Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

The old adage “you are with us, or you are against us” bears a strong meaning these days. The U.S. is worried about China and Russia at the same time while looking for strong allies to keep the balance of powers and avoid war. Some are not playing ball.

Look at the military. People serving in the military keep a sharp eye to know who they can trust. Anyone who is not on their ship, or in their squad, or on their base is a potential foe and should not be trusted. That helps them do their jobs and keeps them safer.

A similar concept should hold true for the contractors that build the weapons our warriors use. You are either with us, or against us. Not only should people in uniform be able to trust the people on their ship, but they also need to be able to trust the people who built the ship. Or the rifle. Or the aircraft.

Right now, there is no reason for our military to trust the contractor Airbus. They are not with us. “Airbus SE, formerly Airbus Group SE, is a company based in the Netherlands that is active in the aerospace and defense industry,” the business journalism service Reuters writes. “The Airbus Defence and Space segment produces military combat aircraft and training aircraft, provides defense electronics and global security market solutions, and manufacturers and markets missiles.” They are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, aerospace company in the world.

The entire democratic world — all the countries that created Airbus or buy weapons from it — is imposing strict economic sanctions against Russia. The goal is to punish Moscow for invading Ukraine this year and to force it to withdraw. People in many countries are feeling the pain: gasoline and natural gas are far more expensive now than they were last year because Russia supplies so much fuel.

Airbus believes they are too big to play ball. Airbus opposes economic sanctions because they would reduce the company’s supply of a key metal, titanium. This is ridiculous and Airbus should not be allowed to contract with the Pentagon. They are seeking contracts with the Air Force to produce the next generation of refueling tanker.

The problem is that they are not on our side when it comes to sanctions. “In April 2022, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury asked titanium companies not to be included on sanctions lists, but reiterated that the manufacturer was looking for alternative sources of titanium,” an aviation website explains. “According to Faury, while such sanctions would not harm Russia, they would ‘massively damage’ Europe’s aviation industry.” The sanctions were discussed, but then were dropped. The company seems to believe it can ignore the ongoing war in Ukraine, so it can continue to do business in Russia.

Titanium is important in building aircraft, and Airbus gets about half of its titanium from Russia. However, natural gas is also important, and Germany has decided to go without Russian natural gas. Oil is also important, and the Western world is going without Russian oil. Other aerospace companies are doing without Russian supplies, and Airbus could do so as well.

The White House reminds us that: “The United States, alongside over 30 partners around the world, has imposed unprecedented sanctions and export controls to hold President Putin to account for his war against Ukraine, restrict Russia’s access to critical technology it needs to fund its war machine, and turn Russia into a global financial pariah.” But that won’t happen if sanctions are applied in only certain places on only certain goods. If Russia can sell titanium, it can use the profits to fund its war machine.

Sanctions matter, and they are helping keep the pressure on Russia. They are the best tool the West has to help Ukraine, since nobody is prepared to insert troops into the theater and risk a wider war with the Russians. Companies need to support sanctions. If a company doesn’t, there is no reason for Americans to support them with contracts and tax dollars.

Bill Martinez is an award-winning marketing and broadcast journalist and host of the nationally syndicated radio show, Bill Martinez Live. Find out more at billmartinezlive.com. 

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Bill Martinez

Bill Martinez is an award winning marketing and broadcast journalist and host of the nationally syndicated radio show, Bill Martinez Live.

Latest posts by Bill Martinez (see all)

• Bill Martinez: Whose side are they on? - December 1, 2022
• Loopholes should not be allowed to undermine sanctions against Russia - September 26, 2022
• The US Air Force should not depend on Russia for its next strategic aircraft - April 22, 2022

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