANCE 24, 5 September 2023
Ukraine's anti-graft police zero in on major wartime corruption Japan Times, 22 August 2023
Zelenskyy aide on corruption in Ukraine: 'People are stealing like there's no tomorrow' Fox News, 20 October 2023
Investigation of Corruption in Energy Sector is a Top Priority Kyiv Post, 27 September 2023
Ukraine Detains Official Who Helped Men Flee Draft Kyiv Post, 22 August 2023

I personally know the Ukrainians desperately want be accepted into the West. Their special forces participated in a small way in Afghanistan. Their performance was excellent. They (at least these soldiers!) wanted to show they deserved to be in the civilized community of nations. I was in Ukraine soon after it became sovereign. You could tell that the people there wanted to show that they could stand on their feet and be a sovereign nation. However, their society\government was deeply infused with Soviet Era corruption. (So much of our political society is deeply infused with corruption that would make Tammany Hall green with envy!) The consensus of my travel group was once a ‘handle’ was gotten on the corruption this will be a great place - a supremely talented people.

Given all of that I am still not interested in getting any deeper into “the quarrels of the Slavs” as I like to call it. I'm sorry if that phraseology offends some people but I could extend it and just call it ‘quarrels on the Eurasian continent’ we've spent too much there defending people who are now too lazy to defend themselves and lost to much blood and treasure in their ungrateful security. So right now, not our circus or our monkeys maybe later.

We have huge huge problems here thanks to some poor choices our leaders and fellow citizens have made both politically and in their attitudes. I am not interested in looking for fights elsewhere no matter how ‘moral the cause’ we simply can't afford it now.