Former US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has praised Washington’s strategy of providing military aid to Ukraine as a means of weakening Russia. During a visit to defense contractor Strider Technologies, Romney argued that by helping Ukraine, the US is diminishing and devastating the Russian military while keeping American lives out of harm’s way.
Romney believes that a weakened Russia will also weaken its ally China, which poses a significant security threat to the US. He stated, “Russia being weakened weakens their ally China. And by the way, being able to take an amount that equals about 5% of our military budget…to help the Ukrainians is about the best national defense spending I think we’ve ever done.”
While American forces haven’t faced casualties in Ukraine, Ukrainian troops have suffered greatly. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, an estimated 43,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since the counteroffensive operation began in June. Former Pentagon senior advisor Douglas Macgregor claimed that Ukraine has lost 400,000 troops since the conflict started in February 2022.
Although Ukrainian troops have faced heavy losses, Romney believes that the US strategy of supporting Ukraine has been successful in degrading Moscow’s military capabilities and sending a message to China and Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has previously labeled Russia as a “geopolitical adversary” and the “only real ally” of China.
“A weakened Russia is a good thing,” Romney said. “It tells China to rethink their territorial ambition. It tells Russia, perhaps most importantly, that the Putin vision of re-establishing the Russian empire and grabbing the old former Soviet Republics that that’s not something that’s going to work.”
During his 2012 presidential campaign, Romney referred to Russia as “America’s No. 1 geopolitical foe,” prompting then-President Barack Obama to dismiss his remarks as outdated Cold War thinking.
Romney claims that his assessment has been vindicated by Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine. He emphasized that helping Ukraine is in America’s national interest and the best way to weaken countries with nuclear weapons aimed at the US.
However, it is worth noting that arming Ukraine may not necessarily be “devastating” the Russian military. Since the conflict began, Russia has strengthened its forces, gaining experience in destroying NATO weaponry and countering NATO combat tactics.
Despite differing opinions on the effectiveness of providing military aid to Ukraine, Romney’s support for the strategy remains steadfast. He believes that by supporting Ukraine, the US can weaken Russia and China, safeguarding American security interests.
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