JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Is Already Paying Us Back; Our investments in Ukrainian democracy are paying off. Now is not the time to pull back.” – Politico

January 6, 2023 JRL Russia List Headlines, JRL NewsBlog, Military, Ukraine, Russo-Ukrainian War, United States, U.S.-Russian Relations

“Ukraine is … defeating the Russian army … crippling one of America’s most dangerous adversaries. … For decades, Washington has invested in supporting the institutions that enabled Ukraine to take a different path than Russia, … toward democracy and independence … away from autocracy and subservience, and to tackle corruption to serve citizens instead of fostering kleptocracy …. As … Zelenskyy put it in … a joint meeting of Congress, U.S. support for Ukraine ‘… is not charity, it’s investment in global security and democracy.’ … The worst possible outcome for … Putin would be for Ukraine not only to emerge victorious, but even more resolutely committed to … a democratic, pro-Western future. If that happens, the return on America’s investment in Ukraine’s democracy would be incalculable.”