OPINION:
Andrew Napolitano asks “What is the U.S. doing in Ukraine?” (web, June 12). He then forcefully and passionately outlines constitutional and legal arguments that both Congress and the president have overlooked or just completely disregarded while funds, equipment and U.S. troops are sent to Ukraine to aid that country’s effort to fight the Russian invasion.
One can understand and even agree with some of Mr. Napolitano’s premises. There is, however, a salient counter to his claims. It’s called the Budapest Memorandum, an agreement signed in 1994 by the U.S., the United Kingdom and, yes, Russia that guaranteed Ukrainian sovereignty and its borders after the fall of the Soviet Union. In exchange, Ukraine would relinquish all of the nuclear weapons within its territory. Both China and France inked a less robust document.
To my knowledge, there is no expiration date on the Budapest Memorandum. The February 2022 Russian invasion — not to mention Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the Donbas invasion in 2014 — absolutely demands that the U.S. fulfill its commitments. Our Ukrainian allies are not asking for direct U.S. involvement, only that we live up to our obligations. Provide them with the tools required and they will handle the rest.
Russia (and China) have violated the agreement. The U.S. must not.
CHARLIE DREVNA
Dunn Loring, Virginia
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