As the Ukraine approaches a crucial election, they need more than sympathy from Western powers to win. The West is also looking for ways to tackle Russia’s growing influence in Eastern Europe and NATO members are pushing back against Putin’s military tactics. So how can the U nited States aid Ukraine?
With Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and their continued efforts to destabilize the region, there is renewed pressure on Western powers – including the U.S., France, and Germany – to help out Kiev. However, with Russia targeting vital Ukrainian infrastructure like power grids as well as its air space by flying unmanned drones near borders of NATO members Latvia and Estonia, many analysts are skeptical that western countries will be able to provide sufficient military assistance without provoking a major confrontation with Moscow..
The rubble of an apartment building in Kyiv after Russian soldiers bombarded it on March 14.
Getty Images/Aris Messinis/Agence France-Presse
Blue and yellow paint are in scarce supply throughout Europe. “How will we be able to sustain Ukraine if we run out?” Europeans are desperationally questioning.
That nasty joke was told to me by my kid. The many displays of sympathy with my nation and its people have greatly impacted me as a patriotic Ukrainian. Warmth and generosity are shown to refugees. Donations of various types are being sent in from all around the globe. Europe and the United States have taken concrete actions to assist Ukraine in defending itself against Russia’s unprovoked and barbarous invasion, which was inconceivable not long ago. Political leaders have said that they would continue to apply pressure and explore more measures. I’ve even heard that sympathy for the notion of deploying aircraft to Ukraine is growing in Western capitals.
All of this is really appreciated. However, Ukraine is being destroyed while you discuss and create compassion. Russian jets are bombing our children and launching missiles at hospitals, schools, and enterprises. Where they come up against Ukrainian fighting men and women, they retaliate with cruelty, flattening city blocks and the people that live in them.
While the West is concerned about breaking the norms of war and taking care not to escalate the conflict, Russia is not concerned, using mass deception, false flag attacks, prohibited weapons, mercenaries, and terrorists. Because it has failed to bomb Ukraine into submission, Russia has resorted to more aggressive and barbaric methods of warfare.
We appreciate the food, the money, the condolences, and the hand-painted blue-and-yellow flags. However, if you want to rescue us, you’ll need planes, anti-air and anti-tank missiles, armed drones, and other combat weaponry. As a result, I urge our Western allies to provide Ukraine with the aircraft and other armaments it needs immediately. Stop purchasing Russian coal and oil. Don’t think about it; don’t weigh your alternatives; don’t think about it. Just go for it. Life is defined by the passage of time. I request that Ukraine be considered for membership in the European Union. An independent Ukraine has a place in the European Union.
I am aware that these actions are fraught with danger. However, in a life-or-death situation, you can’t help but take chances. Inaction, on the other hand, poses even greater dangers. What will happen if you allow Russia to destabilize the world system, destroy a sovereign country, and massacre tens of millions of people? Only by using force can the aggressor be stopped. We must balance harshness with quickness, decisiveness, and resolve. We can’t constantly worrying about the attacker being more aggressive. We need to make him fearful that we will escalate as well.
Ukraine cannot be defeated. Many Ukrainians, however, will perish; their families will be devastated; and their towns will be reduced to ruins. These are average, peace-loving individuals who have never attacked anybody and merely want to live a peaceful and calm existence while aspiring to be a contemporary European nation.
“Give us the means and we will do the job,” Churchill told Franklin D. Roosevelt as Hitler’s soldiers approached Britain in February 1941. That is what Ukrainians are requesting today: the means to confront a terrible dictator who has attacked a peaceful, free democracy just because it is one.
You have the opportunity to fight evil. Take a chance. Trust your gut instincts. Save the West’s beliefs and ideals. Ukrainians do not scream SOS, “rescue our souls,” at this time of need. The lives of Ukrainians are in jeopardy, but their spirits are protected. To you, we urge, “Save your souls.”
Mr. Pinchuk is a philanthropist and businessman from Ukraine.
Paul Gigot talks combat analyst Seth Jones for the Journal Editorial Report. Reuters/Ukrainian Defense Ministry Press Service/Associated Press Mark Kelly’s composite
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