The largest land war in Europe since World War II. The Ukrainian people are demonstrating incredible bravery in the face of overwhelming military superiority – at least in terms of manpower, weaponry, and equipment. But in terms of the combatants on the ground, one side is fighting for conquest, the other side is fighting for their homes, and their families, and their freedom. And thus far at least, freedom is prevailing.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has demonstrated true leadership, and heroism. Joe Biden tried to convince Zelenskyy to flee the country (much as president Ghani of Afghanistan did in the first days of that debacle.) Zelenskyy’s response was “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Acts of heroism and defiance abound in Ukraine. 13 Ukrainian border guards on a lonely outpost were facing a mighty Russian naval warship demanding their surrender. The Ukrainians response was an expletive “go —— yourselves.” All 13 defiant Ukrainians were killed.
This reminded me of one of the most notable American acts of bravery and defiance during World War II’s Battle of the Bulge. General Clement McAuliffe’s American forces defending Bastogne, Belgium were surrounded by overwhelming German heavy artillery and tank forces, and the German commander gave him two hours to surrender or be annihilated. General McAuliffe, who was a very religious man, and unlike many other American commanders (like George Patton) never cursed, responded with just “nuts.” The German commander was reportedly not clear on what such a response meant, and was advised it basically meant “go to hell.“ Fortunately, after four days of intense battle, the American forces under General McAuliffe were relieved by other American rescue forces.
In Ukraine, civilians are taking up arms to assist their military, and average citizens are learning how to make Molotov cocktails. Patriotic Ukrainians are returning from neighboring countries to join in the fight. And there have even been incidences of unarmed Ukrainian civilians putting themselves in front of Russian tanks to stop their progress (similar to the brave young man in communist China a few decades back who blocked a line of tanks, just before the slaughter at Tiananmen Square).
So what should the United States be doing? The most significant thing we could do is immediately end the Biden administration’s war on energy, which has resulted in our needing to import nearly 600,000 barrels of Russian oil every day. Reversing the shut down of the Keystone XL pipeline would give us over 800,000 barrels of oil per day, more than enough to replace the Russian oil. This would help us, and hurt Russia.
The administration has finally come around to serious financial sanctions against Russia, after ignoring Republican congressional advice to impose preemptive, crushing sanctions, not half measures after the fact, which is what this administration initially did. Fortunately, they appear to be coming around – better late than never.
And we need to work with our NATO allies to supply Ukraine with weaponry, resupply, whatever they need. Putin‘s aggression this time was encouraged by the West’s lack of response to his previous acts of aggression, especially following the illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Obama refused to send Ukraine lethal aid, limiting our aid to blankets and MRE’s (meals ready to eat.) President Trump sent lethal aid, but Biden’s projection of weakness on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, pulling out of Afghanistan, and limiting the aid to Ukraine, sent a message of weakness to Putin. Putin, being the thug and risk-taker he is, decided to roll the dice.
Fortunately, the fierce response by the Ukrainians, and the more united support from the West, has surprised Putin. He’s having a far more difficult time than he thought he would. But it’s far from over.
So what we need to do is buck up this administration, support Ukraine, and convince our allies to stay united and continue their support for Ukrainian freedom. And tell the Russians to “go —— themselves,” or just “nuts.”
