Unity a must against Putin’s nukes

Vladimir Putin’s bombastic “personal supervision” of Russian strategic nuclear force exercises underlines the utter foolishness of Democrat and Republican members of the US congress trying to compel Ukraine into agreeing a ceasefire deal with Moscow. To their credit, Democrat party leaders on Tuesday won the day when they insisted that 30 members of the loopy left “Congressional Progressive Caucus”, led by House of Representatives member Pramila Jayapal, withdraw a letter sent to President Joe Biden on Monday demanding he open direct ceasefire negotiations with Mr Putin to end the war.

The leftists’ aim in the letter could hardly have been more egregious or more likely to play into the hands of the Russian tyrant. Its intention was to persuade Mr Biden to pursue direct diplomacy with Russia – this at a time when the Kremlin is intensifying its ruthless bombardment of civilian targets and unsubtly again drawing attention to its nuclear capability and its own possible use of a “dirty bomb”. To Mr Putin, who carefully watches for signs of war fatigue in the West, the letter doubtless suggested incipient fissures were opening up in the united front the US congress has so far maintained over Washington’s support for Kyiv. Had the 30 congressional signatories not withdrawn it at the behest of the White House, it would have been music to his ears.

No less so, however, would have been similar signs of a split among some of Donald Trump’s isolationist Republicans. They, too, are getting restive about the massive support the US is continuing to provide Ukraine in its battle against Mr Putin’s barbaric invasion. Apparently influenced by Mr Trump’s own isolationist sentiments, some candidates in next month’s crucial midterm elections – notably Senate candidates in Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire and Ohio – have disparaged the $US54bn in aid the US has poured into Ukraine since the start of the war in February. Several Republican House of Representatives candidates have been similarly critical. One, Joe Kent, has been quoted as tweeting: “No aid to Ukraine unless they are at the (negotiating) table.”

A September Pew Research poll found a significant minority of Republicans – 32 per cent – say the US is providing “too much” aid. More ominously, the top Republican and Trump admirer, Kevin McCarthy, likely House Speaker if Republicans win the midterm elections, said last week that next year “people are going to be sitting in a recession and they’re not going to write a blank cheque for Ukraine”. He modified that remark later. But doing so did little to change the perception that among isolationist Republicans there is growing disenchantment towards the US’s Ukraine commitment. That Mr Biden has meekly failed so far to bring such “anti-Ukraine” sentiment to heel is no surprise. But that only adds further to concern about its appearance among Mr Trump’s isolationist Republicans. Its implicit message of appeasement over Ukraine among some Democrats and some Republicans is damaging to the solid unity that is needed to defeat Mr Putin.

The restive US congressmen and women are playing into Mr Putin’s hands and endangering the security of the US and the rest of the free world by suggesting that Washington should embark on unilateral ceasefire negotiations with Moscow, over the heads of the Ukrainians, who are doing all the fighting and the dying in trying to defend themselves against the Russian tyrant’s barbaric onslaught.

It will be a tragedy if, through their actions, the US congressmen and women create the impression unity over Ukraine is flagging in the halls of congress. No conceivable diplomacy is likely to be of much use as long as the Ukrainians are determined to fight – as they manifestly are – for their homeland, and the Russian despot refuses to retreat from their sovereign territory.

A Ukraine defeat in the war caused by fissures opening in the united front that has existed since February would make Mr Putin much bolder. It would create an even greater strategic threat to Europe and the rest of the free world, including the US. The time now is not for pusillanimous, hand-wringing gestures from starry-eyed leftist Democrats invariably out of touch with reality and Republicans imbued by Mr Trump’s self-centred and self-defeating isolationism and perplexing friendship for Mr Putin. Rather, the need is for solid, unflinching, determined support for Kyiv in its courageous fight for freedom, democracy, human rights and decency.