US Official to Moscow: ‘Get the Hell out of Ukraine!’

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy with
Senators Richard Blumenthal and Lindsey Graham.

It’s been a little more than a week since the Ukrainian Armed Forces for the first time in history invaded Russia in the vicinity of Kursk and then Belgorod and for all intents and purposes the international reaction to this daring attack on Russia has been quietly supportive.

As Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine enters its 30th month and collateral damage, civilian deaths and destruction of non-combatant infrastructure rising, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military commanders had no other option than to take the war to Russia in hopes of slowing the bloody Russian war machine. And if anything, Russians’ bewilderment halted Russian advances.

Ukraine started its invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast a week ago shortly after receiving its first F-16 fighter jets, according to the Ukrainian military. The objectives of the operation are still a subject of debate among experts. However, as we stated, Ukrainian soldiers managed to capture the “faucet” and controls the flow of petroleum from Russia to Europe.

And to the surprise and delight of most of the free world, Ukraine has succeeded in capturing about 1,000 square kilometers of Russian real estate and taking hundreds of prisoners.

A week into Ukraine’s shocking invasion of Russia, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Moscow does not have the situation under control.

Tens of thousands of Russians have been forced to flee their homes as Ukrainian troops continued to capture Russian territory over the weekend and this week. Shocked Russians were dumbfounded as they stared at Ukrainian tanks and armor rumbling along their streets. They were horrified by the sight of burning bodies of Russian cutthroats.

Battlefield videos reveal Russians surrendering by dozens, falling to their knees and discarding their weapons. Surely the Kremlin leadership was perplexed, bewildered, stunned and embarrassed by the cleverness, ingenuity, skill, heroism and daring of Ukrainian soldiers.

Reportedly, Russia’s Defense Minister Andrei Belousov three times sought the United States’ intercession in telephone calls to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin but the American official did not pick up the call.

John Kirby, the US national security communications advisor, said on Monday that if Ukraine’s invasion into the western Russian region made Putin uncomfortable, “there’s an easy solution: He can just get the hell out of Ukraine and call it a day.”

Russian media reported that Putin was enraged by the Ukrainian invasion. The scale of the crisis became clear in Moscow on Monday, when Putin held a tense meeting with top security and government officials and the heads of the border regions, vowing to “kick the enemy out.”

A video of the meeting published by the Kremlin shows Putin scolding his subordinates, at one point shutting down the Kursk region’s acting governor Alexei Smirnov as he attempts to outline the scale of the invasion.

Russia also criticized Western allies of Ukraine at the United Nations on Tuesday, August 13, for not condemning Kyiv’s invasion into the Russian region of Kursk, accusing Ukrainian forces of killing civilians and questioning the goals of the cross-border assault.

Ukraine’s allies on the U.N. Security Council, including the United States, France and Britain, stood firm in their support for Kyiv during an informal council gathering convened by Russia. They did not mention the Kursk offensive.

Two US senators, Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), completed their sixth visit to Kyiv on August 12, 2024, meeting with Zelenskyy and other government officials. The senators expressed optimism about Ukraine’s military efforts, particularly praising the country’s offensive in Kursk as “bold and brilliant,” as noted by Blumenthal.

Lawmakers stressed the need for bipartisan support for Ukraine, pledging more military aid in 2024, and urged NATO to invite Ukraine to join this year, calling it “making real what is inevitable.” Zelenskyy and the senators discussed a strategic agreement on Ukraine’s rare earth minerals, crucial for the US economy. The senators emphasized that the deal would reduce reliance on “foreign adversaries” – i.e., China – for resources like lithium and titanium.

Blumenthal and Graham announced plans to introduce the Stand With Ukraine Act when the Senate reconvenes in September. This legislation aims to codify the bilateral security agreement reached between the Biden Administration and Zelenskyy’s government in July 2024. They stated in a joint release:

“After our sixth visit to Kyiv, we are more hopeful than ever that the tide of war has turned against Putin and his cronies. Ukraine’s decision to go on the offensive in the Kursk region of Russia was bold and brilliant.

“Bipartisan support for Ukraine is critical to American interests, and we will do whatever we can in 2024 to build on these successes and secure additional future military aid necessary to maintain the momentum.

“We urge NATO to issue an invitation this year to Ukraine for membership, making real what has been described as inevitable. 

“President Zelensky was excited about and was committed to obtaining a strategic agreement with the U.S. regarding the more than a trillion dollars-worth of rare earth minerals owned by Ukraine and expressed a commitment to create a working group with the U.S. to make this happen.

“Expanding economic cooperation with Ukraine makes America stronger and accelerates Ukraine’s economic recovery. Ukraine is blessed with significant lithium, titanium, and other rare earth minerals that are needed by the American economy. An agreement with Ukraine in this area would make the U.S. less dependent on foreign adversaries for rare earth minerals.

“In addition, we will introduce the Stand With Ukraine Act, led by Senator Blumenthal, when the Senate reconvenes in September. This bipartisan piece of legislation will codify the bilateral security agreement reached by the Biden Administration and Zelensky’s government this past July. We believe this will send an important signal to the world and show that the United States continues to stand with Ukraine.

“After listening to President Zelenskyy, we urge the Biden Administration to lift restrictions on weapons provided by the United States so they can strike the Russian invaders more effectively. 

“Additionally, President Zelenskyy told us both that he would be looking to supplement his Air Force by establishing a program to enlist retired NATO F-16 fighter pilots. We support this effort. Ukraine is already fielding units of freedom fighters on the ground, and this volunteer force should be replicated in the air.

“Now is the time to form a strategic partnership with Ukraine that can have tremendous economic benefits to the United States and lead to stability in Europe. Ukraine has demonstrated it has a genuine desire to join the democratic family of nations. We must not abandon them in their hour of need. We should accelerate the gains that have been achieved through dogged determination and courage.”