Quit bluffing about defending Ukraine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 11, 2021
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org

WASHINGTON, DC—In a recent meeting with the Ukrainian foreign minister, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the U.S. has an “ironclad” commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Defense Priorities Policy Director Benjamin H. Friedman issued the following statement in response:

“In once more speaking of an ‘ironclad’ commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, Secretary Blinken vaguely suggests the U.S. might fight for Ukraine, a threat no one—least of all Russia—will believe. This talk is far more likely to encourage desperate Ukrainian beliefs the U.S. will somehow protect them than to deter Russia. And if Russia did somehow believe U.S. intervention on behalf of Ukraine was plausible, it could be encouraged to swallow a sizable chunk of Ukraine in a fait accompli, before U.S. aid materialized. Blinken should have simply expressed support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and left it there.

“U.S. interests, not a sense of justice that casts Russia as an evil enemy, should govern our policy toward Ukraine. The United States cannot match Russian interests in Ukraine and thus cannot make credible threats to defend it militarily. To solve its problems, Ukraine needs less prospect of U.S. help and more acceptance that its geography demands a settlement that accommodates Russia. The United States should stop discouraging that outcome.”

Author

Benjamin
Friedman

Policy Director