It is all too easy to lay the blame on opposition republicans for the log jam in funding for Ukraine but even when the money is released how will it be used to ensure success for Kyiv?
January 30, 2024
US President Joe Biden speaks during the South Carolina’s First in the Nation Dinner at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 27, 2024. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP)
The narrative coming out of the White House as recently as last Tuesday continues to solely cast blame upon Congressional Republicans – especially Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA), for not passing a $60 billion supplemental budget to continue funding the Ukraine war.
There is some truth to the narrative. However, it conveniently leaves out probably the most significant point – President Joe Biden does not have a plan to win the war, other than to simply to keep arming Ukraine to defend itself. The US Army’s General George Patton gave his opinion on that course of action: “Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more.”
Biden’s avowed strategy to “stand for liberty and freedom today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes” has become a toxic recipe for just another “forever war.” A war that Speaker Johnson compared to a recent conflict, “We need to know that Ukraine would not be another Afghanistan.”
When Biden entered the White House, his stated goal was “ending the forever wars that had consumed America for two decades and instead focusing on domestic priorities.” The war in Ukraine enters its third year in February; the southern US border remains unsecured as illegal migrants and fentanyl enter the country unabated.
On the surface, the House Speaker appears to be holding the President to his word. But this is Washington – and Ukraine has become political leverage for both Democrats and Republicans to play against one another as they pursue partisan agendas. The 2024 Presidential Election only exacerbates the crisis.
There is common ground though. The President and House Speaker are on the same page regarding no more forever wars.
There are two solutions – give Ukraine the weapons and ammunition they need to win the war or abandon the effort. The latter is not an option – the US would lose all credibility, putting Europe in peril and their leadership in NATO at risk.
A $60 billion blank check would equate to what then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said concerning the passage of Obama Care in 2010, “we have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.” Republicans will not let that happen – they are demanding to see a plan, a strategy to win, the weapons and ammunition required, and an end state for Ukraine. The President does not have one.
But holding Ukraine funding hostage to border security and support to Israel in their war against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, is no better. Bundling the three is unmanageable. The attack on the US Tower 22 base in Jordan over the weekend aggravates the situation.
Both sides are derelict in their duties. While they continue their political jockeying – Ukrainian civilians are being killed in Russian missile and drone attacks, while Ukrainian soldiers in defensive positions fight off relentless ‘meat assaults’ in Avdiivka, wondering if they will have enough ammunition to fend off the next wave.
Killing more Russians will not win the war. Over 383,180 have reportedly been eliminated to date, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to conscript and send more. Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces General Valerii Zaluzhny acknowledged that reality in November: “That was my mistake. In any other country such casualties would have stopped the war.”
Meanwhile, as Washington struggles to come up with a solution, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his generals are “doggedly forging ahead and boldly implementing new military tactics” throughout the depth of the battlespace – to include Russia.
In the absence of U.S. funding, Zelensky returned to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and travelled to European capitals to solicit additional support to stay in the fight. He came away with a few major wins – Ukraine entered into a security co-operation agreement with the United Kingdom, secured $8.5 billion in military aid for 2024 from Germany, secured a pledge from Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to “make his country the ‘most reliable’ backer of Ukraine,” while France committed to deliver an additional 40 long-range SCALP-EG missiles and, in Paris last week, stood-up an “artillery coalition” of 23 nations to address Ukraine’s ammunition shortfall.
And now the European Union is set to vote on a €50 billion assistance package for Ukraine after advising Hungary it would evoke Article 7 – suspending the right to vote on EU decisions – should Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán continue to block the vote.
Europe has stepped up, so where is the American plan?
Unfortunately, it is helplessly linked to a failing bipartisan southern border deal that Speaker Johnson announced was “dead on arrival” last Friday.
It is not the primary responsibility of Congress to present military plans to the White House. That responsibility is on the President of the United States, as the Commander-in-Chief, and his National Security team. The responsibility of Congress is to fund the plan when it is submitted.
Three powerful Republicans penned a plan in November 2023 entitled, “Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine.” The proposal was submitted by Michael McCaul (R-TX), Mike Rogers (R-AL), and Mike Turner (R-OH), Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and the House Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence respectively.
The proposal calls for the President to “present a credible plan for victory and arm Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win as soon as possible.” They have even identified “the longest-range variant of ATACMS, F-16s and sufficient quantities of cluster munitions, artillery, air defenses, and armor to make a difference on the battlefield” as part of the solution.
It is not an unreasonable request. Defensive weapons cannot win wars – and Ukraine lacks the offensive capabilities right now needed to decisively expel Russian forces from the Donbas and Crimean Peninsula.
Washington urgently needs a commonsense compromise. Speaker Johnson must decouple southern border security from Ukraine funding and President Biden must present a plan to Congress on Ukraine and agree to work with Republicans on a comprehensive immigration plan that includes border security. Americans and Ukrainians deserve far better leadership from Washington.
