A Special Situations Perspective on Ukraine

During President Zelensky's most recent visit to Washington in December 2023, I can’t help but feel deeply conflicted about Ukraine.  

There are a few perspectives that have come to dominate the national discourse on our involvement in Ukraine – most of which call for continued support to Ukraine.  Some argue that we need to support Ukraine so we can degenerate the Russian military threat, sparing precious American lives in the future. Others believe that we are a country driven by a strong sense of right and wrong and that we have a moral obligation to empower democracy-minded governments and to stand up to tyrants. Many prominent experts have concluded that if we don't stand up for Ukraine, we will give a free pass to China on Taiwan.

I can't help but notice that today’s dominant perspectives regarding supporting Ukraine bear a striking similarity to the logic that underscored the Vietnam War: if the Communist North prevailed, communism would spread throughout Asia, harming our national interest. Even one of the key leaders of the Vietnam War, Secretary McNamara, admitted our miscalculation and concluded the Vietnamese were fighting more for their independence than against a communist regime. This was a costly lesson for our country that resulted not only in the tragic loss of American lives but also a significant loss of trust in our government and institutions.

 Whatever the motivations are for our continuing to support Ukraine, I believe it's rational for us to ask ourselves how much we should keep supporting Ukraine. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, if President Biden’s current aid requests are approved, we will have given over $130 billion to Ukraine. That number is a mere 13% less than the total cost of the Marshall Plan (adjusted for inflation), which supported the rebuilding of 17 nations.

Moreover, in light of our own challenges at home, it's justifiable to ask ourselves how we can give our hard-earned tax money to Ukraine.  Our inability to secure our own southern border is leading to tens of thousands of tragic deaths due to fentanyl. Furthermore, it seems the U.S. has made several missteps in recent decades, from denying Russia NATO membership in 2000, to underestimating the impact of Russian anxieties about their sphere of influence in the world. Additionally, funding an open-ended war may be draining our financial and cognitive resources when more consequential conflicts, most notably China, are on the horizon.

On the other hand, although I am a finance professional who values clear metrics and fiscal responsibility, I have learned from personal experience that the impact of America’s support in another nation’s hour of need can’t always be measured in terms of direct inputs and outputs.

As an American ex-pat living in France in the mid-2000s, I discovered the impact of America’s heroism abroad. I vividly remember a visit from one neighbor, an older woman, who brought us a basket full of apples as a gift.  As we worked to overcome our French-to-English language barrier, I eventually learned that this woman would not have been alive today if it weren't for an American soldier who walked over 20 miles to deliver her family the life-saving medicine she needed. She was not a wealthy woman, but she had heard that an American had moved into the neighborhood and wanted to express her gratitude any way she could. The apples were her gesture of gratitude, six decades later. I am a second-generation American whose family had no ties to America during World War II. Yet, I benefited from something my country did forty years before my family would ever set foot in America. 

Given the historic sums we will spend in our efforts to defend Ukraine, I am conflicted about our ongoing support. Regardless, I do firmly believe that decades from now, if my children are touring the iconic St. Sophia’s cathedral in Kyiv or enjoying a bowl of red borsch in Bakhmut, they will encounter moments of similar gratitude and possibly more apples for supporting Ukraine in their hour of need.