Yesterday evening, Eliot and I did a quick reaction to the terrible “deal” that President Trump allegedly struck with Russian President Putin on Friday during their hour and a half phone call. Today brought more disturbing developments: The Financial Times is reporting that over the weekend, in the wake of additional Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries, unnamed US officials lobbied both Ukrainian and European officials and threatened to cut off US intelligence sharing with Ukraine and shipments of weapons contracted under the Prioritized Ukrainian Requirements List (NATO’s mechanism through which European allies purchase US produced defense goods for use by Ukraine).
Put aside the fact that PURL does not cost the US taxpayer anything and that cancellation of contracts would cost US defense industry nearly 10 billion dollars (and presumably some of the jobs that go with production of the contracted items), these steps would simply facilitate Russian ongoing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians by leaving Ukraine with diminished ability to both defend against Russian attacks and respond with its own ongoing campaign against Russian war-making potential. While Ukraine raises the costs of Russia’s war effort by attacking oil refineries—a recognized legitimate military target, the Russians are engaged in ongoing attacks against private citizens and civilian infrastructure. Just in the past week, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Russian attacks have reached “horrifying levels” with over 100 civilians killed and 429 wounded from Russian missiles and drones hitting public buses and residential apartment buildings. Attacks on critical infrastructure including electricity distribution, transit, and other targets ultimately threaten what a French diplomat called a “humanitarian crisis” as electricity, heating, and ultimately potable water are cut off.