Saturday marks the two-year anniversary of Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and America’s leaders are falling short.
From the start, The Post has called on President Biden to offer “more weapons and a visibly beefed-up commitment to helping Ukraine’s own military effort,” including fighter jets, S-300 anti-air systems, Switchblade drones and more warplanes.
We’ve urged the president to send tanks, F-16s and more long-range missile batteries.
In other words: Give Kyiv whatever it needs to beat back Moscow’s forces: Heed the pleas of President Volodomyr Zelensky; ignore Putin’s blustering bluffs.
Time after time after time, Biden has blinked, refusing to deliver at all, or not until long months after Ukraine requested particular help — and, even then, not enough to meet the need.
His fear of “escalation” never ends.
He nixed Poland’s offer to send MiG fighters for a full year and stopped his own administration’s plan to deliver US F-16s in early 2023, insisting Ukraine didn’t need them and only relenting after months of pressure from Zelensky.
His team delayed the delivery of multiple-launch rocket systems, vital for Ukraine’s defense, for weeks.
Yes, Washington has sent billions in aid, but the president’s timidity badly diminished the value of our help.
And while Biden hesitated to prove to Putin that America would do what’s needed to defeat him, an estimated 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers and more than 10,500 civilians have been slaughtered.
The Ukrainian people have shown honor, courage and resilience in the face of unimaginable horrors and Putin’s unrelenting malevolence.
At the war’s start, civilians marched to police stations en masse to accept weapons to themselves to defend their land and families.
Members of parliament joined the fight.
Volunteer medical teams rushed into the deadliest zones on the front lines to help their fellow countrymen.
Stories of defiance and pure grit abound: one civilian removing a landmine from a road with his bare hands, a soldier sacrificing himself to keep Russian troops from advancing, a border guard telling a Russian warship to “go f–k yourself.”
Now, 24 months in, there is still no end in sight, but Ukraine’s warworn forces are short on ammo and anything resembling air support, at risk of being completely overwhelmed.
Some will argue that the war has diminished Russia’s capabilities, pulling Putin’s teeth, but in fact his arms industry is booming and he shows no signs of backing down — indeed, has cast his eyes to the rest of Europe.
Our president’s other critical shortfall has been his failure to make the case for helping Ukraine to the American people: By far his best address on the conflict was delivered to the United Nations — during business hours.
He’s far more obsessed with the “threat to democracy” posed by his domestic political opposition than the one posed by the butcher in the Kremlin.
Yes, Republicans share plenty of blame, too: A good chunk of the party pretends Putin could become America’s friend if we just appeased him enough; House infighting is even now blocking vital military aid, while Ukraine’s soldiers ration bullets and pray for help to arrive.
This disgrace may permanently stain a party once proud of its patriotism.
The opposition is incoherent.
How will abandoning Ukraine help our standing in the world, safeguard our interests and do anything but embolden China?
It also ignores a lesson taught over and over in history: Madmen cannot be appeased.
They will only want more.
The people of Ukraine continue to resist and refuse to give up hope, but the West’s apathy and waning support is endangering their cause — and the rest of Europe.
Biden and the GOP nay-sayers must get their heads out of the sand and commit to ensuring Putin is defeated by any means necessary.
Two years in, we still believe in Ukraine’s fight. Why don’t America’s leaders?
This story originally appeared on NYPost
