“Cheap Ways to Make Putin Pay in Ukraine,” by John Herbst, “Ukraine Alert” blog on the Atlantic Council website, January 4 (see https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/cheap-ways-to-make-putin-pay-in-ukraine):
Six weeks ago, Russia attacked Ukraine in the Straits of Kerch and it made international news. U.S. President Donald Trump canceled a high-level meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in response. Other governments denounced the Kremlin’s actions. Then the news faded. Right now, the weak Western response means that Putin has gained a tactical advantage, which makes it more likely that Moscow will escalate further in the future. …
The smartest way for the United States to thwart Putin’s efforts is to make him pay a heavy price for his war against Ukraine. This can be done at a very low cost to us: sanctions on Russian leaders and the economy and weapons for Ukraine. …
We should provide at least six, and as many as 12, Mark V PT boats. They should be equipped with at least 50 and as many as 100 Hellfire missiles. The United States should also provide at least 100 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. …we should also provide the radar and intel systems that would help Ukraine’s military keep track of the Russian navy in the Sea of Azov. …
The United States could give Ukraine assets to provide an asymmetric challenge to Moscow in the Sea of Azov. This would be similar in some ways to the U.S. provision of Javelins to Ukraine, which did much to neuter Moscow’s tank advantage in the Donbas and convince Kyiv that the U.S. position remains firm.
The U.S. response to Moscow’s escalation in late November has been underwhelming, and Putin is likely to interpret it as a green light if we do nothing but cancel meetings. …