President Biden has repeatedly said that the United States and NATO have given Ukraine all the military weapons and equipment they need to win the war. That is obviously untrue. Biden’s too little/too late policy on weapons and sanctions – and his influence on NATO — has only prolonged the war.
Biden’s strategy has been defensive only. He has said as much. He will help Ukraine continue to hold off Putin’s military – essentially creating a prolonged war-of-attrition. That is what we have seen for the past year or so. The Ukraine military has prevented Russia from taking over the country – although they now control more land than they did prior to the invasion. Putin’s military has created a critical land bridge between the Crimea and the Donbass Regions that were previously controlled by Russia.
On the other hand, Ukrainian forces have not taken back a significant amount of Russian held territory. There was some initial hope that the highly vaunted “summer offensive” would break the stalemate. So far, it has not. The Ukrainian advance is hamstrung by a significant Russian physical defense line. The offensive is also stalled by lack of basic ammunition. Ukraine positions and cities continue to be hammered by Russian aerial attacks. Does that sound like the Ukrainian military has all it needs to win the war?
If the United States or NATO were providing all that Ukraine needs to win, there would be no shortage of ammunition. Ukrainian pilots would already be flying fighter jets. The west could have imposed the no-fly zone that President Zelensky requested at the onset of the war – and again at the recent NATO meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania. Ukraine would have many times the tanks they have today if Biden had not blocked an earlier request.
It is not just a matter of new weapons. Ukraine needs more of the long-range TOW missiles that can hit targets more than 4000 meters away. More of the Javelin missiles and launchers – which President Trump started sending in 2018. More Spike missiles and launchers than the European Union sent in 2022.
In terms of air defense, the United States has still not sent the belatedly promised NASAMS surface to air missiles that can hit targets 100 miles away. Ukraine needs more of the Stinger low altitude air defense missiles that were initially sent by Trump in 2019. They need more Patriot missiles that can take down long-range missiles and drones.
Ukraine needs a continuous flow of small personal arms – M4 carbines and M240/M249 machine guns that were initially provided to the country during the Trump administration.
(In view of the current domestic political climate, I think it is important to recognize that Trump reversed President Obama’s ban on sending weapons to Ukraine. That played an important roll in upgrading the Ukrainian military prior to Russian invasion.)
Virtually every retired general appearing on the news programs – from FOX to MSNBC – has been unequivocable and emphatic that the United States and NATO must provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win the war asap.
I understand that there are political voices in both parties who call for ending all military aid to Ukraine. Fortunately, the overwhelming majority of members of Congress believe in helping Ukraine defeat Putin – as do most of the American people. We have heard the mantra that America and NATO will do whatever is necessary to defeat Russia. So far, we have not been doing it. If only President Biden’s actions were consistent with his rhetoric.
So, there ‘tis,