Those pushing this approach point to the May 1955 Austrian State Treaty. That accord led to the withdrawal of allied occupation forces (American, British, French and Russian) on the understanding that Austria would declare itself a neutral state, which its parliament did that October, once all foreign troops had departed. During the Cold War, Austria stayed out of NATO and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact — and became a prosperous democracy as well. Advocates of Ukrainian neutrality invoke other successful examples, such as Finland during the Cold War. "What's not to like?" they ask, adding that Ukraine's entry into NATO is a distant prospect in any event. The U.S. has supplied Ukraine with $2.5 billion in arms since 2014 — including $400 million in 2021 alone — and American soldiers have been training its army since 2015. Those calling for additional arms deliveries to Ukraine mistakenly assume that its army can rapidly absorb massive amounts of advanced weaponry and that American military advisors could quickly train Ukrainian soldiers to use them in battle. They discount the prospect that Russia could call Washington's bluff, leaving the U.S. with two bad choices: standing aside to avoid war with Russia and allowing Ukraine's defeat, or riding to its rescue and risking a clash with Russia that could spin out of control — and end in an American defeat given that the fighting would occur on Russia's doorstep. Advocates of an airlift assume that Russia would stand by while the U.S. completes an aerial supply operation to make Ukraine's army more muscular. Paradoxically, rushing arms to Ukraine in hopes of protecting it could end up endangering the country by triggering a Russian attack. And far from boosting American credibility, it will end up eroding it. Having armed Ukraine, the United States will not go further and save it from defeat if that requires fighting Russia. That is the harsh reality. Politics Russia feels threatened by NATO. There's history behind that To Americans, the end of the Soviet Union 30 years ago is a done deal. To Putin, it's a catastrophe he longs to reverse. Dec. 19, 2021 The neutrality proposal, by contrast, has a significant advantage: It won't increase the probability of war. Yet given the prevailing circumstances, it won't work either.