The threat
Appeasing dictators won’t work – Republicans need to fight back against this administration’s failing policies vis-à-vis Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela. Russia’s war of aggression – the largest land invasion in Europe since the Second World War – is eerily reminiscent of Poland of 1939. At the same time, we are seeing rising hostilities in the Indo-Pacific by Chairman Xi. And now we are facing a fullscale war in the Middle East that threatens to destabilize the entire region.
Biden is mishandling the worst war in Europe since World War II. His weakness failed to deter Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, continues to prolong the war, and risks inviting further aggression from America’s adversaries.
Biden did not impose a single significant sanction on Russia as it amassed troops around Ukraine in the lead-up to the invasion, nor did he provide significant military assistance during those critical months. In fact, he rolled-back and failed to enforce Trump-era sanctions on key Kremlin projects such as Nord Stream 2. This weakness forfeited the last opportunity to deter Russia and prevent this costly war.
It is no coincidence that Russia invaded Ukraine a mere six months after Biden’s shameful surrender to the Taliban and humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan. Putin sensed American weakness and believed he could seize Ukraine without a significant response from the West. The disastrous withdrawal and faulty timelines drained American credibility globally and led to U.S. warnings of an impending Russian invasion of Ukraine falling on deaf ears.
Proposed Plan for Victory in Ukraine
Biden’s mantra of supporting Ukraine “for as long as it takes” is a losing strategy. Instead, House Republicans believe President Biden should present a credible plan for victory and arm Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win as soon as possible.
Since the first day of the war, Biden’s debilitating hesitation to provide critical weapons to Ukraine has delayed a Ukrainian victory. Ukraine needs the longest-range variant of ATACMS, F-16s, and sufficient quantities of cluster munitions, artillery, air defenses, and armor to make a difference on the battlefield. This delay is costing Ukrainian lives and the American taxpayer.
A path to victory for Ukraine will require (1) providing critical weapons to Ukraine at the speed of relevance, (2) tightening sanctions on the Putin regime, and (3) transferring frozen Russian sovereign assets to Ukraine.
This will take congressional Republican pressure, which has been the key to unlocking every new needed weapon system to Ukraine since the start of the war. The bipartisan and bicameral bill, the REPO Act, will also require the Biden administration lead a coalition of allies to transfer up to $300 billion in frozen Russian sovereign assets to assist Ukraine.
This strategy will ensure Ukraine is able to make the needed advances on the battlefield to force Putin to the negotiating table. If Ukraine doesn’t negotiate from a position of strength, there can be no lasting peace.
Read more at Foreign Affairs.