It is impossible to overstate how incredibly thankful Ukrainians are to the American people for their ongoing assistance in repelling Russia’s criminal aggression.
When Congress recently passed aid for Ukraine, social media was covered with dozens of videos of Ukrainian soldiers thanking America for supporting them and of a multitude of photographs of the Ukrainian parliament, packed with more stars-and-stripes than DC on the Fourth of July. Everyone in Kyiv understands: American support is a key element of Ukraine’s ability to win.
However, despite the assistance finally passing and getting the president’s signature, weeks have gone by and a significant amount of the approved aid has not yet made it to the battlefield. This, along with the White House’s absurd policy of not allowing Ukraine to carry out military strikes within Russia, has cost lives and provided a stark reminder of what happens when US aid runs out: Russia advances.
This past month, lacking sufficient weapons and Washington’s approval to strike targets inside of Russia, Ukrainian soldiers were forced to watch as enemy troops amassed just across the border for a new offensive into Ukraine.
The dread of seeing that disaster was about to unfold, and not being able to do anything about it, was palpable.
The fear turned to terror as Russia did exactly as was forecast, and eventually pressed into Ukraine in the Kharkiv area, killing dozens and providing one of Russia’s largest territorial gains in two years.
This all could have been prevented.
When Ukraine is armed, it is formidable.
Illustrating the effectiveness of American weaponry in Ukrainian hands, more than 3,000 Russian tanks have been destroyed as Russia nears having 500,000 casualties since February 2022.
For less than 6% of the Pentagon’s budget, the United States has set Russia back decades, removing one of our greatest foes from posing a threat to our interests abroad, something that sends a powerful message to other nations who may think to challenge us.
Watching how America now dithers in sending assistance has allowed Iran, North Korea, and China to draw their own conclusions as to what America means when it says that it is “sending assistance.”
Washington must act quickly to give Ukraine the tools it needs while removing the baseless restrictions that are hamstringing our ally’s effort to triumph, against great odds, in ejecting one of the largest armies in the world.
Backing Ukraine is an easy decision, guaranteeing American security. It also prevents American soldiers from being sent overseas to defend our NATO allies that Russia has signaled it has its eyes on after it concludes the war in Ukraine.
Why Washington and President Biden injects delays and restrictions that make the job harder escapes any logical explanation. Ukraine is running out of time.
Jason Jay Smart is a Kyiv-based national security adviser and Kyiv Post correspondent.
