Ukraine needs and deserves assistance from the United States and the European Union in order to further its desire for stronger relations with the West, help it effectively defend itself against forces that would tear it apart, and send a strong signal to Russia that its re-emerging expansionism will not be tolerated.
Let me be clear, this means Ukraine should receive American help to obtain the lethal defensive weapons it has requested so its armed forces can defend against the tanks and other armored vehicles coming from Russia.
This is not a new position for me. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine in early 2014, I have repeatedly urged Washington to stand by Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons, training and intelligence.
There are powerful, logical reasons that America and the West must help Ukraine defend itself. As the leading champions of freedom in the world, the United States and our NATO allies cannot let Vladimir Putin drag Ukraine into a Soviet-era repressive sphere of control. To stand by and permit it would be unprincipled and cruel, and undermine a quarter-century of progress for democracy and freedom in Eastern Europe. Ukraine suffered terribly for decades at the hands of Russian dictators, including Joseph Stalin, and we cannot let atrocities such as the famine and genocide they waged be set in motion once again.
Second, if we do not resist Mr. Putin now, he will seek to take even more of Ukraine and undoubtedly begin thinking he can move on the Baltic nations and Poland in the same manner – with only words to resist him. Given Russia’s efforts to undermine large parts of eastern Ukraine by proxies and even direct intervention, a cautious analysis should view these actions as a possible prelude to an attempt to “annex” territories in eastern Ukraine, as he claims to have done with Crimea. In a worrisome development of recent weeks, emboldened lawmakers in Moscow have begun to question the legitimacy of the independence of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.
While the compelling plight of refugees fleeing the Middle East has taken the focus off Russia’s attack on Ukraine, we must not forget for an instant that Mr. Putin’s renewed expansionism represents a very serious threat to the West. Four-star Army Gen. Ray Odierno, just prior to his recent retirement as Army chief of staff, said that Russia is the “most dangerous” threat facing the United States today thanks to its “sophisticated” operations in Ukraine. He said further that he is greatly concerned about the potential for Russia to violate the sovereignty of the Baltic states.
In testimony before the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, our nation’s highest military officer, also proclaimed that Russia poses the greatest security threat to the United States. Answering questions from committee chairman Sen. John McCain, Gen. Dunford said he believes it is reasonable for the Pentagon to supply heavy weapons such as Javelin or TOW missiles that are capable of destroying Russian tanks, and he called for counter-battery weapons that can stop rocket or artillery strikes.
A majority of members of both chambers of Congress, likewise, support sending Ukraine lethal defensive weapons. A law authorizing the president to send such weapons passed with large bi-partisan majorities in December of 2014, but the White House refuses to use that authority.
More broadly, it is well past time that we begin rebuilding our nation’s defenses. We need to start by rebuilding our Navy. Other services have legitimate needs too, but reinvigorating the Navy’s ability to project power globally is critical to defending and advancing American interests, including ensuring the free flow of global commerce in the Black Sea and the South China Sea. Further, America and our allies must substantially strengthen NATO by recommitting to its fundamental mission of cooperation and joint action in securing the stability of the Western world.
These measures will take time, and they require the next president to reinvigorate our economy, but a first and immediate national security priority is thwarting Mr. Putin’s dangerous expansionism by sending Ukraine the weapons for which President Petro Poroshenko asked over a year ago in his moving speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
As president, I will immediately put into action a plan to deliver – literally at the earliest possible moment – the lethal defensive weapons Ukraine has requested and Congress has authorized. I will ensure they move rapidly through the pipeline without bureaucratic delays, I will ask President Poroshenko to ensure that training on them begins immediately, and I will ensure that Ukraine has the intelligence necessary to use them when and where necessary to deter and, if required, defeat further territorial incursions.
Further, I will reinvigorate America’s public diplomacy efforts to counter the Kremlin’s steady stream of misinformation about its activities in Ukraine and Crimea, and proudly proclaim the message of freedom and our determination to stand by friends like Ukraine in their time of trial.
In the meantime, Congress should employ every tool at its disposal to compel the White House to use the wide authority it granted nearly a year ago to provide Ukraine the weapons for which President Poroshenko urgently asked.
Ukraine cannot be put on the back burner. It is too important a nation, too strong an ally of the West, and the threat of Russia is too great to be ignored. American leadership in Ukraine’s defense is essential, and as president of the United States I will provide it.
Recently, I congratulated Ukraine on the 24th anniversary of its independence and said that the United States has a moral obligation to help protect it. As I said then, congratulations on your freedom, Ukraine – may there be a thousand more August 23ths, and a thousand more after that. Slava Ukraini! Heroyam slava!
John Kasich is the governor of Ohio and a candidate for the Republican nomination for president.