WASHINGTON — I was alarmed by an opinion published on Aug. 20 in the Kyiv Post by my fellow Ukrainian American, George Woloshyn, seemingly defending U.S. President Donald Trump, who is Ukraine’s most powerful detractor in America.
Woloshyn’s article takes the reader on a canter through 20th century U.S. history and highlights some of the reasons why many Ukrainian Americans have traditionally voted for the Republican Party and felt suspicious of the Democratic Party.
Some of those reasons are justified – that after both World War I and II, Democratic presidents effectively helped deliver Ukraine into the Kremlin’s clutches.
He accuses, on more shaky grounds, Democratic presidents who followed later of failure to vigorously support Ukraine.
But then Woloshyn concludes with a non-sequitur that is completely unsubstantiated and absolutely wrong: “Based on the information at hand, and after filtering out the rhetoric from the substance, I don’t think Trump disappoints both in his support for Ukraine and his pushback to Vladimir Putin.”
I am a lifelong conservative and would have voted for past Republican candidates like the late Senator John McCain, a great friend of Ukraine, or Woloshyn’s favored candidate, Mitt Romney. Ronald Reagan is one of my political heroes.
But I refused to vote for Republican candidate Trump in the 2016 U.S. election and will vote for the Democratic Party’s presidential hopeful, Joe Biden, in this one. Trump has displayed, for four years, many revolting characteristics including mendacity, profound ignorance, greed, all-consuming narcism, and is connected to Moscow by myriad murky associations that dance around the fringes of treachery.
However, Ukrainian American voters, in particular, should be concerned that another Trump term would see his “friend,” Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, emboldened to launch fresh aggression against Ukraine.
I have joined a group called Ukrainian-Americans for Biden which hopes to persuade voters from the U.S. diaspora, regardless of whether they formerly voted Republican, to vote for the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Joe Biden.
To that end I have tried to identify the main reasons some Ukrainian-American voters support Trump. These are:
a) Trump gave Ukraine state of the art Javelin anti-tank missiles.
b) He is opposing the Nord Stream II (NS2) Moscow-led pipeline to supply Russian gas to western Europe avoiding the existing pipeline across Ukraine, which brings cash-strapped Kyiv billions of dollars in transit fee revenues as well as providing her with important political leverage against the Kremlin.
c) Trump has increased sanctions against Russia.
d) The previous U.S. administration under President Barack Obama reacted feebly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But a careful examination of these issues shows why anybody who cares about Ukraine should not vote for Trump:
On Javelin missiles: Everything Trump has said about Ukraine (examples later in this article) is loaded with loathing and, coupled with his oft-repeated praise and admiration for Putin, indicates the last thing he would ever do – voluntarily – is to provide military aid, including lethal weapons, to Ukraine.
Ukraine has been helped, since the Russian invasion and war began in 2014, not by Trump but by many patriotic officials serving in the White House, at the State Department, the Pentagon and other divisions of government and by crucially-important bipartisan Congressional support for Ukraine.
They recognized that U.S. and Ukrainian interests coincide and they know Ukraine is fighting not only for itself but to parry Putin’s ambition to force other countries in the region into a new Russian Empire and to undermine a peaceful world order based on law constructed by Western countries led by America after World War II.
Among the people who supported Ukraine are Generals Jim Mattis, H.R. McMaster and John F. Kelly, former FBI director James Comey and former National Intelligence chief Dan Coats, former heads of mission to Ukraine Ambassadors Marie Yovanovitch and William Taylor, former top intelligence experts Fiona Hill and decorated war hero Colonel Alexander Vindman, leading Republican Party member John Bolton, Wess Mitchell former Assistant Secretary of State, US Special Representative to Ukraine Kurt Volker and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley.
Many are staunch Republicans and many were dismissed by Trump for placing loyalty to America above craven obedience to him.
Such honorable and patriotic people within the administration have provided help – including Javelins – to Ukraine DESPITE Trump not because of him.
