In order to stop war, we must allow Ukraine to retaliate against Russia equally
During Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday, civilians and soldiers in his country are still facing relentless attacks from Moscow’s missiles, drones, and glide bombs.
Despite Ukraine being promised five Patriot air defense systems at the NATO summit, only two have been delivered so far. Furthermore, Russia recently obtaining Iranian short-range ballistic missiles poses an increased threat to Ukraine.
After Ukraine’s strike into Kursk Oblast providing control over Russian territory, Vladimir Putin intensified the attacks on civilians in response to the territorial gain.
Russian actions have resulted in the destruction of over nine gigawatts of the Ukrainian power supply, leading to severe energy shortages that could have devastating consequences in the upcoming winter.
This week, Zelensky plans to unveil a “peace plan” to end the war in meetings with President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and a requested meeting with former President Donald Trump. This presents an opportunity to implement a new strategy to shift the conflict’s impact onto Russia itself.
While most of the devastation has been confined to Ukrainian territory, recent drone attacks within Russian borders have caused significant damage to Russian infrastructure, including oil-refining capability and arms caches.
The US administration has prohibited the use of US ATACMs on Russian targets and prevented Ukraine from utilizing the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles, which contain US components.
To effectively end the war, Ukraine needs the capability to target remote Russian military sites and civilian power grids, particularly in Moscow, which houses a significant portion of Russia’s power generation capacity.
Striking such key facilities could cripple Russia’s military capacity and economy, thereby forcing a just conclusion to the conflict.
By utilizing legitimate military targets, such as the power grid supporting Moscow, Ukraine could significantly impact Russia’s military and economic infrastructure, ultimately leading to a stronger position in the conflict.
Zelensky’s push for a new war strategy, allowing Ukraine to respond to Russian attacks, is crucial to preventing further casualties and financial costs incurred by the West.
John Herbst, former ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan, holds the position of senior director at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center alongside senior fellow Adrian Karatnycky.
