Congressman Moulton's Boston Globe Op-Ed: Three Reasons Why the West Must Aid Ukraine to Victory
To mark the one-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Congressman Seth Moulton authored a new op-ed, published today in the Boston Globe. Congressman Moulton has visited Ukraine twice in recent years (in December 2021 before the invasion and almost exactly a year later in December 2022). Before the invasion, Moulton warned in a piece for the Wall Street Journal that the world was not doing enough to stop what he saw as an imminent invasion.
Despite recent declining public support for U.S. aid to Ukraine, Moulton argues that the United States and our allies must support Ukraine until the end for three reasons: winning prevents future wars, winning deters other authoritarians, and winning curbs nuclear proliferation.
He writes in part:
“As the world marks a full year of war in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion, many Americans wonder why the United States continues its support for the Eastern European nation. Even with all of their triumphs, the Ukrainians have suffered immensely, and the human and moral costs of this war are hard to grapple with. There have been unthinkable war crimes, cities decimated, tens of thousands dead, and millions of lives upended.
The war is clearly far from over, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia shows no interest in giving up.
Last spring 9 percent of Republicans polled thought we were providing too much support to Ukraine; now it’s 40 percent. Americans on the political right want that money spent at home (or not at all), and some on the left want to force Ukraine to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainians continue to impress the world with their tactical skill and fighting spirit. The victories they have won against Russia are thanks to the support of the strongest coalition of partners and allies since World War II, providing critical equipment and funds to fuel its fight. And it has been working: As President Biden said in his speech this week during his surprise visit to Ukraine: “Kyiv stands strong. Kyiv stands proud,” but most importantly, “Kyiv stands free.”
US intelligence saw this invasion coming when most of the world wished it away. Putting on my old Marine infantry officer cap on a trip to Ukraine in December 2021, what I thought myself was that the Russians would head straight to Kyiv, despite many suggesting they would continue their previous effort in the east. At the time, I argued that we needed to be more focused on deterrence than response, and now — despite Ukraine’s inspiring success on the battlefield — we must admit that deterrence failed
Still, the skeptics’ questions have merit: How long will this go on? What will it ultimately cost? And how does this end?
There are three important reasons why the United States and its allies must see the Ukrainians to victory, despite the time and expense…”
Read the rest of the piece HERE.