President Biden is chiding Congress for not passing more military aid for Ukraine, and he invited President Volodymyr Zelensky to Washington this week to help make the sale. We support more aid, but one reason the President is struggling to persuade Congress is his own uncertain trumpet over the last two years.
The conventional wisdom is that Mr. Biden has helped Ukraine while carefully avoiding a wider war with Russia. But this ignores that Mr. Biden failed to deter the invasion and has hesitated to provide the weapons that could have made a major difference sooner. The war has now become a bloody stalemate that has eroded confidence in Congress that Ukraine can win. For the record, here’s a chronology of Mr. Biden’s hesitation and delay:
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President Biden has been long described as a staunch ally of Ukraine, however, his record regarding the country has been far from perfect.
Since the emergence of Russia’s aggression in 2014, many have held President Biden accountable for a decidedly lukewarm stance on governmental aid to the country. This came on the heels of Obama’s $150 million commitment to assist Ukraine’s economy, for which Biden has been credited with leading the charge.
Throughout his presidency, however, Biden has been criticized for his slow and inadequate approach to sending economic assistance to Ukraine. It was only in the last year of the Obama administration that the United States finally joined forces with Europe to enact sanctions against Russia in Ukraine, a move that Ukraine welcomed.
At the same time, Biden remained reluctant to join the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Ukraine, claiming the risks of such a mission outweighed the benefits. This reliance on economic sanctions over military force has been a point of contention for many who see Ukraine’s war with Russia as a deep-seated conflict that needs more than economic assistance to resolve.
In addition, Biden’s policies have been criticized for their focus on supporting anti-corruption efforts while failing to focus on strengthening the country’s already fragile democracy. While Biden declared no-holds-barred support for Ukraine in 2017, his policies have so far addressed the economic impact of corruption without tackling the underlying issues that gave rise to it.
Despite praise for Biden’s commitment to providing some economic assistance to Ukraine, many remain concerned about Biden’s wariness to take stronger action in the region. While he has supported strengthening the sanctions, many believe that a more robust approach is needed for Ukraine to really succeed in gaining autonomy and security in the region.
Going forward, it is essential that Biden adopts a more vigorous stance toward Ukraine. This includes considering the use of United Nations Peacekeepers and intensifying sanctions against Russia. By doing so, the United States has a greater chance at standing by Ukraine in its fight against the regional aggressor.
