With Russian forces intensifying their atrocities against Ukraine’s civilian population, including by deliberately bombing Mariupol’s Drama Theater with hundreds of people hiding inside, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s …
With Russian forces intensifying their atrocities against Ukraine’s civilian population, including by deliberately bombing Mariupol’s Drama Theater with hundreds of people hiding inside, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned plea to Congress for stronger US support, the Biden administration finds itself in a bind. On the one hand, the White House seeks to prevent escalation that could prompt a reckless reaction from the cornered Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin. On the other, standing with Ukraine — and on the side of freedom, as President Joe Biden put it in his address Wednesday — requires doing far more than it has. There was a dramatic contrast between the substance, the tone and the sense of urgency behind Zelensky’s speech and Biden’s droning, unimaginative remarks a few hours later. The latter, announcing an added $800 million worth of military aid to Ukraine, hardly rose to the occasion, either in style and delivery or in substance. Style-wise, Biden regurgitated expressions of rhetorical support and solidarity with Ukraine, which may ring increasingly hollow to Ukrainian ears. Substantively, he added to the $1 billion commitment made last week by providing Ukrainians with more Stinger anti-aircraft systems, additional Javelins and other anti-armor weapons,100 tactical drones, handguns and grenade launchers, ammunition, body armor and helmets and other equipment. Yet this “new” package is simply a response to Congress’ authorization last week of up to $6.5 billion in military aid, leaving a question mark on the structure and timeline for the delivery of the remainder of the authorized assistance — and on whether it’s going to be enough for the purposes of winning this war.
