JRL NEWSWATCH: “Ukraine Is the West’s War Now” – WSJ
“The initial reluctance of the U.S. and its allies to help Kyiv fight Russia has turned into a massive program of military assistance, which carries risks of its own.”
“… A year later, the war in Ukraine has become, to a large extent, the West’s own. True, no American or NATO soldiers are fighting and dying on Ukrainian soil. But the U.S., its European allies and Canada have now sent some $120 billion in weapons and other aid to Ukraine, with new, more advanced military supplies on the way. If this monumental effort fails to thwart … Putin’s ambitions, the setback would … undermine American credibility … [and] raise difficult questions about the future of the Western alliance. * * * … After sending more Javelins and Stingers to Ukraine in the first weeks … Washington provided M777 howitzers in the spring and Himars missile systems in the summer. The U.K., Poland, Germany, France and the Netherlands have also contributed large arsenals of comparable weapons, such as the French-made Caesar and German-made Panzerhaubitze self-propelled guns. These supplies allowed Ukrainian forces to stop Russian advances in the Donbas … and to push back … in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions …. Now, Patriot air-defense …, Abrams and Leopard tanks, and Bradley and Stryker fighting vehicles are on the way …. [S]ome NATO allies … are already pushing to provide … F-16[‘s] …, a move considered an outlandish fantasy just a few months ago. …”