Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Ukraine Can Use NATO Weapons in Russia
President Joe Biden is officially a lame duck, and that usually means that the president in office does not have much power as his term is coming to an end. In this one particular instance, though, leaving office gives him greater power. That instance is in the Ukrainian use of American and NATO weapons to strike inside Russia. It is nowhere near the provocation it would have been a year ago because everyone knows Mr. Trump is going to stop it January 20 at 12 noon, the moment he takes office again.
This journal has long held that Mr. Biden was far too cautious in arming and supporting Ukraine. The weapons that are now allowed to be used against Russia in Russia should have been allowed to be used against Russia in Russia from the very beginning of the war. Had the people of Belgrade been bombed from day one. Had Russian civilians been dying from day one, had Russian infrastructure been damaged from day one, this war might have ended already. The Russian people have put up with a great deal, but the death toll has been sanitized because it is only happening on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The value of the weapons now being used to hit Russia is limited by the amount of time that remains before Mr. Trump comes in and destroys the entire arrangement. Two years ago, the value would have been huge. Today, the value was simply to create bargaining chips for the negotiations. Russia will keep every inch of Ukraine it has stolen. Ukraine, however, currently occupies part of Russia, and this journal believes they should keep it. One must remember that this war is not going to end the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. There is nothing stopping Russia from attacking again in the future. For that matter, there is nothing stopping Ukraine from launching the war of liberation in its east. France and Germany fought three wars in the course of 75 years (1870-1945). The same may be true here.
If one were in President Zelensky's shoes, one would be grossly tempted to launch a major offensive into Russia, supported by every weapon available to grab as much ground as possible before the arrival of Mr. Trump. Mr. Putin cannot afford to lose even a square centimeter of Holy Mother Russia. So making him pay to get back that Russian territory should be a big part of the discussion at the peace table.
At the negotiations, Ukraine is in trouble. Its demand for a return to pre-war borders is not credible. It is not going to receive a penny in reparations Mr. Zelensky can negotiate for his access to NATO and EU membership, and the more Russian dirt has under its soldiers boots, the more likely he is to get that. That is not to say that President Putin will allow it to join the EU or NATO. Ukraine may want to accept a 10- to 20-year waiting period before it does that. It will have some things it needs to accomplish domestically before it truly qualifies as a full member and either organization anyay.
And if Mr. Putin can be escorted from the land of the living by Father Time, his successor is unlikely to be in a position to stop it. In the end, Ukarine's sovereignty depends on it being defended from Russia by NATO. Being in the EU helps, because if Mr. Trump does wreck NATO, the European Union will establish its own defense arrangements. That would allow Ukraine in on the ground floor.
Regardless, the principal that taking land from another nation by force is a crime no longer seems to apply. This is going to tempt every tinpot dictator to take a look at the map and dream of glory. And that is where young men and women get killed. This is a step backward. The rise of nationalism throughout the developed world is a bad thing. And the world is going to pay the price.
© Copyright 2024 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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