“G-7 must face down Russia or suffer disaster,” by Petro Poroshenko, Politico, May 26 (http://www.politico.eu/article/g7-must-face-down-russia-or-suffer-disaster-ukraine-president-petro-poroshenko-opinion/):
…The Western world needs to commit to joint action and stand together to protect its values and respect for international law. Today, like on the eve of World War II, time is against us. The violence in eastern Ukraine is taking lives every single day. Delays and soothing half-measures are not only ineffective but dangerous.
Russia’s new generation of hybrid warfare is gaining momentum. And its effects spread beyond Ukraine. …
We now face a choice between reacting with a proportionate response or continuing to muddle through with half-measures. …
History teaches us that appeasement leads to greater aggression. The more you feed the crocodile, the hungrier it gets. Only from a position of strength can sustainable peace be defended and security and stability restored. This requires increasing Ukraine’s resilience by supporting crucial reforms and enhancing its army’s defense capabilities, including boosting its store of modern defensive weapons. This also requires the West to stay firm on sanctions against Russia and be ready to strengthen them if need be, as outlined at the G-7 summit in Ise-Shima, Japan.
The G-7 – a club of distinguished states and world leaders, from which Russia was expelled with disgrace – has an opportunity to clearly answer the aggressor. The Kremlin should not be able to wash the blood from its hands and escape responsibility for stealing Crimea and exporting war to the Donbas region.
If the West is serious about peace and world order, it should bear in mind that restoring normal relations with Moscow still runs through Kyiv. Russia must implement the Minsk agreements, especially those terms regarding security. It must return Crimea to Ukraine and restore our country’s territorial integrity within internationally recognized borders. Doing anything else opens the door to disaster.
“It’s Counterintuitive, but Arming Ukraine Will Save U.S. Taxpayers Money,” by Stephen Blank, Atlantic Council, May 25 (http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrainealert/it-s-counterintuitive-but-arming-ukraine-will-actually-save-us-taxpayers-money):
In April, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson asked, “Why should U.S. taxpayers be interested in Ukraine?” Now, the United States does not always provide assistance or help defend other victims of aggression, so the answer must go beyond the simple observation that Ukraine is the victim of premeditated aggression. I see five reasons why.
First, we defend our allies and interests by helping Ukraine defend itself. Every Ukrainian soldier who fights for his country represents one less American who is needed for the defense of Europe. …
Second, Ukraine is fighting our war and that of Europe because Moscow has essentially declared war on Europe and the international order. Russia has waged information warfare against every European government from the Baltic states to Spain. Moscow openly subsidizes political parties all over Europe in an effort to undermine democratic governments. …
Third, we gave Ukraine assurances that we would protect its territorial integrity and security in the 1994 Budapest Agreements, and the Obama administration did not honor that commitment. …
Fourth, our earlier failure to help Ukraine defend itself has encouraged Moscow to escalate further. …
Fifth, as the strongest power in the world, the United States cannot simply avert its eyes whenever aggression occurs, especially aggression involving a nuclear power. The Trump administration may promote an “America first” foreign policy, but as the underwriters of the international order for 70 years, we have a vital interest in sustaining it. …Throwing Kyiv under the bus… opens the door to a new terror of permanent war. …