Feb. 24 marked the beginning of the third year of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia. This year may well turn out to be the most decisive of the conflict. While the Ukrainian army and civilians have displayed great courage and determination in this conflict, unfortunately many Republican members of the House have not. Congressional inaction, led by House Speaker Johnson, has prevented a bipartisan aid bill, overwhelmingly passed by the Senate, from even coming to a vote in the House. On top of this Donald Trump, the putative Republican presidential nominee, has apparently given Russia a green light to do as they wish with any NATO member who is contributing less than 2% of their GDP if he’s elected.

The military weapons the Ukrainian army needs to defend itself are in short supply. The army has resorted to rationing their ammunition. This rationing necessitated the recent Ukrainian withdrawal from Avdiivka, resulting in Russia’s first notable gain in months. Make no mistake about it, if the U.S. aid package is not passed, Putin will not be content with just annexing the Donetsk region — he will proceed to subjugate the entire country. Given how ruthlessly Putin suppresses any dissent in his own country, one can only imagine how poorly Ukrainians would fare should Russia win.

Let’s not repeat the mistakes of 2014 and 2017 that let Putin seize Crimea and gain footholds in Donetsk region without responding. Our European allies are watching and wondering, “What will happen when Putin comes for us?”

Samuel Rosenthal
Portland

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