Americans increasingly wonder where US involvement in the Russo-Ukrainian war is heading. Although this nation is not officially in the fight, it is a belligerent in all but name. US officials have essentially declared war on the Russian Federation and its president, Vladimir Putin.
In an apparent attempt to assuage popular concern, President Joe Biden addressed the American people – those who read the New York Time, anyway. Unfortunately, he appeared to forget that his primary obligation is to protect the US, not Ukraine. Much that he said was cause for concern.
Perhaps his most misguided statement was: "My principle throughout this crisis has been ‘Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.’ I will not pressure the Ukrainian government – in private or public – to make any territorial concessions. It would be wrong and contrary to well-settled principles to do so."
He is not alone in those sentiments. Kyiv’s army of American advocates – think tankers, ethnic activists, commentators, lobbyists, and the like – make much the same pitch. Washington should provide Ukraine the weapons that its government wants. The US should do whatever is necessary to help Kyiv win, or at least negotiate from a position of strength. America’s job is to obediently follow Ukraine’s lead and ask for nothing in return.