Esper: US dollars being ‘well-spent’ in Ukraine war
FILE – Ukrainian soldiers fire a Pion artillery system at Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. As milestones go, the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is both grim and vexing. It marks a full year of killing, destruction, loss and pain felt even beyond the borders of Russia and Ukraine. (AP Photo/LIBKOS, File)
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(NewsNation) — As the U.S. continues to give aid to Ukraine, which was invaded by Russia almost a year ago, President Joe Biden needs to speak more to the American people about the strategic context of this war, former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said.
Esper, speaking on “Morning in America,” said the American people need to know “that their dollars and cents are being well-spent,” he said.
“I would argue that they are,” Esper told NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert. “This is the first fight in what I’ve called a global competition between democracies and autocracies, so it’s very important that we continue to support Ukraine.”
This is why Biden should be vocal and make “strategic arguments” outlining the consequences of what happens if the U.S. doesn’t help Ukraine, Esper added.
“We cannot afford to have an autocracy overrun a democracy. It’s Ukraine one day, it’s somebody else the next,” Esper said. “Eventually this comes home and affects us, and it’s far better to deter war than to have to fight one, and far better to win one than to lose one — so there’s a lot on the line.”
