U.S. support of Ukraine must be unflinching

Republicans have taken the House by the slimmest of margins, and in turn have declared their governing positions on numerous issues. One of the most crucial involves stricter accountability of U.S. military assistance to Ukraine in its efforts to combat the almost yearlong Russian assault.

That aid to Ukraine has been extensive, approaching $200 billion, including anti-tank weapons and high-mobility rocket systems. It’s a commitment worthy of the cause — to preserve the Ukrainian state, support its fledgling democracy and thwart an aggressive and destabilizing authoritarian nation.

“There has to be accountability going forward,” Rep. Kevin Mccarthy, the likely incoming speaker of the House, said of the military spending.

Given the massive amount of aid, accountability is warranted to ensure the weapons provided do not fall into the wrong hands; Republicans have offered provisions in the annual defense authorization bill that include monitoring by the Pentagon and the inspectors general charged with policing the transfers of articles of war.

While these measures seem reasonable, the fear is they may be a ruse to start withholding desperately needed aid to Ukraine, something Mccarthy had suggested he intended to do. Such a move would be catastrophic.

In an age of bitter polarization, providing aid to Ukraine was one of the few issues on which both parties agreed, but that harmony may be coming to an end.

The Senate voted to finalize more than $40 billion in new military and humanitarian assistance in May, and the only opposition came from Republicans.

“I think people are going to be sitting in a recession, and they’re not going to write a blank check to Ukraine,” Mccarthy said in October, when analysts expected a “red wave” in the midterm elections. “They just won’t do it.”

In private, Mccarthy assured fellow Republicans that he meant he would not provide the administration with a “rubber stamp,” according to GOP colleagues.

“A ‘blank check’ means that people get whatever they ask for,” a GOP lawmaker told CNN. “What we’re saying is there’s going to be some thought …”

Despite the walk back, the Biden administration has mounted a campaign to publicize its efforts to track weapons shipments, while the Pentagon has outlined plans to increase inspections and training, although these attempts will be hampered by the assaults in Ukraine.

“There has to be some willingness to be practical about what we can

achieve,” Elias Yousif, a global arms trade researcher, said.

Demands for accountability come at a critical time for Ukraine. The war has been raging for almost a year, and it would be cruel to abandon the country in what looks like its darkest hour. Russian military strikes have crippled much of the energy infrastructure in Ukraine, leaving thousands without warmth or light as winter arrives.

Supporting Ukraine through the winter is a humanitarian commitment. Supporting Ukraine through the war is a commitment to democracy and a display of geopolitical strength as Russia falters.

Besides the moral issues guiding U.S. support and interests in Ukraine, there are serious geopolitical concerns that all lawmakers should consider. Ukraine, which gained its independence from Russia in 1991, has been a substantial bulwark against the rising surge of authoritarianism in the area, including Russia and Hungary. To withhold assistance from this democratic nation would be a serious blow to the ideals the West holds dear.

It would be ironic if the current crop of Republicans abandoned the values symbolized by the president many of them once celebrated, Ronald Reagan. Reagan spoke for millions of oppressed people in 1987, when he told Mikhail Gorbachev, then leader of the Soviet Union, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” Has that idealism evaporated?

“Today’s Russia is an advance combat unit of the new global authoritarianism … waiting in the wings to seize its own opportunities,” Russian analyst Lilia Shevtsova said.

If the West sits idly by, she said, it will “open the way for Putin to threaten and attack other countries,” including Moldova, Poland and Kazakhstan.

Mccarthy should heed those words, pursuing his agenda of accountability with both compassion and intelligence. Accountability is welcome. But accountability simply as a cudgel to end aid to Ukraine would be a haunting form of appeasement.

It would be cruel to abandon country in its darkest hour