President Volodymyr Zelensky rallied Congress to Ukraine’s cause Wednesday.
In a pointed message to President Joe Biden, Zelensky suggested that “today, it is not enough to be the leader of the nation. Today, it takes to be the leader of the world. Being the leader of the world means to be the leader of peace.” The Ukrainian president then addressed Biden directly: “You are the leader of the nation, of your great nation. I wish you to be the leader of the world.”
Witnessing Ukraine’s resolve in the face of a massive Russian military offensive, Biden should do more to answer Zelensky’s call to leadership. Only the United States can rally and consolidate the world in defense of the Ukrainian people and their natural rights to freedom.
This is not to say that Biden should give Zelensky everything he wants. A U.S.-led no-fly zone over Ukraine, for example, would necessarily lead to direct military conflict between U.S. and Russian forces.
But Biden can do more. He can start by abandoning his fixation on Russian threats of escalation over the transfer of fighter jets to Ukraine, whose air force has been depleted. Ukrainian pilots could fly these jets home from U.S. military bases in Europe. The jets would then help Ukraine confront Russian bombers and ground support aircraft that are causing so much destruction — what Zelensky described as “a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years.”
Biden should also immediately expand the scale and quality of military equipment he is giving Ukraine. On Wednesday, he announced the provision of 100 small strike drones to Ukraine, which will allow Ukrainian special forces to launch attacks against targets of opportunity. This will further degrade Russia’s ability to project ground forces against Ukrainian cities and key strategic areas.
But why is Biden only willing to send 100? Given the urgency of the situation, why not send two or three times that many?
Biden should also respond positively to Zelensky’s request that “all [American companies] must leave Russia from their market — leave their market immediately because it is flooded with our blood.” Working with a bipartisan majority in Congress, Biden could quickly introduce sanctions on major U.S. multinationals that continue to do business in Russia. There are numerous such companies ranging across the energy, food, and hospitality industries. American leadership in this area could inspire similar European Union action and squeeze President Vladimir Putin even harder into the tight spot between his failing war strategy and the escalating wrath of the Russian people.
Biden should take other steps as well. A civilian-led humanitarian airlift to besieged cities makes sense. Were the routes of such an airlift announced in advance, monitored by the United Nations or the Red Cross and carried out in a multinational form, Russia’s threat to aircrews would be mitigated. Yes, aircrews would still face risks, but Russia would invite a truly catastrophic sanctions response were it to fire on these aircraft. Moscow knows that even China would have trouble staying quiet in the face of such an outrage.
The key, then, is for the Biden administration to take bolder steps more quickly in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Zelensky and his people should not expect direct U.S. military engagement against Russia, but there are many options short of that deserving of Biden’s support.
