US companies can support Ukraine business with partnerships

YURI VANETIK, private investor, lawyer and political strategist based in California

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia reinvaded Ukraine in a broad-based offensive. My Ukrainian friends dismissed warnings from U.S. intelligence that the Russians intended to strike as Biden’s war mongering. I wrote about the rumours of war in Ukraine in The Wall Street Journal.

Russia disingenuously denied its intentions to invade. «Why would Russia reinvade, if it can just buy our politicians,» flippantly inquired one of my Ukrainian friends, currently serving in the President Zelensky administration.

By March, U.S. Congress had already approved $16.9 billion in emergency spending — a sum to cover traditional foreign aid, military supplies and U.S. military deployments and intelligence.

In terms of providing immediate aid, these funds are being put towards food and healthcare, migration and refugee assistance, economic support for surrounding countries and countering disinformation and Russian propaganda.

Yet beyond financial support, there is a need for greater sanctions on Russia. Political leaders and lobbyists are calling for second-tier sanctions on Russia, that would prohibit any U.S. banks from doing business with banks operating in Russia, as well as creating a no-fly zone.

Having Wall Street and Silicon Valley back such demands is critical, and is a means to cripple Russia’s banking and finance sectors. Indeed, Senator Pat Toomey has demanded the U.S. «force the world to choose