Throughout 2023, Ukraine Should Remain in the Forefront of Our Minds

An opinion piece yesterday by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is headed: “Time is not on Ukraine’s Side.” By purporting to annex and by declaring that the four eastern provinces of Ukrainev are part of sacred Russian soil, Putin closed off any chance of a negotiated settlement in which Ukraine would cede any territory to Russia: Putin may take some breaks to amass more armaments or build up forces, but he can’t quit, because if he did, it would amount to an admission that attacking Ukraine was a terrible and unforgivable mistake. His strategy is to wear Ukraine down and continue to try to conquer Ukraine, and if he can’t conquer it, to reduce its citizenry to desolation and utter misery.

After writing the above, I noticed a headline in Politico this morning: “Moscow to mobilize 500,000 new conscripts, Kyiv military intelligence says.” Time is not on Ukraine’s side, because with each month that passes, regardless of who holds what territory, Ukraine will be more battered and more of its citizens will be maimed or killed. I agree with Rice and Gates: As long as Ukrainians want to defend their country, the United States should assist them as much as it takes, and as long as it takes, in my opinion, until Putin realizes that time is not on his side.