OPINION: Biden and Stopping Russia’s Aggression - Too Little, but Still Not Too Late

There is a growing understanding among those following the war in Europe and all that surrounds it that a critical factor that has complicated matters.  This understanding is shrouded with disappointment, frustration and barely concealed disgust at the impedimentary leadership provided by the smiling, “…as long as it takes…”, Biden administration in Washington, DC.

I acknowledge and applaud with all due respect the $Billions worth of equipment, ammunition and intelligence contributed by the United States, during the Biden administration.  But, after two and a half years of that support, there is a continuous stream of suffering and loss being inflicted on Ukraine.  The end of which is still nowhere in sight.  To a great extent, the explanation for this can be boiled down to a single multiple-choice question:

Soldiers and civilians are dying, cities and infrastructure are being destroyed in Ukraine and the future security of Europe is at risk because; [choose only one answer]

• Russia, under the criminal Putin regime, has perpetuated an imperialist war of aggression, guilty of a multitude of war crimes, determined to conquer and take possession of the entire Ukraine landmass.
• Iran and North Korea are providing large quantities of missiles, drones and artillery ammunition to Russia, which Putin is using - without restriction - against schools, hospitals, cities and civilians in Ukraine.
• President Joe Biden’s administration has refused to allow Ukraine to use ATACMS to strike legitimate targets in Russia, from which fatal attacks on Ukraine are being launched.
• All of the above.

In August, Defense Minister Rustim Umerov, traveled to Washington, DC to seek relief from the targeting restriction policy;

Ukraine presents US with list of targets in Russia it wants to hit with ATACMS missiles

As of this writing (Sep. 5) there is confirmation that his effort was not worth the travel expense.  White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said no dice. 

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  Justifications for the policy on limitations to ATACM employment; fear of escalation, preservation of a future reset of Russian relations, targets have all moved beyond ATACM range anyway, etc. have all been addressed and arguably debunked.  But it appears that Biden is holding fast to his intransigence.

President Biden always seems to make it sound like solid enough support for the United States to provide the tools for Ukraine to “defend itself”.  To my knowledge, there are very few basketball, football or chess games - or world wars - that have ever been won by staying on defense for the entire duration.  There is a maxim, to which I can’t find the credit, which states; “no matter how many arrows you stop, you must take out the archer”.  Ukraine is doing well with their own homegrown drone and missile programs, with more on the way, to carry out distant strikes out from under West restrictions, but the punch they can muster with in-country manufacture has quantity, accuracy and weapons effects limitations.

The 24th meeting of the Ramstein-hosted Ukraine Defense Contact Group will be held on Friday, Sep. 6. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend personally. This is another venue where some progress on this issue could potentially be made—or at least an effective advancement of the discussion. Time will tell.

Every other hesitancy the Biden administration has been dragged through; tanks, ATACMS (encumbered with use limitations), permitting the provision of F-16s by European partners, all took time to resolve.  Time is something Ukraine doesn’t have in great supply.  Neither does Biden.  The election to replace him is now less than two months away, after which he will be a lame duck.  The new administration (whoever that may include) will take over in January. 

No one has a dependable forecast of what that will bring.

If President Biden does not remove the limitation preventing long-range strikes against valid Russian targets soon, he will cement his legacy as “the protector of the Russian war machine.”

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.