The Washington Post’s Feb. 19 editorial offers a glimpse into the crazed and deluded mind of official Washington, as it called for providing Ukraine with all the weaponry it is requesting—no holds barred—certain that the “richer, stronger, more technologically advanced” West cannot fail against the “dictator Putin” as long as it doesn’t waver in arming Kyiv to the teeth.
“The West’s overarching goal must be ensuring that the Russian tyrant gains nothing by his aggression,” the Post raves. “The United States and its European allies have little choice but to intensify their military, economic and diplomatic support for Kyiv…. What’s needed is a game-changing shift in momentum, of which Ukrainian forces have shown themselves capable—if they have the resources…the top priority is weaponry.” That means more HIMARS, and “longer-range missiles such as the MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile System…they could hit Russian targets in Ukraine now out of reach, including in Crimea…. [Ukraine] will also need advanced Western fighter jets.”
“The most effective deterrent will be a convincing array of military muscle on the ground and in the skies—as well as, eventually, NATO membership,” the Post recommends. And, why not seize the “more than $300 billion in Russian central bank reserves, currently frozen in Western and Japanese banks. Those funds should be seized by the Group of Seven or some other Western entity.”
Reflecting the Post’s deluded state, it asserts that “a principal lesson from the past year is that the risk of escalation is overblown. Ukraine is in a defensive war to recapture its own territory. As for the Russian autocrat, he has nothing left to escalate with other than manpower and nuclear weapons. If the West adequately arms Ukraine, he cannot win with the former and is very unlikely to resort to the latter, which would alienate his most important ally, China. A tactical nuclear strike by Russia would be one of history’s greatest acts of strategic self-immolation, cementing Russia’s pariah status for decades.” Last but not least, the crucial objective “should be fortifying Ukraine so that Russia’s unwarranted war is understood by dictators as a cautionary tale—and not as a template for remaking the world to their liking.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/18/ukraine-war-anniversary-what-next/
