Kurt Volker, the one-time U.S. Ambassador to NATO, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the United States and its allies must stop "the slow rolling of our assistance" to Ukraine.
Joining "Rob Schmitt Tonight," former President Donald Trump's head of Ukraine negotiations emphasized Russian President Vladimir Putin's year-long invasion would not let up anytime soon, despite heavy losses.
"Vladimir Putin has staked his reputation and legacy on winning this war," Volker said. "He's trying to take over four provinces of Ukraine that he claims to have annexed.
"And he's not winning at that, so he just keeps throwing more and more resources at the fight."
"What we should be doing is stopping the slow rolling of our assistance," he continued. "I don't see the point in saying that we're not going to provide tanks and then two weeks later providing tanks."
Volker further made the case the U.S. "has a stake" in defending Ukraine, specifically to prevent Putin from moving into the territory of NATO allies in the Baltic states and Scandinavia.
If the Kremlin wins its campaign in Ukraine, "then we're on the hook to defend our NATO allies. So, we don't want to be in that position. So, we should be helping Ukrainians with all the equipment they need faster to get this over."
Russia has touted advances in recent weeks after several months of stagnation on the Ukrainian battlefield since Kyiv's successful counter-offensive concluded in November, Reuters reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Wednesday on its Telegram account that Ukrainian troops retreated "a distance of up to 3 km from the previously occupied lines" during several battles in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office admitted to the outlet that, although several attacks have been repelled, "the situation in the region remains difficult."
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