A parade of NATO members and Ukraine advocates is tin-cupping the United States for more money. Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently visited the White House to request more US dollars for Ukraine, but the Warsaw contingent should have realized funding for Ukraine is tied up in a fight between Congress and President Joe Biden, who can’t seem to explain the ultimate objective of the continuous stream of US tax money flowing to the former Soviet bloc nation.
Ukraine at Risk Because Biden Has No Strategy
Duda and Tusk should have pushed Biden to articulate his end-state strategy for Ukraine. The American public and Congress would be more cordial toward sending dollars to Kyiv if there were some notion as to what objective was being funded. The White House’s “as long as it takes” mantra is getting dusty and meaningless. Now, it seems to boil down to whether our tax dollars should go to protecting America’s overrun borders or to stopping Russian aggression in Ukraine.
The Polish representatives are pressuring not only the Biden administration but also other NATO nations to ramp up financial support to Ukraine. According to an Associated Press report, “Duda wants members of the NATO alliance to raise their spending on defense to 3% of their GDP as Russia puts its own economy on a war footing and pushes forward with its plans to conquer Ukraine. Poland already spends 4% of its own economic output on defense, double the current target for NATO nations.”
Poland’s requests come with some urgency because Warsaw is in Moscow’s crosshairs as the next potential victim of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire to resurrect the Soviet Union. Furthermore, Poland represents one of NATO’s strongest bulwarks against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe.
Dwindling Ammunition Makes Kyiv’s Plight Dire
“Ukrainian troops have fought bravely, are fighting bravely throughout this war, but they are now forced to ration their ammunition under pressure on multiple fronts … Ukraine does not have enough ammunition to fire back,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters. Few doubt the truth of what Sullivan says; the problem is that the White House is up against some persuasive competing arguments.
In addition to Biden not having a policy for the end of the conflict, there are reports of fraud, waste, and inadequate oversight of what Americans have provided. “Ukraine has found fraud in funding support provided by the United States … Ammunition-starved Ukrainian troops struggle with Russian invaders on the front line, deprived of mortar and other artillery shells,” Liberty Nation reported recently. Not having confidence that the money, military equipment, and ammunition are going where they should does not bolster the argument for more aid.
Nevertheless, there was some good news for the Polish political leaders, who didn’t go home empty-handed. During a budget drill, the Pentagon found some cash it could contribute to Ukraine. “The Biden administration announced on Tuesday (March 12) that it was sending $300 million in weapons to Ukraine … The package pulled together from money that Army accountants cobbled from savings from contracts that came in under bid,” The New York Times reported.
Until the White House and Congress can come to some accommodation that treats aid to Ukraine and the biggest national security threat, Biden’s open southern border, with some national security parity, supporting Kyiv versus stopping illegal aliens will be an ongoing budget battle.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliation.
