Only Weapons Can End the Ukraine War

I recently traveled to Kyiv to meet with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. I can report that what Russian troops are doing to Ukrainians is not just war—it is evil. After my visit, I am more resolved than ever in my belief that it is in America’s national interest to give the Ukrainian military the support it needs to repel Russia.

Sadly, President Biden has made the U.S. a laughingstock on the world stage. Beginning with his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, Mr. Biden has exchanged American exceptionalism for international disgrace.

In Ukraine, it is clear that Mr. Biden has no plan other than committing America to a new “forever war,” running up a costly tab of Ukrainian lives and money that neither the U.S. nor Ukraine can afford to pay. He has said we will support Ukraine “as long as it takes,” but the truth is that it shouldn’t take very long.

Under Mr. Biden’s leadership, we have been far too slow in doling out military aid to Ukraine, which has prevented its forces from capitalizing on earlier routs of Russian troops. His hesitancy allows time to be used as a weapon against the Ukrainians. As he vacillates, Russia regroups and digs in deeper, ensuring a longer, costlier and deadlier war. Vladimir Putin just endured an aborted coup, the greatest threat to his regime in two decades, and yet the Ukrainians were able to make precious little progress in the aftermath because they have been forced to spend their time begging the world for weapons.

Today, our highest goal for Ukraine must be for the restoration of peace as quickly as possible. And the fastest path to peace is a Ukrainian victory. We must provide Ukraine with the strength needed to secure peace. Mr. Biden should send Abrams tanks, F-16s, and more long-range artillery shells immediately. The goal isn’t simply to give Ukraine what it needs to regain territory taken over decades, but to deter future strikes from Russia.

My fellow fiscal conservatives are right to be wary of additional spending, especially when our deficits are already so high. Indeed, there is plenty of wasteful spending in all areas of the federal government. We could make our dollars more effective by rejecting Mr. Biden’s request for more humanitarian aid for Ukraine, which European nations are more than capable of providing. The U.S. should make giving Ukraine the weapons it needs to win its priority. Humanitarian aid is important, but no amount of humanitarian aid will prevent the Ukrainian people from being transformed into Russian serfs. Only weapons can do that.

American taxpayers have already received an enormous return on their investment in Ukraine. Russia was once the second most powerful military in the world. Today it is the second most powerful in Ukraine.

Make no mistake: This is not America’s war. But freedom is America’s fight. And I believe that if Mr. Putin isn’t stopped in Ukraine, the day will come when a NATO ally is directly threatened, tragically pulling American forces into a war that could have been avoided if the U.S. had done more to support Ukraine’s courageous stand.

The Reagan Doctrine is as true and necessary today as it was 40 years ago: If you’re willing to fight America’s enemies on your soil, the U.S. should give you the means to fight so our servicemen and women don’t have to.

Securing victory in Ukraine and restoring American greatness on the world stage will require a decisive reversal by America’s leaders. But America’s history has proven indisputably that we have the mettle to rise to the moment and stand strong against our nation’s most fearsome foes.

Mr. Pence was vice president of the United States, 2017-21.