On Aug. 24, Ukrainians marked 35 years of independence. The people of Ukraine observed this day while defending themselves against an unprovoked war, fighting again for the right they claimed in 1991 to choose their own future.
They marked this day sheltering from air raids, tracking the missiles that scar their skies, mourning their dead.
The Ukrainian people, though, also marked the day with friends. Leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of over 30 countries which continue to support Ukraine against Russia’s aggression, gathered, many of them in Kyiv, to publicly and clearly reaffirm their support and to show Russia that the world stands with Ukraine.
These public displays of solidarity aren’t just for show or diplomatic niceties. They show Ukrainians that they are not alone in a war they never chose and are fiercely determined to end. They also demonstrate to Moscow that almost five years of war have not broken Western resolve.
Russia attacked and invaded Ukraine and continues, on an almost nightly basis, to pummel apartment buildings, trains and schools, and the energy grid as winter creeps ever closer. This was Russia’s war of choice. Since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, analysts estimate that 125,000 to 150,000 Ukrainian service members been killed, with total casualties estimated at 525,000 to 625,000. Civilian deaths have climbed past 15,000, with tens of thousands injured and the real total probably higher.
Despite these catastrophic losses, and a generation of children who intimately understand the sound of air raid sirens, Ukrainians want what Americans have always sought for ourselves: the freedom to choose our leaders, defend our borders, and determine our future.
And the United States has stood with Ukraine: American weapons, intelligence, training, diplomatic, economic and humanitarian support helped Ukraine continue the fight, though never quite reached the point to help it win the war. Most importantly, the United States also did something America has done at important moments in our history: We brought others with us.
And those partners stepped up. At the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, last month, allies pledged €70 billion (almost $82 billion) in military equipment, assistance and training for Ukraine this year, with at least that level of support again in 2027.
Today, European NATO allies and Canada finance the vast majority of security assistance to Ukraine. In addition, and separately, the European Union has approved a €90 billion package for 2026 and 2027, including almost €60 billion for defense.
Through NATO’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List, or PURL, allies collectively identify equipment Ukraine urgently needs and that the United States can provide in greater quantities. This U.S.-developed and -manufactured materiel is then paid for by European allies and other partners, while NATO plays the coordination and delivery role.
More than $6 billion in American equipment has already been funded through this innovation whereby our European allies provide the resources and the United States furnishes the technical expertise and capabilities, with an end-goal of making sure that Ukraine gets what it needs.
That is the model of burden-sharing in practice. For years, American presidents have asked Europe to rebalance the responsibility for European security – not to mean American withdrawal, but to produce stronger and more capable allies.
While America cannot and should not do everything, our moral leadership and responsibility to our own security do require that we continue to step up and stand in the fight for freedom on Ukraine’s side. In Ukraine, our intelligence capabilities matter and have proved critical as the conflict grinds on.
American air and missile defense systems save the lives of innocents on a daily basis. Our cooperation through NATO and with partners on logistics and training is irreplaceable, as is our unique ability to coordinate, lead, and integrate complicated systems across countries and militaries.
While senior U.S. representatives weren’t with the European leaders gathered in Kyiv this Ukrainian Independence Day, we should take this opportunity to think about what comes next: A Ukraine capable of defending itself, rebuilding its economy, attracting investment, and securing its place in Europe. And after four and a half years of war, it’s absolutely clear that Ukraine isn’t just a recipient of Western expertise, but has in fact developed, at lightning speed, expertise the United States and our allies need in other battle spaces.
Over the course of a war they did not seek and did not provoke, Ukrainians developed, battle-tested, and innovated new generations of drones and established technology and doctrine on counter-drone and electronic warfare that no NATO exercise could replicate. As other conflicts continue to grind and new hotspots develop around the world, Ukraine should be the teacher – its military should train with us, its businesses partner with U.S. European companies, and its strategists share their hard-won wisdom.
What Ukraine has learned on the battlefield through blood and pain will make NATO stronger. And we should recognize how much that changes the relationship – a Ukraine that has moved to partner from recipient.
It’s simple: A Ukraine that can defend itself makes Europe safer, and a Ukraine that contributes its sharply unique expertise and knowledge to its partners makes the world safer. European allies that carry more responsibility make NATO stronger, and a stronger NATO means the United States will have the ability to focus our resources on challenges elsewhere, including in Asia.
Thirty-five years ago this week, Ukrainians chose independence. In 2026, through unprovoked terror and the targeting of civilians, Russia is trying to reverse that choice by force. This week, as the world marks this anniversary, we have the opportunity to confirm something simple and that resonates around the world: The choice of freedom belongs to the Ukrainian people.
In 2026, the war has evolved. Europe is doing more, and Ukraine is increasingly, in the midst of war, developing its own capabilities to bring to the table.
For our part, the United States must remain engaged, bringing our capability, our leadership, and our resolve to the right. Over the last almost five years, American leadership has helped Ukraine survive; now, we should help Ukraine secure its future.
