America's best response in the proxy war with Russia is to defend Ukraine | Opinion

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked that NATO establish a no-fly zone and “close the skies” over Ukraine.

It’s a controversial idea here in America, yet according to the respective staff at Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty’s offices, neither senator have released official statements on this topic. Others, such as Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, have endorsed this idea.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration and many members of Congress in both parties have been acting as if Ukraine is doomed to fail. They must get rid of that mindset and change it to one of Ukrainian victory.

On March 25, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated “total war was declared on us” by the West. On March 26, President Zelenskyy asked, “Who is in charge of the Euro-Atlantic community? Is it really still Moscow, because of intimidation?”

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We're in a de facto proxy war with Russia

It is time to go all in and provide the Ukrainians with not only the Polish MiG-29s they’ve requested, but also American fighter aircraft and a limited no-fly zone. This is even more urgent given that on April 4, President Biden accused the Russian military of war crimes in Bucha.

President Zelenskyy called the mass killings in Bucha genocide, stating on April 3 “this is genocide – the elimination of the whole nation and the people.”

The horrors of Bucha and Irpin should spur the U.S. and our NATO allies to increase lethal military aid to repel Russia.

The Ukrainian people are willing to fight and have mounted a fierce resistance to Russian attempts to re-establish a “Russkiy mir” (Russian world) in what Russia refers to as its “near abroad” (the independent states of the former Soviet Union).

We must not allow Ukraine to experience the fates that befell Moldova and Georgia through a “negotiated peace” that benefits Russia — that is, the creation of another “frozen conflict” in the Donbas where “peace” is a tool of control.

Anything short of Ukrainian victory will have long-term consequences for the stability of not just Ukraine, but for Europe as a whole. This includes stoking tensions among the minority Russian-speaking populations within the Baltic States.

To prevent this, the U.S. must provide the Ukrainian people with the ability to defend liberty against an irredentist Russia.

Indeed, the people of Ukraine have already stood up to tyranny twice: once in 2004—Orange Revolution—and again in 2014 (Revolution of Dignity). We must show our commitment to the Ukrainian people and get them the aircraft they have requested. We must stop dragging our feet while Ukraine fights for democracy against autocracy.

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We must establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine

The establishment of a no-fly zone over western Ukraine will also protect NATO member-states Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and Romania against any Russian incursions into their airspace.

By patrolling the skies of western Ukraine, we also protect our NATO allies. The reasoning behind the limited no-fly zone is that it will be more palatable to many NATO allies. Establishing any no-fly zone would require unanimous consent from all 30 NATO member-states.

I hereby call on Congress to pass a resolution supporting such no-fly zones and declaring that the United States supports Ukraine being granted a NATO Membership Action Plan, thereby fulfilling the 2008 Bucharest Declaration and statements from the 2021 Brussels Summit.

Those who argue against this claim that it will “provoke Russia” and that it risks putting American pilots at risk of being targeted by the Russians, or some other retaliatory response by Moscow on either a NATO ally or the U.S. itself. But if we allow this fear to nullify our previous commitments, our words will be seen as meaningless and signal a moral failing of the United States.

Congress and the Biden administration must also not allow “peace negotiations” to be an excuse to not advocate and pass a resolution in support for Ukraine being granted a NATO Membership Action Plan. The negotiations that occurred on March 29 in Turkey are but a delaying tactic, allowing Moscow to bring in its mercenaries of the Wagner Group and reposition its forces under the guise of “trust building.”

One aspect of such so-called trust building, according to Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, is to “drastically reduce military activity” around the cities of Kyiv and Chernihiv. Notice the wording — “reduce,” not stop or cease fire. There was no mention of Mariupol or other areas in southern or eastern Ukraine, which Moscow will most likely attempt to annex as part of an expanded Luhansk and Donetsk, thus creating a land bridge to Crimea and blocking Ukrainian access to the Sea of Azov.

Let’s provide the Ukrainians with the tools they need to defend their way of life and show our support by advocating for their NATO aspirations.

Ukraine’s future is in NATO and the European Union, not serving as a reduced buffer state between democracy and autocracy.

Dr. Matthew Becker teaches on politics and security issues in Eastern Europe at the University of Mississippi. He has a doctorate in Political Science from the University of Mississippi and a master’s in International Affairs from Florida State University. He was a Boren Fellow in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He may be reached at: MatthewBeckerPHD@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Best response to proxy war with Russia is continued support for Ukraine