러시아ㆍ유라시아

Last week, at NATO’s 75th anniversary summit in Washington D.C., the United States and its NATO partners agreed to support Ukraine “on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership.” President Joe Biden also announced the “Ukrainian Compact” and promised that any future Russian armed attack on Kyiv would be met with “the provision of swift and sustained security assistance and the imposition of economic and other costs on Russia.” The path to Ukraine’s membership of NATO remains long and winding, but the summit underscored the remarkable degree of Western backing for Kyiv over the last two years. Since 2022, the United States alone has sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine. Despite pushback from Donald Trump and the populist right, bipartisan majorities in Congress have consistently backed support for Kyiv. In April 2024, Congress approved a $61 billion aid package with a majority of 311 to 112 in the House and 79 to 18 in the Senate. Why has the United States shown such strong support? Aiding Ukraine is a deeply moral cause, and it also serves US national interests. But there is also a hidden—and brutal—strategic logic for sending assistance. No one talks about it, and yet Machiavelli might offer an approving smile.