Sullivan responds to criticism of insufficient support for Ukraine under Biden, stresses that real peace is through force
The United States should continue to help Ukraine and increase pressure on Russia to pave the way for a just peace, said the US President's National Security Advisor for 2021-2025 Jake Sullivan.
He said he'd heard criticism that they hadn't done enough, not fast enough, because they had been too worried about Russia. According to him, in fact, they used every dollar allocated by Congress, provided a huge amount of weapons, ammunition, and in the last months of the administration, they significantly increased supplies. And it's these increased supplies that are now giving Ukrainians a chance to stand, he said during the 17th annual Kyiv Security Forum titled "UA: Unite Again to Defeat the Global Aggressor," organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Open Ukraine Foundation.
Sullivan noted that he had many discussions with specialists on the issue of long-range ATACMS missiles for Ukraine, but, in his opinion, there is no "silver bullet" in the war, recalling the increased nuclear risk.
He said from their perspective, there was no system, or even two or three, that would be a panacea in this war on the battlefield. The quality and scale of American assistance over three years has been enormous, he explained.
Sullivan expressed hope that US President Donald Trump will increase pressure on Russia and continue to support Ukraine, because it will make America stronger.
According to him, the question is what next? It is always difficult to end an aggressive war. The path to a just peace is leverage and strength. And the key to strength means that the United States and partners provide more assistance and support to Ukraine, as well as pressure on Russia so that Putin can understand that he will not be able to outlast or overwhelm, he noted.
Sullivan emphasized that now in his country some want to shape US policy towards Ukraine as a choice between supporting peace or war.
That is, you are either for peace or for eternal war, he said. But there is no such choice. We cannot allow anyone to fall into this trap, he added. The real choice is the choice between real peace, supporting Ukraine in effective negotiations with influence, and a false peace by effectively surrendering to Putin, he stressed. He said they had built a lot of leverage to ensure a good deal, and needed to continue to help Ukraine build more.