On the Nord Stream II pipeline: Trump has indeed been against NS2 for years. But his opposition to the pipeline has nothing to do with support for Ukraine but is because he hates German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country backs the project.
Trump is also against NS2 because without it U.S. liquid natural gas (LNG) exports will have less competition. America, a net energy exporter, needs to find new markets and Europe, currently getting much of its gas from Russia, is a key target market.
Stopping NS2 would undoubtedly be good for Ukraine but Trump’s motive is completely unconnected with any desire to help Ukraine.
On increased sanctions against Russia: Trump has been extremely reluctant to increase sanctions against Russia and has been dragged, kicking and screaming, into doing so by some in his own administration and – crucially – by bipartisan Congressional pressure.
Soon after his election victory, Trump signaled he was willing to lift sanctions against Russia imposed by the Obama/Biden administration for Moscow’s aggression in Ukraine and interference in the 2016 U.S. election.
Trump explored ways of lifting sanctions after he was inaugurated. That alarmed both Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress so much they passed legislation, with overwhelming bipartisan support, to prevent Trump unilaterally removing the sanctions.
On Obama’s action after Russia invaded Ukraine: Obama’s administration did impose sanctions and pressured the European Union to do so.
Under Obama, America provided much non-lethal military equipment and invaluable intelligence on Russian military moves, including from satellite surveillance.
Crucially the U.S. provided military training that was vital in rebuilding Ukraine’s debilitated military. Some Ukrainian commanders insist that training was more important than any weapons America might have provided.
Then vice president Biden advocated game-changing military support for Ukraine, including supplying Javelin anti-tank missiles, but was overruled.
Trump lavishes praise on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin who he calls a “friend” and “gentleman.”
He has never criticized Putin for invading Ukraine and killing thousands of Ukrainians and has suggested that Crimea rightfully belongs to Russia.
Trump wants Russia allowed back into a G7 + 1 club of the world’s biggest economies, from which it was ejected following its invasion of Ukraine. He wants that to happen without Moscow withdrawing from territory it occupies in Ukraine or ditching plans to destroy Ukrainian sovereignty.
There is much evidence that Trump’s businesses were rescued from bankruptcy by dirty Russian money, which makes him hostage to pressure from Moscow.
Trump has enthusiastically adopted Moscow’s false narrative that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election. His personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has visited Ukraine in attempts to prop up those lies.
Trump tried to withhold badly-needed U.S. military aid until Ukraine provided political dirt in support of a fake story to damage Joe Biden ahead of the 2020 election. He only unblocked military assistance after bipartisan pressure from Congress. His attempt to strong-arm Ukraine led to his impeachment by Congress.
It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to find examples of Trump speaking positively or supportively about Ukraine. But there are plentiful statements and examples of Trump’s behavior that show he would sell Ukraine out to the Kremlin in a heartbeat.
A chapter in a recent book by John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, deals with Ukraine and lists Trump’s hostility and insulting attitude toward Ukraine and its “horrible people” and his repeatedly favorable attitude toward Putin.
Putin likely feels confident that, under a Trump presidency, he can continue undermining Ukraine and waging war against her.
Another Trump term could place Ukraine in existential danger.
Overall Trump’s actions have been consistently pleasing for Moscow and the Kremlin itself has admitted that there were plenty of Champagne corks popping in Moscow when Trump became president.
Excerpts from two major U.S. intelligence assessments made public this month (August) concluded that Russia wants Trump to win the election in November and is using the Internet and other murky techniques to denigrate Biden because of his support for Ukraine.
Biden has said he wants Ukraine to prosper as a bulwark of freedom and democracy in Europe and has promised, as president, to dramatically increase military aid to Ukraine including providing sophisticated lethal weapons.
Ukrainian-Americans should help ensure Putin will not be celebrating after November’s election. No Champagne corks will be popping in the Kremlin if Biden becomes president.
