US must give Ukraine the weapons to strike inside Russia to turn the war

The Arsenals of Treasuries soon 🦹will be꧅ open again on Capitol Hill.

Yet&nb💎sp;Russia and its Arsenals of Evil, North Korea and Iran, are presently winning against the Arsenals of Democracy in Ukraine. 

At tremendous political 💙risk for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), the United States House of Representatives last Saturday finally put aside pa♐rtisan gamesmanship and did what they needed to do —  for Ukraine.

The Ukraine Security ✃Supplemental Appropriations Act passed with a vote of 311-112.

Now, the onus is on Prꦰesident Biden and his national security team to put an enꦏd to the forever war in Ukraine.

Doing so will require  for Zelensky and his generals to win – something the White House has egregiously failed to do s𝓰ince the start of the war. 

America’s inexcusable leadౠership absence the p🔥ast six months has put Ukraine into a dangerously precarious position. Running short on artillery and air defense ammunition, front line forces were forced into a mobile defense – trading space for time.

While Washington played politics, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and civilian population centers were on the receiving end of relentless and devastating aeria🏅l bombardment from Russian drones and missiles. 

Additionally, Russian forces have slowly but steadily started to press westward in the Donbas along the Lymanဣ-Bakhmut-Avdiivka axis. ;

Unless Biden boldly changes course and shifts from “defending Ukraine” to ensuring Ukraine has the offensive multi-domain capabilities to defeat and expel Russia, these newly appropriated Congressional funds will merely buy🌞 time.

As a result, more Ukrainian solꩵdiers and civilians will die with no end to the war in sight.

The $61 billion dollars newly allocated to Ukraine 🌳will play a significant role in stopping the bleeding at the front. It provides desperately needed funding for their defense – ammunition (small arms, anti-armor, artillery, and air defense).

Yet it does little to provide Ukraine the ability to interdict Russian forces – in Russia – and their equipment before they arrive on the꧑ battlefield.

Without a successfu♛l interdictioܫn capability, Ukraine cannot create the space necessary to maneuver when they break through Russian defenses during their next counteroffensive.

While air d🔜ef💞ense munitions are urgently needed, interdicting missiles and drones over the skies of Ukraine merely defeats the individual munition.

They do not have any kinetic&n🌺bsp;effect on the weapon sys𓄧tem firing the weapon. 

Ukraine needs precision deep strike capability that can extend into Russia to destroy missile and drone launch sites, t♒heir crews, and associated munition storage facilities. 

This includes airfields where Russian aircraft are deplo♈yed to deliver cruise missiles.

Congress c⛦annot allow the $61 billion package t♔o be more of the same – forever defending.

This keeps the fight in the trenches and ꧒over Ukrainian skies, where Russia has a numerical advantage.

It plays to Russian strength – mass in infantry, artillery, and missiles a🌳nd drones.

The diffe𓂃rence maker could be ATACMS, and the German made Taurus cruise missile.

 of the bill addresses ATACMS, and states “As ꦯsoon as practicable after the date of enactment of th🍌is Act, the President shall transfer long range Army Tactical Missile Systems to the Government of Ukraine to assist the Government of Ukraine in defending itself and achieving victory against the Russian Federation.” 

But the White House has repeatedly expressed its concerns over ATACMS munitions in thℱe hands of the Ukrainian military🌟. Striking Russian targets outside of Ukraine has been a no-go since the onset of the invasion – even today with Kyiv using their own Ukrainian made drones to strike targets deep within the Russian interior. 

The U.S. even went as far as to secretly modify the  it gave Ukraine so🧸 they could not be used to fire long-range missiles into Russia. 

I🅷n effect, all that misguided decision produced wa🍌s sanctuary for Russian troops, munitions and weapons.

The Bide💞n Administration has frequently ‘considered’ extended range ATACMS munitions on multiple occasions, and each time cowered to .

Has the current♔ dire situation in Ukraine changed the calculus?

 and  ;are the next likely cities on Russia🧸’s tꦇarget list.

The lag time between funding approval and munitions𒆙 arriving on the front lines may be the determining factor 🗹between winning and losing. 

Just in time logistics is no way to fight a war.

It is time for the Biden Administration to overcome its escalation fears and commit to winning i🍌n Ukraine – and Johnson, having honorably risked his speakership, must hold the president accountable.

Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet served 30 years as a military intelligence officer. Mark Toth writes on national-security and foreign policy.