FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 12, 2023
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:
“If the United States is pressing a resistant Ukraine to adopt a more defensive strategy, as reported, that is good news. The war in Ukraine has shown the advantages of defensive warfare and the narrow odds of Ukraine reclaiming all its territory by force. That is evidently unrealistic, and the United States is irresponsible in allowing Ukrainian leaders to linger in the hope of doing so. It is morally outrageous to keep encouraging Ukrainians, with words and aid, to die for objectives we deem unreachable.
“President Biden and his administration’s officials should also stop assuring Ukraine that U.S. aid will be forthcoming. Such a decision is up to Congress, and the Biden administration cannot guarantee they will still be in power in 2025. They should use that immutable uncertainty to tell Ukraine that they cannot count on continued aid, which is one more reason to shift to a defensive posture and advance negotiations with Russia. Even an armistice agreement could take years.
“Remember that U.S. interests and Ukrainian interests are not the same. Washington’s desire to keep Russia from menacing NATO Europe and to demonstrate the futility of conquest is essentially achieved, thanks to Ukraine’s sacrifice. However much we might root for Ukraine to take back all its land, U.S. security does not need that.”
DEFP report: Neutrality not NATO: Assessing security options for Ukraine
DEFP explainer: Reconfiguring NATO: The case for burden shifting