Ukraine's failure is natural result of Biden's strategy: Bolton

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + News Websites
14 Aug 2023 10:20
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John Bolton, the former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, highlights the connection between Ukraine's inability to make progress in its counteroffensive and Russia's successful defensive maneuvers.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton (L) gives a press briefing in New York on September 24, 2018, on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly. (AFP)

Former National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump, John Bolton, expressed his views on US President Joe Biden's administration's policy toward Ukraine.

In an article published by The Wall Street Journal, Bolton stated that he believes the approach taken merely postpones Ukraine's potential defeat. He pointed out that Ukraine's lack of offensive progress and Russia's defensive accomplishments are both linked to the cautious and nonstrategic supply of military assistance from the West.

"Ukraine’s offensive failures and Russia’s defensive successes share a common cause: the slow, faltering, nonstrategic supply of military assistance by the West. The serial debates over whether to supply this or that weapons system, the perpetual fear that Russia will escalate to war against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and occasional Kremlin nuclear saber-rattling have instilled a paralyzing caution in Western capitals. Although the UK under Boris Johnson wasn’t deterred, NATO has seemed unwilling to fulfill its commitment to restore Ukraine’s full sovereignty and territorial integrity," Bolton expressed.

The former presidential advisor noted that debates over supplying specific weapons systems and concerns about potential Russian escalation have led to hesitancy in Western capitals. He argued that this caution is due to the successful deterrence by Russia and not a strategic necessity for the US. He criticized NATO for not fully fulfilling its commitment to restore "Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Bolton also urged a reevaluation of sanctions policy, stating that the West, especially Washington, needs to radically rethink its approach. He highlighted the limitations and underenforcement of current sanctions, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive overhaul of sanction-enforcement tools, procedures, and personnel.

"The West - particularly Washington - also needs to rethink sanctions policy radically. Theories about price caps on Russian oil have failed, and Western sanctions generally remain piecemeal and seriously underenforced. These defects aren’t confined to the Ukraine conflict and should prompt NATO institutionally to review how it conducts enforcement. Proclaiming sanctions is great PR, but enforcement is hard, tedious and necessarily done clandestinely where possible. The US and its allies need a massive overhaul and upgrade of our sanction-enforcement instruments, procedures and personnel," Bolton argued.

This comes shortly after United States President Joe Biden requested from Congress approval for a $40 billion White House budget for 2024, over half of which is designated to Ukraine while just $12 billion will be spent to support disaster relief efforts in the US.

In an attempt to downplay the amount requested for Ukraine, US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Thursday that the American people understand why President Joe Biden requested billions more in aid for Ukraine, despite recent polls showing declining support for US assistance for Kiev.