Blinken and Austin explain why premature ceasefire in Ukraine is dangerous
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin, who are departing the office, explained in a joint column for The New York Times the risks of withdrawing military aid to Ukraine and a premature ceasefire..
In the NYT article, Austin and Blinken list the levers that should be used, including by the future US administration, to put an end to Vladimir Putin's war and achieve permanent peace, allowing Ukrainians to deter further Russian aggression and protect their country..
Blinken and Austin emphasised that Putin maintains his imperial ambitions, so potentially cutting aid to Ukraine and forcing a premature ceasefire would simply "allow Mr. Putin to rest, refit and eventually reattack".
"This would be peace through surrender, which would be no peace at all," Blinken and Austin said.
They stressed that in such a scenario, Ukraine would be crushed under Putin's boot, Europe would be under the shadow of a tyrant seeking to rebuild the collapsed Moscow empire, and American allies in other countries could face new risks of aggression from other autocrats.
In addition, according to Blinken and Austin, the United States will have to spend more resources and take greater risks "to defend not only against an emboldened Russian leader but also against other autocrats and agents of chaos bent on tearing down the system of rules, rights and responsibilities that has made generations of Americans more secure and more prosperous."
"Pursuing a policy of peace through strength is vital to Ukraine’s survival and America’s security. The United States and its allies and partners must continue to stand by Ukraine and strengthen its hand for the negotiations that will someday bring Mr. Putin’s war of aggression to an end," Blinken and Austin said.
The day before, US President Joe Biden, summing up his administration's foreign policy, mentioned Russia's war against Ukraine and reiterated that Moscow had not achieved its "strategic goals".
Earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the current US leadership is making sure that it gives the incoming Trump administration the strongest possible hand to play around the world.