Washington, D.C. — As the war in Ukraine moves into its second year, a new column from the Center for American Progress argues that continued support for the Ukrainian resistance is essential to America’s national security interests and democratic values.
“President Biden’s recent visit to Kiev underscores our commitment to stopping Russia’s attack on the international order,” said Johan Hassel, senior fellow and director of Global Progress at CAP and co-author of the column. “Failure to counter Russian aggression would only encourage Vladimir Putin, and the United States would see an emboldened Russia advance to the NATO border.”
NATO’s military support has played a key role in Ukraine’s ability to halt and push back Russian forces. U.S. and European unity have sent a strong message to autocracies. A failure of resolve would undermine U.S. credibility with key allies and potentially embolden China to take action against Taiwan.
The United States has focused much of its leadership on securing military support for Ukraine. But locking in a stable, democratic Ukrainian regime that can deter future Russian aggression will require a sustained and robust nonmilitary strategy as well. The column urges the United States to: 1) tighten economic sanctions on Russia; 2) strengthen Ukraine’s near- and long-term political and economic resiliency; and 3) further strengthen the trans-Atlantic alliance to counter challenges from Russia and China.
Read the column: “Why the United States Must Stay the Course on Ukraine” by Johan Hassel, Laura Kilbury, Kate Donald, and Sarnata Reynolds
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