• by Dave Morgan , Featured Contributor, July 10, 2025

I am writing this column from the sideline of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome, having just listened to inspiring addresses today from Ukraine President Zelensky, First Lady Zelenska, Italian Prime Minister Meloni, and the presidents of the EU, Poland and Germany. All made it clear that recovery in Ukraine cannot happen without victory in Ukraine.

This takes me to a line from historian Timothy Snyder’s wonderful piece this week recounting the special hospitality of being hosted for dinner in a private home in Ukraine, a privilege I’ve also enjoyed a number of times over the past two years.

He wrote, “Americans have the power to ensure that Ukraine wins this war.”

That statement is correct. Americans are singly positioned to ensure that Ukraine wins this war.

Of course, Russia could stop the war at any time: just stop fighting and withdraw its troops. But Putin has no intention of doing that. With war spending now fueling 30% of Russia’s GDP, stopping the war means the collapse of the Russian economy.

Even when the U.S. was doing more to support Ukraine than it is doing today, it wasn’t doing enough for Ukraine to win. Here’s what it will take to help Ukraine achieve victory:

Empathy. Understand that Ukraine is fighting for its country, its families, and its right to exist. Russia invaded Ukraine to destroy all that. Full stop.

Sell Ukraine needed weapons. More weapons to Ukraine, delivered faster, with fewer restrictions, will end the war sooner. Money is available, and U.S. taxpayers don’t have to pay. There is $300 billion in the U.S./Ukraine mineral deal financing available. There is another $300 billion in frozen Russian assets in Western banks. And there are hundreds of billions in new funds available from NATO nations that counts against each of their 5% of GDP commitments. Let Ukraine draw down all three now.

Intensify sanctions. U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal have drafted a bill with strong bipartisan support in both houses of Congress to significantly increase sanctions on countries that trade with Russia, by adding crippling tariffs. Let’s get the bill introduced, passed and signed now.

U.S. investments in Ukraine defense tech. Ukraine has revolutionized warfighting. The U.S. and NATO have exquisite weapons systems, but they are very expensive, and most of their battle-testing has only been against third world adversaries without air power, satellites, or any modern advanced weapons.

Ukraine is holding the world’s second most powerful military to a standstill and is rewriting weaponry and tactics with its innovations and inventions, from drones in the air and on the sea to electronic and cyber warfare, to AI on the battlefield. In all these areas, they are leapfrogging U.S. systems, with a majority developed by start-ups in garages and basements close to the front line. There are more than 1,500 manufacturers producing 3,300 different solutions, all being tested daily on the battlefield.

U.S. tech investors should take note. They have seen the explosive growth of U.S. defense tech unicorns like Palantir and Anduril, but the Ukraine startups are the ones present, learning and innovating on their tensely contested battlefield. There is an enormous opportunity for U.S. investors to help them, make money, and also ensure that the tech they develop is known and available at scale to the U.S. and NATO.

Russia hopes to conquer Ukraine and use its war-fighting capacity against the West. The U.S. should do the opposite. We need to help Ukraine win the war and leverage its defense tech in our looming major power conflict with China and its proxy enablers Iran, North Korea and Russia.

What do you think?