Peace Through Strength
While most Americans were watching fireworks on July 4th, the people of Ukraine were also watching fireworks; however, these fireworks consisted of drones and missiles designed for maximum destruction of civilian infrastructure and to terrorize the Ukrainian population. There is no disputing the fact that the Russian military is no longer advancing on the battlefield. In fact, Russia occupies only about 1percent more Ukrainian territory than it did when this war began three and a half years ago. Yet, the Russian military has suffered over one million casualties. The only advantage Russia has in this war is its ability to send hundreds of drones and launch dozens of missiles daily. Other rogue regimes, including Iran and North Korea, have supported Russia’s ability to continue this. Russia’s conventional forces are unlikely to defeat Ukraine.
Almost every major European leader has visited Kyiv and made the statement that this war cannot continue; it must be stopped. The most logical approach to ending this war is to bring economic pain to Russia, and I mean the type of pain that the average Russian can’t endure. However, it is worth noting that my experience in this part of the world has shown me that the average Russian can endure hardships like no other people.
In my view, this Peace Through Strength initiative should consist of the following three objectives:
- Innovation, Collaboration
- Weaponization, Joint Production
- Economic Sanctions, Penalties
The innovation and collaboration concept primarily involves a strategic partnership among Ukraine, the US, and other NATO allies. A minerals deal with Ukraine was agreed to earlier this year; however, let’s be realistic here – there will be no sharing of Ukraine’s resources or any other strategic benefit if Ukraine loses this war. This war has changed the way conflicts will be conducted going forward. Ukraine is at the forefront of drone technology, and this is not just an evolution but a revolution. It is a seminal moment for future wars, and a joint focus on drone warfare is now the most urgent and valuable lesson to come from a Ukraine-US agreement. It is one of the keys to helping end this war. The US and other allies must be involved in these developments. It has been estimated that drones cause eighty to ninety percent of battlefield deaths. Operation Spiderweb is a real-world example of battlefield facts.
The concept of weaponization and joint production is a simple concept of providing Ukraine with the weapons it needs to not only defend itself but also to take the war deep inside Russia. The first step in production needs to start with scaling the drone ecosystem. Ukraine indeed needs more air defense systems, but we need to rethink and reallocate our resources to help them take the offensive. The average Russian should experience what the civilian population in Ukraine is experiencing daily. We need to rethink and retool, as this war has changed, and so must our approach. The Germans, to this point, have refused to provide Ukraine with their Taurus long-range missiles. The relevant question is why? Do they lack the political will and courage? The same applies to the Biden Administration and its constraints. They would not allow the Ukrainians to use the weapons we provided to strike Russian territory. The Russians knew this and therefore stationed their troops and equipment next to Ukrainian territory and fired away without any fear of retaliation—a strange way to fight a war. And one more point – why is the Kerch Bridge still operable?
The last objective is to bring the Russian economy to its knees. The US and the EU have the necessary resources to do this. As I have stated in previous writings, the Russian economy is no match for the economic strength of the two largest economies in the world. The Russian economy is approximately USD 2 trillion, and the combined economies of the US and EU countries are roughly USD 55 trillion. Russia is no match if we bring the type of sanctions that are needed. The first step should be to exclude all Russian banks from the SWIFT system, and I mean all banks. The second one should be to place a limit on the price of Russian oil in the international markets. Thirty USD a barrel is a logical number. The Russian economy cannot function without crude exports. Curtail that, and the war will end within months.
There are similarities to the Ukraine conflict and the war between Iran and Israel. The Trump Administration needs to apply the same firm stance with Russia as it did with Iran. The US applied ultimate force on Iran, and I am hoping it will use the same logic with Russia. The only difference between the two is that the actions in Ukraine will not involve one American soldier. This course of action consists of providing Ukraine with the weapons it needs and implementing the sanctions that will ensure Russia realizes it cannot win in Ukraine. The Biden Administration was intimidated by Russia’s nuclear threats. Therefore, they never provided the weapons, both in quantity and quality, that Ukraine needed to gain the edge on the battlefield.
If the Trump Administration wants to achieve its stated goal of a durable and lasting peace, you have to be willing to tell Putin there are real and serious consequences for defying the US. You are not going to be able to sweet-talk Putin into giving up his ambition for total control over Ukraine. Putin’s survival depends on a favorable outcome in Ukraine. To this point, we have not seen the same level of resolve applied to Iran as is being shown toward Russia. We have not seen it yet, but there is still hope we will see it soon.
This is a footnote for many readers who may wonder what America First has to do with Ukraine. My response is that, first of all, this war is not solely about helping Ukraine. It is about stopping Russia and degrading its capabilities so that it can never do something like this again. Here is a point that seems to be missing in this conflict, as well as the cost it entails. My response is that the cost to help Ukraine defeat Russia is a rounding error compared to all the money that has been allocated to fighting the Cold War with Russia. Think of all the money that has been spent trying to contain Russia’s imperial ambitions and their destructive behavior since the end of WWII. Russia is constantly looking for ways to create chaos where it can cause harm to us and our allies.
The Putin regime is obsessed with being perceived as a global power and will continue to look for ways to lessen or weaken American influence on the world stage. As part of their efforts, they continue to seek ways to divide public opinion right here at home. The cancer of divisiveness is eating away at our collective will to do things for the greater good. It’s time we acknowledge a crucial truth: Americans have allowed social media to erode critical thinking, which is undermining our diversity of thought and our willingness to speak up on vital issues. We need a common-sense purpose that puts American workers and American interests at the forefront. My question is: What are we giving the Russians 50 days? During this timeframe, 50 thousand Russian troops will be killed, and countless innocent Ukrainians will also be killed.
Prepared by Terry L. Stroud – July 2025
