Ukraine — A Way Forward

Maintaining support for Ukraine — not only within the NATO alliance but also within the US government itself-appears to be a constant task. The best way to maintain unity is to make that war effort successful as soon as possible.

Ukraine needs artillery with a range of over 150 miles in order to have any chance of both fending off current Russian assaults and to advance its efforts to free its captured territory.

Our government is concerned about giving Ukraine such weapons because it fears that Putin would view artillery that could reach Russia as a substantial escalation-which in Putin’s mind could justify either a tactical nuclear weapon used within Ukraine or an attack on NATO forces outside of Ukraine or possibly both.

Would it not make more sense to give Ukraine these weapons and ammunition in a large amount but not to announce it? Let the announcement of the transfer of those weapons be made by Ukraine through a Ukrainian assault on Russian forces using those weapons.

At that point, what could Putin do? If he uses a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine, he will guarantee a military response by Ukraine on Russian soil. Judging by the performance of Russian’s conventional forces, Putin does not have the power to launch a conventional attack at the current time on any NATO member. Use of a nuclear weapon on any NATO member would trigger the final war. Even Putin knows that.

Based upon the continuing popular support of the war within Russia, the only way to guarantee peace in central Europe is not only to defeat Putin’s army but to defeat Putinism as well.