Lindsey Graham and Boris Johnson: Give Ukraine everything it needs until Vladimir Putin is 'fully defeated'

23 February 2023

Despite some loud complaints from members of the GOP's right-wing faction, not all Republicans are opposed to the United States arming Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's "special military operation" that is devolving into a bloody war of attrition on the eve of its anniversary on February 24th.

President Joe Biden's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his surprise visit to Kyiv on Tuesday, followed by Biden's rousing speech in Warsaw, Poland, served as a warning to Putin that the Western alliance backing Ukraine is steadfast in its materiel support and that his imperial aggression is intolerable.

On Wednesday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson – both of whom are conservatives – authored an editorial in The Wall Street Journal in which they further emphasized the importance of defeating Putin.

"Putin's war has cost the lives of at least 60,000 Russian troops. In the areas he has occupied, he has created a new Flanders field of trenches and blasted trees, where months of effort and bloodshed produce gains that can be measured in yards. He has been forced to such desperate expedients as sending prisoners to the front and is running low on the technically advanced weaponry he needs," they wrote. "The seemingly unstoppable force of the Russian military is breaking on the immovable object of Ukrainian resistance. We—elected representatives of the U.S. and the U.K.—remain lost in admiration for Ukrainian heroism and leadership."

Although Western weapons have helped Ukraine defend its sovereignty, the two men warned that Putin is still capable of achieving victories "unless Russian troops are purged from Ukrainian territory" occupied by Russia. Predominately, this refers to the Crimean Peninsula, which Putin annexed in 2014 and therefore considers to be within Russia's borders. But the autocrat's thirst for conquest extends far beyond Ukraine.

Putin, Graham and Johnson, continued, "will continue to menace the Georgians, Moldovans, Balts and everyone living in the periphery of the old Soviet empire. Unless he is fully defeated in Ukraine, Mr. Putin's revanchist ambitions won't be checked."

Thus, the pair stressed, "we must accelerate Western support for the Ukrainians and give them what they need to finish the job. Ukraine's armed forces have fought and continue to fight like lions, and the credit belongs to them. But there is no doubt that Western equipment has been invaluable. The story of the past year is that sooner or later we must give them what they need—from antitank missiles to rocket launchers to tanks."

Graham and Johnson also noted that the answer to "how long is this war going to take?" will be "determined by the West."

They then alluded to Biden's address in Poland and remarks that were given by Vice President Kamala Harris, who last Saturday declared that Russia committed crimes against humanity.

"For these statements to have meaning, we must act swiftly and decisively," they said, adding that "we should designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, placing that country where it now rightly belongs—on a list including Iran, Cuba, North Korea and Syria. We should designate the infamous and bloodthirsty Wagner Group as a foreign terrorist organization. It is a badge that is now richly deserved and long overdue."

Ultimately, Graham and Johnson believe that "above all, we must give the Ukrainians what they need to win this year."

Graham and Johnson's full editorial is available at this link (subscription required).

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