Despite all the reporting of Ukraine’s shortages in munitions and manpower, the besieged country continues to create surprises on the battlefield. Rather than just continue duking it out on the static fronts in the south and east of Ukraine, they have opted for an incursion into Russian territory itself. Kursk oblast, which played host to the infamous tank battle in the namesake city in WWII, now sees battle between two conventional armies yet again 80 years later. Although the final results of the offensive are not yet clear, the fact that Ukraine was able to capture Russian territory with few difficulties (definitely fewer than the current trench warfare in Donbas) demonstrates that there’s still a way for Ukraine to win this war: it is not a matter of will, but a matter of way – aid and support. Thus, not to sound like a broken record, but it is important that the Four Pillars continue to support Ukraine’s struggle, even if apathy continues to set in amongst domestic audiences. “First Ukraine, then the Baltics and Poland,” this mantra reveals the potential calamity for Europe, a Pillar, and also global security more broadly. Conviction and firmness in backing Ukraine, rather than piecemeal aid to merely slow-bleed Russia, can show both Russia and China about the graveness of the Pillars in opposing global authoritarianism and bad-faith actors that threaten the rules-based order.
Articles of interest for this week include (chronological by most recent):
- Ukrainian troops now up to 30km inside Russia, Moscow says [BBC]
- Exclusive: Iran to deliver hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia soon, intel sources say [Reuters]
- Opinion | Surprise Ukraine offensive pokes Russia’s soft underbelly [Washington Post]
- India cannot fix its problems if it pretends they do not exist [The Economist]
- Kamala Harris Has Been Much More Involved in Foreign Policy Than We Realize [Slate]
- US, Australia announce efforts to boost munition production [The Hill]
- ‘Space aficionado’ Kamala Harris aims for moonshot presidency [Politico EU]
A makeshift memorial for fallen Ukrainian soldiers is seen in Kyiv on July 23. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)
