Letter: 1994 act offers chance for military support to Ukraine

In 1994, the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum, within which all parties agreed to respect the independence and sovereignty of the existing borders of Ukraine. The agreement did not require action for a violation of the agreement, nor did it bar any such action. It is clear that Russia has violated both the spirit and the language of the agreement. The U.S. has also stood by without taking actions that would be suggested by the spirit, if not the language, of the agreement. I believe it is time to clearly and openly live up to the promises we made in 1994.

We should ask Ukraine if they would like our help in restoring their pre-1994 boundaries. Assuming the elected government asks for our intervention, we should clearly state our intention to support Ukraine, not as a member of NATO, but as a signatory to the Budapest Memorandum.

Then we should enter Ukraine from the western end, and begin to systematically work our way eastward, maintaining sufficient protective umbrellas over our troops without exceeding Ukrainian territory. And then we stop at the border, telling Russia that this is the end of the campaign unless they continue to attack Ukraine.

It is true there is no requirement in the memorandum that we actively defend Ukraine, but we also had no requirement to defend Korea, Vietnam, or Kuwait. We can choose to be the defender of democracy, and doing so will also put other would-be aggressors on notice that the U.S. will not stand idly by and watch one nation make war on the civilian populations of their neighbors.

Tim Hein

Palatine