The goal of the United States when it comes to Ukraine is clear and straightforward, President Biden wrote in an op-ed published Wednesday in The New York Times.
"We want to see a democratic, independent, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine with the means to deter and defend itself against further aggression," Biden said. He agrees with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has said the war will "only definitively end through diplomacy," and that's why the U.S. has "moved quickly to send Ukraine a significant amount of weaponry and ammunition so it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiation table."
Biden said the U.S. will continue to cooperate with allies on Russian sanctions and "address the global food crisis that Russia's aggression is worsening. And we will help our European allies and others reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels, and speed our transition to a clean energy future."
The president remains committed to "reinforcing NATO's eastern flank with forces and capabilities," but stressed the U.S. does "not seek a war between NATO and Russia. As much as I disagree with [Russian President Vladimir Putin], and find his actions an outrage, the United States will not try to bring about his ouster in Moscow. So long as the United States or our allies are not attacked, we will not be directly engaged in this conflict, either by sending American troops to fight in Ukraine or by attacking Russian forces."
Supporting Ukraine "in its hour of need is not just the right thing to do," Biden declared. "It is in our vital national interests to ensure a peaceful and stable Europe and to make it clear that might does not make right." Read more at The New York Times.