Conservative Crossroads with Henry Olsen: US Policy on Ukraine at the Crosroads

This episode of Conservative Crossroads features a spirited debate between Luke Coffey of the Hudson Institute and Michael Brendan Doherty of National Review on the future of U.S. policy toward Ukraine. Coffey argues that American support for Ukraine is in the nation’s strategic and economic interest, emphasizing that aiding Ukraine weakens Russia, strengthens NATO, and provides invaluable battlefield lessons that benefit U.S. defense readiness. He frames the aid as a cost-effective investment—less than 0.1% of U.S. GDP—while boosting American industry and deterring China. Doherty counters that U.S. policy has been a strategic failure, rooted in the 2008 Bucharest Summit promise of future NATO membership, which he claims provoked Putin’s invasion. He argues that the U.S. overpromised without delivering, creating a dangerous geopolitical limbo that destabilized Ukraine and invited Russian aggression. He warns that America’s credibility is at stake, and that without public support or a clear path to victory, continued aid is unsustainable. Both agree on the importance of avoiding direct U.S. combat, but diverge sharply on whether the war should be won, frozen, or ended with de facto Russian control of occupied territories. The episode concludes with Coffey advocating for continued support as a responsible, low-cost national interest move, while Doherty calls for a more restrained, realistic exit strategy to preserve American credibility and avoid long-term entanglement.