Unleashing Ukraine’s Potential: Why the U.S. Must Lift Restrictions on Strikes into Russia - Lena Denman, M.A.

The American Ukraine PAC urges immediate action to enable Ukraine to strike legitimate military targets within Russia using U.S.-supplied weapons. This policy shift is essential for safeguarding American power, advancing U.S. strategic interests, and preserving stability in a world increasingly shaped by competition among great powers. Supporting Ukraine reflects America’s commitment to maintaining its global influence and ensuring that challenges to its dominance are met decisively.

A Unified Vision for Protecting U.S. Power and Influence

The United States has a critical interest in ensuring Ukraine’s ability to decisively defeat Russian aggression. Ukraine serves as a key ally in a broader strategy to contain threats from hostile regimes and preserve the geopolitical balance that underpins U.S. influence. By enabling Ukraine to strike military targets wherever necessary, the United States can curtail Russia’s ambitions, weaken its ability to destabilize international systems, and project American resolve to adversaries.

American power is unmatched, with a defense budget of $900 billion underpinning global military and economic dominance. However, threats from adversaries like Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are converging. Their combined defense budgets, nearing $865 billion, underscore the challenge to American influence and leadership. By supporting Ukraine as a critical player in this contest, the U.S. is not simply defending a single country—it is ensuring that adversarial alliances cannot shift the global balance of power in ways that diminish American security and standing.

The Strategic Cost of Inaction

Failing to act decisively in support of Ukraine risks creating a more dangerous world where American power is increasingly constrained. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already shown how authoritarian regimes test international boundaries, and its growing partnerships with countries like North Korea and Iran amplify the threat. North Korean soldiers are fighting alongside Russian forces, and Iran has supplied drones and other military resources to support Moscow. These collaborations enable hostile regimes to gain battlefield experience and strengthen their military capabilities, which could later be used against U.S. allies or even the homeland.

A sustained Russian war effort bolsters its role as a key ally to China, giving Beijing greater flexibility to pursue its ambitions in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Russia’s ability to distract and drain Western attention and resources directly supports China’s strategic objectives, including its long-term aim to challenge U.S. influence in Asia and globally. Meanwhile, Russian-backed destabilization efforts in the Middle East, such as its intelligence support for attacks on Western shipping and its connections to proxy conflicts, further entangle U.S. interests and stretch its resources. For example, intelligence provided by Russia enabled Iranian-funded Houthi forces in Yemen to successfully target Western shipping vessels in the Red Sea, disrupting vital global trade routes and raising costs for American consumers.

The stakes are not limited to regional conflicts. By failing to decisively degrade Russia’s military capacity, the U.S. risks allowing its adversaries to build a cohesive and coordinated bloc capable of challenging American dominance across multiple fronts. A weakened Russia, however, undermines these alliances, isolates regimes like Iran and North Korea, and demonstrates to Beijing that its plans for global influence will face firm resistance. Supporting Ukraine is a strategic opportunity to weaken this coalition before it becomes an even greater threat.

Moreover, keeping this conflict contained as a Russo-Ukrainian war is vital to avoiding a broader global confrontation. Russia’s efforts to bring in North Korean soldiers and escalate the conflict underscore the need for urgent preventative action. As evidenced by Russia’s deployment of 50,000 troops, including 11,000 North Korean soldiers, to the border regions, Moscow is escalating its efforts to sustain its aggression. The U.S. must act now to bolster Ukraine, preventing further Russian escalation and deterring other nations from becoming involved. By ensuring Ukraine has the tools to succeed, the U.S. can secure peace through strength—both Ukraine’s and America’s—while deterring future threats.

Reclaiming the Initiative Through Strength

Decisive action to support Ukraine will allow the United States to reclaim the strategic initiative. Concerns about escalation or nuclear threats must not dictate policy, as decades of experience show that strength and confidence, not appeasement, deter adversaries. Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is a tool of intimidation designed to limit U.S. and allied support for Ukraine. Succumbing to these tactics would embolden not only Russia but also other regimes eager to exploit perceived weaknesses in U.S. resolve.

Ukraine has proven its ability to conduct precise, effective, and strategically significant operations. The deployment of ATACMS has disrupted Russian troop movements in the Kursk region and reduced Moscow’s capacity to sustain its war effort. For example, during a November operation, Ukraine launched 10 Storm Shadow missiles into the Kursk region, reportedly injuring a senior North Korean general stationed there. These strikes targeted troop concentrations, logistical hubs, and command centers with minimal collateral damage, demonstrating Ukraine’s commitment to responsible use of advanced weaponry. Removing restrictions on U.S.-supplied weapons would enable Ukraine to build on these successes, striking deeper into Russian territory and degrading critical military infrastructure.

By empowering Ukraine, the U.S. not only weakens a key adversary but also demonstrates to other nations that any attempt to undermine American influence will be met with decisive resistance.

Strengthening American Security Through Strategic Investment

Supporting Ukraine with unrestricted access to U.S.-supplied weapons is a cost-effective strategy for preserving American power and influence. Current support to Ukraine accounts for less than 0.5% of GDP yet has significantly weakened Russia’s military capabilities. Allowing Ukraine to fully leverage U.S. weapons systems ensures that this investment yields maximum strategic benefits, from disrupting adversarial alliances to deterring future aggression against U.S. interests.

Decisive support for Ukraine also reduces any likelihood of American troops being drawn into future conflicts. By ensuring that Russia cannot sustain its aggression, the U.S. avoids the risk of a prolonged war that could escalate into a direct confrontation involving NATO. Empowering Ukraine to achieve peace through strength ensures long-term stability for the U.S. and its allies while preventing future threats to global order.

Call to Action

The administration and Congress must act swiftly and decisively. To secure American interests and maintain global stability, the U.S. must:

   •      Lift Restrictions: Remove limitations on Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied weapons, enabling strikes on legitimate military targets within Russian territory.

   •      Enhance Intelligence Sharing: Provide actionable intelligence to assist Ukraine in effectively targeting Russian military infrastructure.

   •      Reaffirm U.S. Resolve: Publicly reinforce America’s commitment to containing this conflict and deterring adversaries through strength.

Failure to act now risks emboldening adversaries and leaving future generations of Americans to pay a higher price for global stability.