Trump should show some Ukrainian resolve and press Putin to end the war | Editorial
When Russia invaded in 2022, many observers did not expect the Ukrainian government to survive the weekend. Three years later, a daring drone attack shows Kyiv is far from defeated.
Ukraine’s audacious drone attack on Russian air force bases was a remarkable display of courage and resourcefulness. While the full extent of the damage is still unknown, the destruction of several strategic bombers is another reminder that Kyiv remains determined in its struggle against Moscow’s invasion.
President Donald Trump should find inspiration in the bold attack. If he can muster even a fraction of the resolve shown by Ukraine, he can help broker his long-promised end to the war.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, many observers did not expect the Ukrainian government to survive the weekend.
With Russian paratroopers landing at Hostomel Airport, just an hour away from Kyiv’s presidential residence, and Russian tanks rolling across the famous steppes of Eastern Ukraine, the situation seemed dire. The Biden administration even offered Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and his family a trip out of the country.
Given these circumstances, many world leaders would have fled. Many militaries would have collapsed. Ukraine, however, remained defiant. According to the U.S., Zelensky’s response to the evacuation offer was unequivocal — “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride” — and still defines the Ukrainian resistance.
Nearly a quarter of Ukrainians were displaced from their homes by the outbreak of war, including around half of the country’s children. And despite billions of dollars’ worth of aid from the U.S. and European allies, Ukrainians have been consistently outgunned. Almost 400,000 Ukrainian troops have been killed or wounded since the war began.
That has not stopped Ukrainians from fighting vigorously for their freedom.
In the early days of the war, mobile units armed with handheld anti-tank missiles succeeded in driving the invaders out of Northern Ukraine. The defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol held out for 80 days against consistent bombardment, buying critical time to train and deploy soldiers across the front. According to a recent report in the New York Times, Ukraine has inflicted a million casualties on the invading Russians.
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Despite not having a significant Navy, Ukraine has succeeded in neutralizing Russia’s Black Sea fleet. And now, despite not having a significant air force, Ukraine has succeeded in destroying at least a dozen expensive and hard to replace strategic bombers deep inside Russia. The planes, which were built to drop nuclear bombs on American and Western European cities, have been equipped with cruise missiles and unleashed on Ukrainian civilians since the start of the war.
Operation Spiderweb, the Ukrainian name for their plan to destroy the bombers, sounds more like something from a James Bond movie or Mission: Impossible than anything a traditional military power might attempt.
Utilizing drones placed in secret compartments at the top of shipping containers, Ukrainian intelligence officials contracted Russian truck drivers to deliver the containers within striking distance of Russian airfields. Upon arrival, the secret compartments opened, revealing the drones. Videos from Russian social media depict onlookers watching helplessly as the drones take flight.
Given how hard the Ukrainians have fought with their limited resources, it is worth asking what they could accomplish if they were given the weapons they’ve long asked for. For too long, the Biden administration resisted calls to give Ukraine U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets and the kind of long-range missiles that could target Russian military assets deep behind the front lines.
Inquirer Worldview columnist Trudy Rubin — who is currently in Kyiv — has extensively documented the persistent lack of full support for Ukraine as well as what amount to war crimes committed by Russian troops at the behest of Putin.
Sadly, even though he claimed he would end the war “within 24 hours,” President Trump has pulled back U.S. support for Ukraine and shown tepid interest in reaching a ceasefire deal.
Trump has also repeatedly undercut Zelensky and provided rhetorical support to Putin, expressing skepticism of any criticism directed toward the Russian leader, and seeking to force Ukraine to make territorial concessions without guaranteeing their freedom and sovereignty in the future.
Instead of serving as Putin’s de facto press secretary and telling the world Russia will respond to Ukraine’s drone attack, Trump should move ahead with additional economic sanctions and impress upon Moscow that he is serious about his demands for a ceasefire.
More than three years into the war, it is evident the Ukrainian people will not surrender their freedom lightly. The sooner Trump and Putin realize that Ukraine will never quit, the sooner this conflict can end.