OPINION: NATO deliberates strategy against Russia and international response

“A woman measures a window before covering it with plastic sheets in a building damaged by a bombing the previous day in Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 21, 2022.” Photo by Vadim Ghirda, AP Photo.

Danny Murnin is a freshman studying journalism and an opinion writer for The New Political. 

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.

By invading the free, sovereign nation of Ukraine and inflicting unspeakable trauma upon its people, Vladimir Putin has cemented his status as the supervillain of our time. 

His long list of atrocities made him, for the most part, a reviled figure on the world stage, but it wasn’t until the invasion of Ukraine that Russia became the pariah they should have been made to be a long, long time ago. Devastating sanctions imposed on Russia by countries across the world have targeted its economy, Putin, members of his inner circle and powerful oligarchs. 

Over three weeks into the invasion, it is clear that these economic sanctions just aren’t working enough. The pace at which the sanctions will start to have an effect isn’t going to be fast enough to stop the mounting civilian death toll. In the port city of Mariupol alone, local leaders say thousands have died. If leaders are hoping for a revolution against Putin, the chance of that happening is next to nothing. The Russian public has no exposure to any news about the war that isn’t from state-run media, which is certainly a reason why Putin’s approval rating remains so high. The thousands of brave Russians who have been arrested for protesting against the war and could face up to 15 years in prison under a new law make up a small minority. At home, Putin has a mandate for his war of aggression, and that isn’t going to change under the current U.S. strategy of keeping hands clean.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has begged NATO, of which the U.S. is a part, for a ‘no-fly zone’ over parts of the country to minimize civilian casualties from Russian airstrikes and shelling. The vast majority of U.S. lawmakers and government officials oppose the measure due to its potential to spark a war with Russia, but there is more support for resupplying the Ukrainian air force, which possesses less aircraft than Russia. It is just one area where the Russian military has more resources to spare. Poland had offered to deliver over two dozen Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, but the idea was shut down by President Joe Biden, who is determined to avoid anything that could escalate the conflict and potentially draw NATO into it. 

Biden’s viewpoint isn’t irrational, and it certainly isn’t a surprise. He has repeatedly been a more cautious thinker than his foreign policy counterparts in both parties. While vice president to former President Barack Obama, Biden reportedly disagreed with his decision to have Osama Bin Laden killed in Pakistan in 2011. 

Republicans have continued their assailing of Biden as a weak leader, an attack that seems to be sticking. Unlike many of their other attacks against him, most often baseless, Republicans are partially right on this one. While Biden does deserve credit for leading the way on arming Ukraine and sanctioning Russia, he hasn’t nearly met the moment. There still is not any concrete strategy from the administration on how they want the war to end. 

From the outset, it appeared that Putin expected a short, quick conflict where his massive army would easily push through the outmanned and outgunned Ukrainians, but the exact opposite of that has happened. Ukraine still controls most major cities in the country, and the Russian advance continues to be hampered by a surprising and staggering number of casualties. The unfortunate side effect: Russia continues to escalate in its brutality, particularly against civilians. 

Although many world leaders and foreign policy officials still think it is possible for a peaceful end to the conflict, it is laughable to think the Kremlin will actually settle for any deal that doesn’t involve a much weaker and smaller Ukraine. Unless the unlikely event occurs that Putin realizes how bad this war is for the country and decides to accept a rational deal, NATO’s strategy needs to be focused on protecting and evacuating civilians, as well as helping the Ukrainians inflict mass damage against Russian forces.

Biden and other NATO leaders should be prepared to increase the amount of lethal weapons sent to Ukraine and respond forcefully to any dramatic increase in aggression, such as a deadly chemical weapons attack. Anything else would be a betrayal of American values.