This week, ret. Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman — who’s an expert in related policy areas and dealt with these sorts of issues while serving on the National Security Council — urged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to formulate some sort of comprehensive plan for long-term protections of Ukraine. Whether or not the nation, which was invaded by Russia this week, will join NATO has been a point of particularly intense contention; as Vindman put it, no matter the country’s alliance membership status, something sweeping must be done. Vindman, who is originally from Ukraine but has long been a resident of the United States, commented as follows this Friday:
‘The world order hangs in the balance. Ukraine may not be able to join NATO, but it’s time for a new reimagined relationship with Ukraine. NATO needs to conceive something new… “Partnership for Peace,” 2.O, with teeth. The cornerstone unconstrained “Lend-Lease.”’
The world order hangs in the balance. Ukraine may not be able to join NATO, but it’s time for a new reimagined relationship with Ukraine. NATO needs to conceive something new… “Partnership for Peace,” 2.O, with teeth. The cornerstone unconstrained “Lend-Lease.” https://t.co/uVwMZGuKc8
— Alexander S. Vindman (@AVindman) February 25, 2022
Lend-lease refers to a U.S. policy from the World War II era, under which U.S. authorities provided allied nations with critical goods, the presence of which shored up the defenses of those involved in the arrangements. Items meant for the military, such as warplanes, were among those that changed hands according to the set-up. The Biden administration has already been providing Ukraine with military aid, although Vindman of course clarified that the aid policy that he had in mind would be “unconstrained.” At present, there are no apparent plans for U.S. troops to enter Ukraine to directly counter Russian aggression. However, U.S. military personnel have been positioning themselves around Europe in an effort to uphold the defenses of countries involved in NATO. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) took an approach opposite to the stance that Vindman promoted; Hawley pushed for what amounted to appeasement, arguing (not long before the full-fledged invasion began) against longstanding U.S. support for Ukraine eventually joining NATO.
Revealing snapshot of GOP politics as Russia attacks Ukraine: asked two possible 2024 Rs today about Trump's "smart" and "savvy" remarks about Putin. Both of them responded in similar ways. They refused to directly criticize Trump and quickly pivoted toward criticism of Biden…
— Robert Costa (@costareports) February 25, 2022
The Biden administration has unveiled economic sanctions targeting various elements of Russian society, including the military and major banks. Biden commented this week that Putin’s “aggression cannot go unanswered. If it did, the consequences for America would be much worse. America stands up to bullies. We stand up for freedom. This is who we are… This is a dangerous moment for all of Europe, for freedom around the world. Putin has committed an assault on the very principles that uphold the global peace. But now, the entire world sees clearly what Putin and his Kremlin allies are really all about… In the contest between democracy and autocracy, between sovereignty and subjugation, make no mistake: freedom will prevail.”
The next few days, weeks, and months will be hard on the people of Ukraine. Putin has unleashed a great pain on them.
But the Ukrainian people have known 30 years of independence — and they have shown that they will not tolerate anyone who tries to take their country backwards.
— President Biden (@POTUS) February 25, 2022
