The Ukraine & US formalized our “ad hoc” alliance in 2008 & 2021 with two documents being signed by both parties.Those documents are called “US Ukraine Charter for Strategic Partnership.”
We’ve an alliance with Ukraine, an alliance many Americans don’t know or care about.
Yep, with the Budapest Memorandum we assured Ukraine that in case of aggression, we would take their case before the UN Security Council. And we did. With the Strategic Partnership, we promised we will continue to maintain sanctions. We have just about sanctioned ourselves into bankruptcy. When Ukraine signs Minsk III, or somesuch ceasefire agreement, giving up claims to Donetsk, Luhansk, and Crimea, it will be resolved.
https://www.state.gov/u-s-ukraine-charter-on-strategic-partnership/
The United States and Ukraine intend to continue a range of substantive measures to prevent external direct and hybrid aggression against Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for such aggression and violations of international law, including the seizure and attempted annexation of Crimea and the Russia-led armed conflict in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, as well as its continuing malign behavior. The United States intends to support Ukraine’s efforts to counter armed aggression, economic and energy disruptions, and malicious cyber activity by Russia, including by maintaining sanctions against or related to Russia and applying other relevant measures until restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.The United States does not and will never recognize Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and reaffirms its full support for international efforts, including in the Normandy Format, aimed at negotiating a diplomatic resolution to the Russia-led armed conflict in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine on the basis of respect for international law, including the UN Charter. The United States supports Ukraine’s efforts to use the Crimea Platform to coordinate international efforts to address the humanitarian and security costs of Russia’s occupation of Crimea, consistent with the Platform’s Joint Declaration.
Blinken signed this commitment on Nov 10, 2021 in the midst of the Russian buildup on the Ukrainian border. It has received very little notice publicly and Congress was AWOL. Provocation is not too strong of a word. We should have been marshaling diplomatic efforts globally to avoid the imminent conflict. Instead, we led Ukraine down the primrose path to war.