From: Atlantic Council By John E. Herbst
Ambassador John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, testifies before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe hearing on “Closing the skies, liberating Ukraine.” Video from the hearings and other testimonies can be found below.
Below is the oral argument presented by Ambassador John Herbst.
The greatest national security challenge facing the United States is the partnership of aggressive authoritarian regimes seeking to undermine US leadership globally. The larger long-term threat comes from China. But the greatest short-term danger comes from our peer nuclear power, Russia, which is conducting a savage war designed to subjugate Ukraine and which would like to restore political control over all the territory of the Soviet Union, including three NATO states.
Ukraine is the place where we can and must deal a decisive blow to our adversaries. If we help Kyiv defeat Putin in Ukraine, we prevent further Russian aggression to the west and send a cautionary message to Xi to lay off Taiwan. It would also make it harder for Moscow to enable further Iranian aggression in the Middle East—a key factor in Hamas’ assault on Israel and the Houthis’ attacks on global shipping.
Voice of Ukraine 