No one disputes there are significant trouble spots in the world, including difficulties here in the United States. We have growing crime in some of our major cities and an assault on our sovereignty at the southern border. There are also economic issues in the United States with rampant inflation and we are still dealing with the negative effects of COVID, which many of us believe came from a Chinese lab in Wuhan.
Internationally, we face a growing adversary in China and we are a proxy force to the largest war in Europe since the end of World War II. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, most believed it would be over in weeks, if not days. Yet one year later the war remains active with the Ukrainians more than holding their own against an Army several times their size. Hundreds of thousands have died on both sides and almost one third of Ukraine’s population has been displaced. Several eastern Ukrainian cities are in ruin as Russia indiscriminately attacks Ukrainian infrastructure with missile attacks. Make no mistake, Russia initiated this war much like when they invaded Crimea in 2014 and the world did virtually nothing.
The United States faces two major adversaries, Russia and China. Russia has become, except for its nuclear weapons, more of a European threat while China continues to increase its influence globally. In support of Ukraine, the United States is the undisputed major provider of economic, military and humanitarian aid. American support has been the major reason that Ukraine’s courageous fighters have been able to blunt the invasion by Russia’s Army. They are fighting Russia’s Army to a standstill, without U.S. soldiers on the ground. Over 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died in battle this past year, no Americans have. They are fighting the fight against an enemy that, for years, we believed NATO would have to fight. They are taking, militarily, a strategic adversary off the stage for us. Through the reduction, if not defeat, of the Red Army in Ukraine we can finally focus, after 20 years, on our growing adversary, China. This is principally why our support to Ukraine, badly explained by this Administration, matters. We can finally pivot to challenge the growth of China.
The pivotal center of gravity for Putin is his Army in Ukraine. He signaled that clearly when he put his most trusted and senior General, Gerasimov, in charge of the fight. If his Army is defeated or forced to withdraw, Putin loses. If we fully support Ukraine’s ability to kill Russia’s Army this year the direction of this war will change. Biden needs to advise Putin, withdraw your Army from Ukraine or you will lose it to military force. Recently, NATO General Secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, said while the war was likely to end at the negotiating table, Putin would “not sit down and engage in good faith as long as he believes he can win on the battlefield”.
The reduction of Russia’s Army will change the landscape in Europe for decades and will allow us to revisit the NATO alliance. We spend over $400M a year supporting NATO with an untold amount of military equipment and troops. We are the largest supporter of NATO. For years we have been attempting to redress the imbalance. Ukraine successfully fighting Russia presents us that opportunity.
Despite all our support and aid, President Biden has yet to define why our involvement in Ukraine is in America’s interest. He has not addressed the American people and he has not even called one of the protagonists, Russia’s Vladimir Putin. This should be unacceptable to the American people.
Whether we agree with it or not, America been committed by this Administration to support Ukraine. From the beginning there was no plan to address conflict termination and, to this day, there is still no plan. “As long as it takes, as much as it takes” is a slogan, not a plan. The question today should be one of end state and how does the world get to it. Having the two largest countries in Europe at war with each other brings with it the danger of a wider war. According to the respected Institute for the Study of War, Russia soon may have 20,000 more soldiers joining the fight. We are seeing now, in the battle for Bakhmut, a huge attrition fight reminiscent of World War I trench warfare. A war of attrition is not in Ukraine’s or America’s best interests. Neither is an endless war.
There is an alternative to the piecemeal support efforts of the West, which only perpetuates this war into one of endless fighting. Go “all in” with military equipment support, now, with the intent to drive this to a conclusion this year. Provide Ukraine with all the military equipment it needs to defeat the Russian Army in Ukraine. Europe must provide more support. A Euro spends just as well as a dollar. This fight is in their backyard. For four years, President Trump railed that NATO was not carrying their agreed fair share of the load. That continues today with European support to Ukraine inconsistent except for the United Kingdom, Poland and the Baltics. Russia is Europe’s greatest threat, they need to act like it.
We must identify an experienced interlocutor to begin, at least, peace discussions with Russia and Ukraine. Someone who is able to broker a deal with both sides. This war will not ultimately end on the battlefield, it will end with a deal at the table.
Before any more taxpayer money is appropriated, Congress should play a significant role in facilitating several non-negotiables. Demand to know what the end state of this war looks like and how to accomplish it. Demand President Biden explain to the American people why this war is in our best interests and why it is not another endless war. Demand Europe contribute dollar for dollar what the United States is providing. Demand negotiations begin. Any further supplemental appropriations must have these requirements for passage.
A month before the war began, I wrote in the Daily Mail that Ukraine was Europe’s problem to solve. Europe failed, again. They demonstrated for the third time in one hundred years they are unable to keep or restore peace without the United States. We cannot let a predator nation force us into sacrificing our great young men and women who serve in yet another European war. Supporting from a distance is the best of a bad policy.
Lt. Gen. (Ret) Keith Kellogg is a highly decorated Army combat veteran and former Acting National Security Advisor to President Trump and the National Security Advisor to Vice President Mike Pence. Kellogg has authored the book, War By Other Means, Regnery Press.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
- JOSH HAMMER: Mob Rule Is Taking Over The West - April 2, 2023
- JUDGE ANDREW P. NAPOLITANO: Trump Can Be His Own Worst Enemy - April 2, 2023
- SHOSHANA BRYEN: Here’s What Really Lies Behind The Biden Admin’s Icy Israel Relationship - April 1, 2023
JOIN US @NewRightNetwork on our Telegram, Twitter, Facebook Page and Groups, and other social media for instant news updates!
New Right Network depends on your support as a patriot-ran American news network. Donate now