President Biden’s security deal with President Volodymyr Zelensky, which the two men signed Thursday, shows him once again doing the right thing for Ukraine — but in baby steps that fall far short of any effort to help Kyiv win.
The deal is largely a symbolic gesture: It won’t do much to help the Ukrainians force Russia to retreat and stand down any time soon.
Its most important feature: a 10-year commitment by the United States to “build and maintain Ukraine’s defense and deterrence capability” — by providing weapons, ammunition, intelligence and training for its forces and working to build its own military-production capabilities.
Biden also announced new sanctions on Russia and on third parties that aid in its war effort.
And the Group of Seven leaders cleared the way for Ukraine to borrow up to $50 billion from frozen Russian funds.
That’s all great: It sends another message to Russian Thug-in-Chief Vladimir Putin that America is backing Ukraine for the long haul.
Unfortunately, the deal contains no actual, concrete funding or weapons transfers, which would need Congress’ OK.
Nor does it outline a clear path to victory for Ukaine.
If Biden really wants to make a difference, he needs to do more.
For example, he recently relaxed his ban on Ukraine’s forces firing US weapons into Russian territory . . . in one small area of the front, and not far beyond the border.
That’ll have severely limited benefits for Ukraine and actually introduce new dangers.
Putin’s missiles and artillery strike from Russia deep into Ukraine every day, but Biden insists that Kyiv treat nearly all enemy territory as a safe space.
Biden can also stop restricting the weapons he sends Ukraine, a limit he observes for fear of upsetting Putin — that is, the guy trying to conquer a free people.
He could also come up with a plan for how Ukraine can win.
Instead, his baby steps wind up prolonging the war, letting Putin feel confident there’ll be no significant challenge from the West — at least as long as Biden is president.