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OPINION – With the successful House of Representatives vote on Ukraine aid behind us, the Senate and the White House will move quickly to put the $61 billion package into law. No doubt, the U.S. military has already been pre-positioning ammunition and equipment so it can deliver key elements of aid as soon as possible.
This is a key moment in ways that not everyone has grasped and reveals significant positives. Some 71% of House members voted in favor of the bill, reflecting resounding bipartisan U.S. support for Ukraine at both the political and popular levels. Several members of Congress favoring passage, highlighted the growing connections between Russia, Iran and China, a new axis of authoritarians who are actively working together. This is a clear-eyed assessment of the threat facing the free world.
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Former President Donald Trump provided political cover to House Speaker Mike Johnson to proceed with this legislation when the two met on April 12. This is a clear sign that if re-elected, Trump does not want to inherit a disaster. While he wants peace, he wants peace through strength, not peace through weakness and capitulation.
So much for the good news. The bad news is that the delays and difficulty in passing the aid bill put U.S. national security at risk and should serve as a warning that this process cannot be allowed to drag on. We must no longer give Ukraine just enough to survive, but not enough to win. A Ukrainian victory is essential to re-establish peace in Europe, to deter Chinese aggression in Asia, and to reinforce Iranian worries about attacking Israel ever again. Several measures should be taken immediately.
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The House of Representatives vote is a watershed but it does not assure victory and peace in and of itself. It now must be followed by decisive action from the U.S. administration to bring about a Ukrainian victory and in doing so, to re-establish the conditions for permanent peace, prosperity and security across Europe and to re-establish deterrence on that continent, in the Middle East and Asia.
The consequences of failing to do so must not be underestimated because they could be dire.
This column by Cipher Brief Expert Ambassador Kurt Volker was first published by our friends at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) where Volker serves as a Distinguished Fellow.
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