Answer : Any American commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty or independence.
Today, Vice President Harris read aloud a speech at the Munich Security Conference. The speech “sounded” strong, sending a clear message to Vladimir Putin: If Russian troops occupy the rest of Ukraine, a cost will be imposed on Russia, a significant but limited cost, limited in scope and likely limited in duration:
“If Russia further invades Ukraine, the United States, together with our Allies and partners, will impose significant and unprecedented economic costs…The imposition of these sweeping and coordinated measures will inflict great damage on those who must be held accountable. And we will not stop with economic measures. We will further reinforce our NATO Allies on the eastern flank.”
What was missing from the VP’s speech? What didn’t she say? She did NOT say “This shall not stand!” Instead, she said “Today, we are clear in our purpose. And today, we are even more confident in our vision.” These are empty words. The real questions are: WHAT WILL WE DO? and HOW LONG WILL WE DO IT? Harris did not say that the U.S. and our allies will take whatever action is necessary – short of going to war – to stop Russian aggression against Ukraine. She committed the U.S. to take some economic actions, which may or may not make much difference to the future of Ukraine. She did NOT commit to produce any particular results regarding Russia or Ukraine. She made no commitment to protecting, let alone guaranteeing, Ukrainian territorial integrity or sovereignty or independence.
My guess is that the absence of a stated commitment to a result was not an oversight but rather an intentional omission. Why? Because the Biden administration officials know that neither President Obama nor President Trump managed to reverse the Russian conquest of the Crimea. So why should the Biden team commit to an outcome in the rest of Ukraine that, likewise, might not be produced? And why should it make a promise that could then be hung around the neck of the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee – whether that’s Biden or Harris or someone else?
The Biden administration is not proposing to either prevent or halt the Russians’ aggression against Ukraine. Instead, it will make them pay for it, saying to the Russians “This is gonna cost ya plenty!”
Our prez and vice prez talk as if it’s all about costs. But it’s not. It’s about independence or occupation. Here is what Kamala Harris could have said to Vladimir Putin, but didn’t: “This shall not stand! The days of Russian troops occupying eastern European nations against the will of the local populations is over. And we will continue to ratchet up the costs imposed on Russia until the damage to Russia’s economy is so overwhelming that it will end its military aggression against Ukraine.”