How much territory should the United States be prepared to cede to an invading superpower? Recall that Alaska was Russian territory until 1867. What if Russian President Vladimir Putin decided he wanted to retake Alaska, just as he did with Crimea? What if China decided to expand its Pacific territories and invade Guam, or Hawaii?

No American politician would tolerate rewarding a hostile adversary with a loss of national territory simply to avoid a prolonged war, so why are American politicians pushing for a Russo-Ukrainian negotiation in which Ukraine may give up its sovereign and internationally recognized land?

The United States, NATO and the EU must accept partial responsibility for the past 12 months of bloodshed in Ukraine. We turned a blind eye to Putin’s test-run invasion of Crimea in 2014. In doing so, we wrongfully signaled to Putin that Ukrainian sovereignty was inconsequential and their land is ripe for his picking and pillage.

We owe the Ukrainian people far more than the funding and arms that we are slowly providing. If we are unwilling to join Ukraine in repelling Putin’s forces, then we must continue to provide all of the resources they need to be successful. We must also stop asking Ukraine to do what we would never do ourselves: hand over territory to an aggressive adversary.

Kyle Holmquist
Saco

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