UPDATE: After a disappointing meeting on July 14, 2023, between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, urgent measures are being proposed to compel Putin to not only attend negotiations but also remain committed to them. Observers had hoped for a pathway to discussions, but instead, Trump left the meeting without a plan and canceled a subsequent luncheon amid frustrations over Putin’s reluctance to negotiate.
The stakes are high, and immediate action is required. As tensions escalate, experts suggest that it will take “severe measures” to alter Putin’s stance. Here are ten critical strategies that the White House, in coordination with European allies, should consider implementing NOW:
1. **Increase F-16 Deliveries**: Supply Ukraine with at least 100 F-16 aircraft, tripling the number of Ukrainian pilots in training. This would significantly enhance Ukraine’s air capabilities in the ongoing conflict.
2. **Quadruple Long-Range Weapon Supplies**: Expand shipments of long-range surface-to-surface weapons to Ukraine, utilizing the advanced U.S. High Mobility Artillery Rocket System alongside European defense resources.
3. **Enhance Targeting Intelligence**: Provide Ukraine with critical intelligence on Russian logistics, which has been a focus of U.S. military expertise. This would involve a combined task force of U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Strategic Command.
4. **Share Unmanned Vehicle Technology**: Collaborate on unmanned maritime systems to target the remaining Russian Black Sea Fleet, leveraging U.S. Navy’s Task Force 59, known for its innovative approaches to unmanned warfare.
5. **Confiscate Russian Assets**: Seize the estimated $300 billion in Russian assets held in Western banks, including $10 billion in U.S. institutions. These funds could be redirected to support Ukrainian defense indefinitely.
6. **Impose Secondary Sanctions**: Enforce stringent sanctions on global purchases of Russian oil and gas, including on nations like China. Efforts to track and impound the Russian “shadow fleet” must intensify with a target of confiscating at least ten tankers each month.
7. **Offer NATO-like Security Guarantees**: Provide security assurances to Ukraine without formal NATO membership. This should enhance cooperation across various military sectors, including cyber defense and maritime security.
8. **Deploy Military Trainers to Ukraine**: Send an initial force of 5,000 European military advisors to assist Ukrainian forces, focusing on intelligence, logistics, and unmanned warfare capabilities.
9. **Establish a No-Fly Zone**: Plan and execute a defensive no-fly zone over Ukraine, utilizing air assets from every NATO member nation. This initiative would operate under NATO’s supreme allied commander and involve around 100 combat aircraft.
10. **Consider NATO Membership for Ukraine**: As a nuclear option, formally admitting Ukraine into NATO could serve as a powerful deterrent against Putin’s aggression, though this would face significant procedural challenges.
As Trump evaluates these potential measures, the urgency to apply pressure on Putin cannot be overstated. The hope is that a combination of “carrots and sticks” can be employed, balancing punitive actions with possible sanctions relief as part of a broader peace initiative. The time for decisive action is NOW, as the world watches for any shift in the Kremlin’s position.
Stay tuned for more updates as this situation continues to develop.
