Vindman: Ukraine needs a lend-lease plan to fight Russia

[blue-wave]

America Must Do More to Help Ukraine Fight Russia
A Lend-Lease Plan for the Ukrainian Military

Kyiv is still standing. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is still leading. Vladimir Putin, the Russian dictator, has still not brought Ukraine to its knees.

Contrary to the grim predictions and prognoses of Ukraine’s fate by many analysts, the Russian military has underperformed, and Ukrainian forces have repeatedly proved their mettle. Ukrainians have inflicted devastating losses on the Russian invaders, dominated the information war, and inspired significant action on the part of the international community, which had demonstrated relative apathy toward Ukraine in the eight years since Putin first invaded the country. It is impossible to overstate the significance of, among other things, the monumental surge in transatlantic unity, the about-face in Germany’s hitherto pacifistic foreign policy, the raft of new anticorruption measures enacted by Western democracies, and the renewed interest from Finland and Sweden in NATO membership.

All of these developments, however, trace back to Ukrainian resolve in the face of Russian aggression. In recent years, the world has been locked in a struggle between democracy and resurgent authoritarianism. Ukraine’s victory over Russia could prove to be a turning point in this struggle.

Yet Ukraine cannot hold out on its own. The Kremlin has suffered catastrophic losses in terms of personnel, vehicles, and equipment, but the Russian military has significant reserves to replenish its forces. Meanwhile, Ukraine will run short of fuel, ammunition, antitank weapons, air defense systems, unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), and aircraft long before its manpower is exhausted or its morale breaks.

Full Article: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/ukraine/2022-03-05/america-must-do-more-help-ukraine-fight-russia?utm_medium=social

[bluewater]

1. Vindman is right.

[femmedem]

2. K&R. I was just about to post the same article.

I don't think Vindman would be upset if I shared another paragraph.

Western democracies have the necessary resources to close this gap and ensure that Ukraine prevails. Talk of supporting a hypothetical Ukrainian insurgency is premature and counterproductive while the Ukrainian army and territorial defense battalions remain far from defeated. To give those forces a fighting chance, Washington and its allies should establish a lend-lease program modeled on the one that provided arms and assistance to U.S. allies in Europe during World War II. This program would allow the United States and other NATO members to loan or give aid to Ukraine at little or no cost; such aid could include medium- and long-range air defense systems, antitank weapons (beyond the Javelins that have already been provided), advanced extended-range antiarmor capabilities, coastal defense systems, high mobility artillery, and critically important UCAVs. Kyiv could also benefit from systems that could be leased from the United States and its allies, albeit with the understanding that the weapons and equipment would not necessarily be returned after the war.

[Tomconroy]

3. This is 1941 all over again.

What will people think when water and food are cut off and Russian artillery tries to reduce the cities to rubble? Will we just stand by?

[Texaswitchy]

4. Yes.

President Roosevelt gave 50 old destroyers.

[Tomconroy]

6. That was 1940. Lend lease was the spring of 1941.

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. Time for the US to take a Serious attitude to Putin.

He ain't got it.

[SheltieLover]

7. He is correct imo