Paul Saunders:
Well, look, I think first of all, to the extent that Ukraine has agency, it has it in no small part because of the American assistance that’s already occurred over the last three years. So I don’t think we should have any illusions about that.
And for Ukraine to expect the United States and the American people to do what had been down over the last three years indefinitely, I think, is unrealistic. So, first of all, I think we should be quite clear about that.
Now, I certainly agree that I think it’s a mistake to look like you’re making concessions before a negotiation starts. And I think some of the things that some administration officials said may have been ill-advised and could have waited.
But, ultimately, the United States has a very large stake in this conflict. And the United States is a sovereign country. And the leaders of the United States get to decide how long we’re prepared as a country to stick with it.
And, certainly, there are good reasons, when one thinks about all of the other challenges that the United States faces in the world, not to mention our rapidly diminishing stocks of the weapons that we have been providing to Ukraine, there are good reasons for the United States to think long and hard about how long we want to continue what we have been doing.