Statement from Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, USA Ret., President and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army: "While we fully support diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the conflict in Ukraine, we also believe it is time for a serious discussion – leading to a decisive plan – with our European allies about what to do if diplomacy fails. We could start by providing defensive lethal weaponry to Ukraine but we might need to plan for further and more pointed steps. The Russia-supporting splintering of Ukraine is a crisis today for that sovereign nation and could spread to a wider crisis for the continent. The U.S. and European allies cannot stand by while Russian military power is used to directly and indirectly to destabilize and fracture a nation that had been seeking closer ties to the West. This is a dangerous situation with global implications, and it poses a test of the resolve of the world to stand up against bullies and tyrants."