The case of Afghanistan shows that United States military support can be withdrawn, and allied nations such as Ukraine must take heed of that lesson, says an expert on Ukrainian affairs.
Alyona Getmanchuk, director of the New Europe Center analysis institute, emphasized that when it comes to the current events in Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden’s conviction that he does not regret withdrawing troops is incredibly important to Ukraine.
This stems not from Biden’s political stubbornness, but from a belief that American support and aid should not be indefinite for countries which cannot use that help in an appropriate way.
“The American president has clearly stated on multiple occasions: each country in which the US invests human resources and finances has a certain period of time during which it must justify those investments – or not justify them,” Getmanchuk said.
She noted that in the case of Iraq and Afghanistan, Biden’s position shaped itself a long time ago.
These countries had enough time and space to appropriately use American aid and help and failed to do so. This is why they must take care of themselves now. This message is now being made loud and clear following the example of Afghanistan.
“This raises the question of whether Biden has such a deadline for aid for Ukraine. Does Ukraine still have, from his point of view, a chance for American support? Or did that opportunity pass by and Ukraine did not use it?” she speculated.
