The invasion that Vladimir Putin thought would last only a few days has dragged on for four months. The people of Ukraine shocked Russia and inspired the world with their sacrifice, endurance and success on the battlefield. The free world and many other nations, led by the United States, rallied behind Ukraine with unprecedented military, humanitarian, and financial support.
As the war continues, I want to clarify the purposes of the United States in these efforts.
America’s goal is clear: We want Ukraine to be democratic, independent, sovereign, and prosperous, and have the means to repel and defend against further aggression.
As Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said, ultimately this war “will only end definitively through diplomacy.” Every negotiation reflects the facts on the ground. We have moved quickly to send a significant amount of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine so that it can fight on the battlefield and be as strong as possible at the negotiating table.
Therefore, I have decided that we will provide the Ukrainians with more advanced rocket systems and ammunition that will allow them to more accurately attack key targets on the battlefield.
We will continue to cooperate with our allies on sanctions against Russia, which are the strongest ever imposed against a major economy. We will continue to supply Ukraine with advanced weaponry, such as Javelin anti-tank missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as well as powerful artillery and precision rocket systems, radars, unmanned aerial vehicles, Mi-17 helicopters and ammunition. We will also send billions of dollars more in financial aid, as authorized by Congress. We will work with our allies and partners to address the global food crisis made worse by Russia’s attacks. And we will help our European allies and others reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and accelerate our transition to a clean energy future.
We will also continue to bolster NATO’s eastern flank with US and other allied forces and capabilities. In addition, we recently welcomed the applications of Finland and Sweden to join this body, a move that will strengthen US and transatlantic security in general by adding two highly trained and democratic military partners.
We are not looking for war between NATO and Russia. Despite my strong disagreement with Putin and the fact that I find his actions outrageous, the United States will not try to provoke his removal from office in Moscow. As long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not participate in this conflict directly, neither by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine nor by attacking Russian forces. We are not encouraging or allowing Ukraine to attack beyond its borders. We do not want to prolong the war just to inflict pain on Russia.
Throughout this crisis my principle has been: “No Ukraine without Ukraine”. I will not pressure the Ukrainian government – privately or publicly – to make any territorial concessions. To do so would be wrong and contrary to well-established principles.
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The negotiations between Ukraine and Russia are not stalled because Ukraine has turned its back on diplomacy. They are stuck because Russia is still waging a war to control as much of the Ukrainian territory as it can. The United States will continue to work to strengthen Ukraine and support its efforts to bring about a negotiated end to the conflict.
Unprovoked aggression, the bombing of maternity hospitals and cultural centers and the forced displacement of millions of people make the war in Ukraine a serious moral issue. I met Ukrainian refugees in Poland: women and children who were not sure what their lives would be like or if their loved ones who stayed behind in Ukraine would be okay. No person with a conscience can remain unmoved by the devastation of these horrors.
Supporting Ukraine in its time of need is not only the right thing to do. It is in our vital national interest to ensure a peaceful and stable Europe, and to make it clear that strength does not mean right. If Russia does not pay a high price for its actions, it will send a message to other potential aggressors that they, too, can seize territory and subjugate other countries. It will endanger the survival of other peaceful democracies. And it could spell the end of the rules-based international order and usher in aggression elsewhere, with catastrophic consequences around the world.
I know that many people around the world are concerned about the use of nuclear weapons. So far we do not see any indication that Russia intends to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, although Russia sometimes resorts to talk of its nuclear power, which is dangerous and extremely irresponsible. Let me be clear: any use of nuclear weapons in this conflict on any scale would be completely unacceptable to us, as well as to the rest of the world, and would have serious consequences.
We Americans will go forward with the Ukrainian people because we understand that freedom is not free. That is what we have done whenever the enemies of liberty try to intimidate and oppress innocent people, and it is what we are doing now. Vladimir Putin did not expect this degree of unity or the strength of our response. He has been wrong. If he expects us to falter or split in the coming months, he too is wrong.