Regardless of the negotiation outcomes, the U.S. will be compelled to supply Ukraine with weapons for many years to deter Russia after the combat operations conclude.
In a column for The Washington Post, retired General Jack Keane and analyst Marc A. Thiessen propose alternative methods for financing American arms deliveries to Kyiv that will not burden American taxpayers.
The authors of the article emphasize that American support should not wane even if peace is achieved, as Ukraine requires protection against the potential resurgence of aggression from Russia. Trump, who previously highlighted the importance of supporting Ukraine, could facilitate these supplies without additional costs to Americans.
One proposed avenue is to transform Ukraine from a "recipient of aid into a consumer of defense products." This approach would enable the U.S. to establish long-term cooperation with Ukraine in the defense sector through arms sales rather than continuous assistance.
Furthermore, experts suggest utilizing frozen Russian assets to purchase American weapons. Washington and its allies control around $300 billion in frozen Russian assets, and using these funds to finance Ukrainian defense would not only support Kyiv but also create jobs and revitalize defense production in the U.S. In this scenario, Russia would bear the cost of the weapons instead of American taxpayers.
Another idea is to use Ukraine's natural resources as collateral for loans to procure weapons.
"Ukraine possesses some of the largest reserves of 22 out of 50 strategic minerals identified as critical to the economy and national security of the U.S., including the largest uranium reserves in Europe, the second-largest reserves of iron ore, titanium, and manganese, the third-largest reserves of shale gas, as well as vast deposits of lithium, graphite, and rare earth metals," the experts underscore.
Source: washingtonpost.