In mid-January, amid doubts about the growing parliamentary Republican support for Kiev, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said: Said ABC News: “Even if we run out of weapons, we’ll still fight with shovels.” His words recalled the early days of the 2022 invasion of Russia, when ordinary Ukrainians prepared petrol bombs to confront the enemy.
Ukrainians see this war as existential. If they lose, Ukraine will disappear. However, shovels and petrol bombs could not sustain the Russian army for long. If Ukraine were to collapse because Republicans blocked U.S. aid, they would be grotesquely responsible, further endangering the United States and its soldiers.
President Vladimir Putin’s imperialist desire to take back “historic” Russian lands is the primary motivation for the war. He rejected Ukraine’s peace plan. Said“This is an attempt to encourage us to abandon.” conquest [emphasis added] We’ve been building for the past year and a half. ”
Former President Dmitry Medvedev was more blunt: Ukraine, which is said to be located on historic Russian territory, should not exist.he gave an opinion Ukrainians “will understand living in one big common nation” [with Russia], even something they don’t really like at the moment, is better than death, their own death, and the death of their loved ones. And the sooner Ukrainians address this issue, the better. ”
Ukraine has never posed a military threat to Russia. Ukrainians did not want war, but showed a courageous determination to defend their land, freedom and aspirations to become a normal European state.they have Seen in Bucha The Russian occupation meant summary executions, torture, rape, and the forced return of children to Russia.
Over the past two years, Ukrainians have been able to successfully resist, supported by a flow of arms and other aid from the United States, Europe and elsewhere. The Biden administration has been seeking $60 billion since last fall to continue funding the necessary weapons into 2024, despite delays at times.
Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans blocked action, and the last available funds were exhausted in December. Speaker Mike Johnson could fix this.Given the “F” Johnson’s views on the past performance of the Ukraine advocacy group Republican Party appear to have changed since taking over as chairman.he Said In October, he said Ukraine “must win” and that he and House Republicans supported sending more aid.
Well, maybe not. Prime Minister Johnson then linked aid to Ukraine to changes in border policy, but you need to know that that won’t sit well with the Senate and the White House.He reportedly consulted with Donald Trump. received counseling He urged the Senate not to accept the border and Ukraine agreements being discussed in the Senate. President Trump appears to want to tear up any border agreements so he can use this issue for his campaign.
European countries say they will continue to provide aid to Ukraine, but they will not be able to replace the capabilities that will be lost if U.S. aid ends. Meanwhile, President Putin has expanded military production, imported missiles and weapons from North Korea and Iran, and put Russia’s economy on a war footing. Without U.S. support, Ukraine is unlikely to be able to match Russian military strength.
This is not just an issue for Ukraine, but also concerns important interests of the United States. For more than 70 years, American presidents, Republicans and Democrats alike, have understood that the stability and security of Europe is a vital American national interest. If Russia prevails, Europe will become more unstable, less secure, and more demanding of American attention.
A Russian victory would put at risk other European countries, including Moldova and perhaps the Baltics, all of which were once part of the Russian Empire and therefore, in Putin’s view, part of historic Russia. It is land. Will the Kremlin, emboldened by his victory over Ukraine, be tempted to attack the Baltic states despite their membership in NATO? Many analysts would say no, but we underestimate Putin at our peril. Five years ago, most analysts would have thought the chances of a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine were zero.
If the Kremlin decided to attack eastern Estonia, for example, Washington would have to send not only weapons but also US troops. Ukraine currently only requests weapons and ammunition, not soldiers. The value of deterring Russia in Ukraine should be self-evident.
Speaker Johnson and his Republican allies are wondering how they would feel if they blocked aid to Kiev, resulting in Ukraine heroically but pointlessly losing along with its people, wielding shovels and throwing Molotov cocktails. you should ask. And how do they feel about the cost of defending the United States and its allies from an emboldened Kremlin bent on further conquest? After asking these questions, they should do the right thing and approve aid to Ukraine.
Steven Pifer is a former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
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