Cleveland.com - U.S. Must Do More to Help Ukraine Withstand Russian Aggression: Rob Portman

Op-Ed

By Sen. Rob Portman

As multiple global crises compete for our attention, we must not neglect the situation in Ukraine and the need to stand with an ally who needs our help. I recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Ukraine, a year after my colleague Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland and I led a congressional delegation to monitor last year's presidential election.

Much has happened since those elections, and I appreciated the opportunity to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, and other Ukrainian officials and community leaders. Ukraine has reached a pivotal moment. Ukrainians have made incredible sacrifices in the hopes of securing a democratic future but they need sustained economic, political, and military support from the United States and NATO to ensure the success of this hopeful vision.

Ukrainians made an unequivocal choice to pursue a pro-Western, democratic path, and are making progress in fighting decades of endemic corruption that left Ukraine weak, while simultaneously dealing with a blatant Russian invasion. Successful follow-through on these reforms will be absolutely essential to the long-term success and prosperity of Ukraine.

However, none of these efforts will mean much if Ukraine is unable to secure its borders or defend its sovereignty. The current cease-fire in eastern Ukraine is not credible, and the Obama administration and some of our European allies need to stop pretending that it is. Thousands of Russian troops remain inside Ukraine and thousands more are right across the Ukrainian-Russian border. Every day, Ukrainian positions come under attack, and Russian tanks, supplies, and soldiers continue to cross the border. Many of these attacks involve the use of heavy artillery systems that the separatists were supposed to have withdrawn under the terms of the cease-fire. Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are routinely denied access to separatist-controlled areas, which makes verification of the agreement even more difficult.

The United States and our NATO allies must do more to help strengthen Ukrainian military capabilities. In the short-term, Ukraine needs critical defensive capabilities such as anti-tank weapons, secure communications, short- and long-range counterbattery radars, night vision and thermal optics, unmanned aerial vehicles, and air defense systems. Equally important is effective monitoring of U.S. assistance -- from both the American and Ukrainian sides -- to ensure it reaches the front-line troops who need it most.

The United States and NATO must also focus on Ukraine's longer-term security needs by providing assistance in crucial areas such as defense institution-building, training, and reform of the Ukrainian defense-industrial base. These efforts will enhance the long-term effectiveness of the Ukrainian military.

These actions enjoy strong bipartisan support in Congress. Congress has voted repeatedly to increase military assistance to Ukraine, including defensive lethal assistance, most notably by passing the Ukraine Freedom Support Act, which was signed by President Barack Obama in December.

However, the president has so far refused to use the authorities granted to him by this legislation. The debate in Congress is over. Now, we are simply waiting for President Obama to demonstrate leadership.

The administration seems to believe that the requested U.S. support for Ukraine will somehow lead to more instability. I believe that further inaction will only expand the current conflict. At no point in this conflict has Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to escalate been costly enough to force him to fundamentally reconsider his strategy. Russia's annexation of Crimea, campaign to destabilize and then invade eastern Ukraine last summer and fall, and recent winter offensive all happened despite Western attempts to force a negotiated settlement.

Each temporary cease-fire has merely legitimized President Putin's actions by essentially accepting Russia's gains on the ground. Russian aggression in Ukraine won't just go away or resolve itself simply because we wish it to be so. The United States and its allies must actively change their calculus. It's time for President Obama to start shaping outcomes, and stop getting shaped by them.

Efforts to strengthen Ukraine must be part of a broader, comprehensive strategy to support our regional allies and deter Russian aggression. We must demonstrate America's commitment to the security of our NATO allies through a reinforced NATO presence in Eastern Europe and more vigorous American engagement in training and security cooperation. Most importantly, we must be very clear about the stakes in this conflict. President Putin's actions upend decades of established international norms, and the response demonstrates the weakness of the Western alliance and America's leadership.

Confidence in America and our European allies' unity and commitment to uphold these norms deters bad actors and incentivizes other countries to play by the rules, which helps ensure peace, stability, and prosperity. If the credibility of this commitment is in doubt, then the chance for violence, instability, and economic collapse increases. Nearly every Ukrainian official I met with understood this. It's time the White House did as well.

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