The President needs to embrace and build off the Republican proposal, assemble his Flag Officers – active and retired (Keane, Petraeus, Stavridis, McCaffrey, Hodges, Hertling, and H. R. McMaster, to name but a few), then put together a plan the White House, Congress and American people can support. As with any endeavour – it starts with a plan.
The views expressed in this opinion article are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
Copyright 2023. Jonathan E. Sweet and Mark C. Toth. All rights reserved.
Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer.
Mark Toth writes on national security and foreign policy.
Since the authors have referenced Gen. George Patton, let’s revisit his opinions on Russians:
“The difficulty in understanding the Russian is that we do not take cognizance of the fact that he is not a European, but an Asiatic, and therefore thinks deviously. We can no more understand a Russian than a Chinese or a Japanese, and from what I have seen of them, I have no particular desire to understand them except to ascertain how much lead or iron it takes to kill them. In addition to his other amiable characteristics, the Russian has no regard for human life and they are all out sons-of-bitches, barbarians, and chronic drunks.”
And:
“The Russians are mongols. They are Slavs and a lot of them used to be
ruled by ancient Byzantium. From Genghis Kahn to Stalin. they have
not changed. They never will and we will never learn, at least , not until
it is too late.”
And:
“I’ll say this ;the Third Army alone with very little help and with
damned few casulaties,could lick what is left of the Russians in six
weeks. You mark my words.Don’t ever forget them. Someday we
will have to fight them and it will take six years and cost us six
million lives.”
“Three powerful Republicans penned a plan in November 2023 entitled, “Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine.” The proposal was submitted by Michael McCaul (R-TX), Mike Rogers (R-AL), and Mike Turner (R-OH), Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Armed Services Committee, and the House Permanent Selection Committee on Intelligence respectively.
The proposal calls for the President to “present a credible plan for victory and arm Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win as soon as possible.” They have even identified “the longest-range variant of ATACMS, F-16s and sufficient quantities of cluster munitions, artillery, air defenses, and armor to make a difference on the battlefield” as part of the solution.
It is not an unreasonable request. Defensive weapons cannot win wars – and Ukraine lacks the offensive capabilities right now needed to decisively expel Russian forces from the Donbas and Crimean Peninsula.”
We need to hear a lot more from these Republicans and a lot less from the magaputler shitheads, whose lethal, undemocratic activities deserve prosecution for aiding and abetting a genocidal fascist power.
Some of us have been hearing them and repeating them, but in the political din among the Leftwing chatter and group-thinking parrots that run the media, those voices are often ignored and even ridiculed but certainly outnumbered. I agree with this piece 100%
I have published the “Proposed Plan…” on here at least three times.
Biden has no plan.
Biden NYT, May 31, 2022
“We do not seek a war between NATO and Russia. As much as I disagree with Mr. Putin, and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow. So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly engaged in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces. We are not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. We do not want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia.”
Far from keeping the enemy guessing, he gave putler the green light to do what he wanted. The genocide in Bucha was already known about by then.
Once a jellyfish, always a jellyfish.
I don’t believe Biden’s schizophrenic approach to Ukraine it’s entirely his doing but rather Jake Sullivan his NSA. Sullivan was on Obama’s administration and we know what Obama did in 2014. Sullivan is a dangerous individual as it seems he’s afraid to go all in or all out. That’s been his lifelong legacy
In the words of Mr Miyagi in Karate Kid
“Walk On Road, Hmmm? Walk Left Side, Safe. Walk Right Side, Safe. Walk Middle, Sooner Or Later… Get Squish Just Like Grape!” We are getting squished because these idiots don’t know how to be all in IMHO.
It seems to me that this is a balanced article as there is comparative agreement among the commenters. The first time I have agreed with comments by several commenters on here :). Unfortunately there is plenty of blame to go around for both Republican and Democratic parties and leadership. when it comes to fully supporting Ukraine in a timely manner. Pray God that all the idiots in DC including the President and the leaders of both parties can get their act together yesterday and provide enough support to ensure Russia is defeated and that Ukraine wins.
I don’t understand what it is about the DC political establishment/bureaucracy/pentagon leadership that they always want to start or support a war but refuse to provide enough massive, consistent, and timely support to actually win. Unbearable treasure and blood have been spent by the US in the numerous forever wars of the past 20 years but the DC “elites” (despite their corruption and gross incompetence) never pay any professional or personal price for these failures.
Part of the hesitancy to support Ukraine by some in the US may be caused by fatigue with these forever wars and the resulting total lack of faith in the competence of our military leadership and the political leadership of any party. This reluctance to some extent may be understandable, but we must not continue to make the same mistake of half hearted support once we have started to support a very worthy and crucial military endeavor.
It is too late to undo the too little/too late, no we won’t/yes we will US support of Ukraine over the past 2 years. Let us pray that it is not too late for our leaders to stop their political games and that it is not too late for the US to send enough massive military aid to Ukraine to ensure a Ukrainian victory and a Russian defeat.