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The explosion of a drone lights up the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, June 17, 2025.
Gleb Garanich/Reuters
Michael writes: “The problem was not the fact that we could not deliver on the implicit promises we made to Ukraine. The problem was that we made these implicit promises without ever thinking seriously about whether we could live up to them.”
I think that is a fair criticism of the Biden administration, which routinely talked itself out of its own commitments. That is a reversible condition that the Trump administration should get to work reversing.
About the Author
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.
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Michael writes: “The problem was not the fact that we could not deliver on the implicit promises we made to Ukraine. The problem was that we made these implicit promises without ever thinking seriously about whether we could live up to them.”
I think that is a fair criticism of the Biden administration, which routinely talked itself out of its own commitments. That is a reversible condition that the Trump administration should get to work reversing.
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About the Author
Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.
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