U.S. Ambassador William B. Taylor’s Oct. 22 testimony to the House Intelligence Committee was an important response to the often-heard cry emanating from the ongoing shocks of Russia’s intrusions into America’s politics: this is not who we are. His testimony did not shame Americans. The US ambassador to Ukraine did them proud.
The testimony reminded that America’s leadership is vital to democratic states globally, especially emerging ones like Ukraine. It tempered the pro-dictators’ messages flourishing in President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. He favors them; none more than Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, the declared hate-monger of the United States, NATO and demolisher of international law and order.
Trump’s views are corroding America’s longstanding foreign policy of supporting democracy-building in countries like Ukraine. This policy punished Russia with economic sanctions for annexing Crimea and waging a deadly war in Donbas. Since 2014, more than 13,000 have been killed and some 1.5 million displaced by the Kremlin determined to prevent Ukraine’s further move to the West. It’s fighting back to stay free and democratic –like America– but it needs help to withstand Russia’s onslaught.
America’s Senate and Congress responded to the need. Overwhelmingly, they allocated some $250 million in military aid. Trump withheld them. He twisted America’s support of a young democracy into a bargaining chip to advance his own 2020 presidential bid: Military aid would be granted only after Ukraine’s president investigated Joe Biden– a leading Democratic rival.
Such quid pro quo—indeed blackmail—is wrong and dangerous. It is not what America stands for. It denies aid to Ukraine. It supports Russia’s aggrandizement. It’s counter-productive to America’s interests. It undermines Congress. It is destructive to America’s governance; the separation of power which allows Congress, not the president, to allocate funds.
The president’s position rewards Russia and threatens Ukraine’s very existence just like President Putin wants. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi said to Trump: “All your roads lead to Putin.”
The latest roads in the Trump/Russia entanglements lead to the likes of Lev Parnas, Igor Fruman, Dmytro Firtash and other criminal oligarch elements. Despite never-ending lies, denials and obfuscations by the Trump team in proven or highly suspect Russia connections this is clear: all aim to kill the sanctions and to win the 2020 elections for Trump.
The first is a direct gift to Putin. The other ensures that Trump — who has nothing but praise for his Russian counterpart—continues to hold the most important political office in the world until 2024. And by then, who knows what other blows America will suffer from him or his handler.
The latest developments do not bode well. President Trump’s unilateral decision to pull out American troops handed Syria and the Kurds over to Russia. Many in Ukraine are saying that was another quid pro quo. This time for the life of the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to be exploited for election purposes.
At home, the president continues to undercut Congress. He supported die-hard Republican senators in storming the bi-lateral investigation into his impeachment. Now the Department of Justice, under his appointee William Barr is being co-opted: to investigate those who contributed to the Mueller investigations.
With all of this, can the appropriation of the Supreme Court, the entire intelligence, security, and defense apparatus to the president’s personal gains be next?
Perverting state institutions to serve the leader’s end is the hallmark of dictatorships. The Soviet Union–which Putin emulates– did it for nearly 80 years through the exclusivity of the Communist Party. President Putin manipulates them to stay in power; some twenty years now. He used his puppet in Ukraine–President Viktor Yanukovych—to corrupt all the branches of power –the executive, legislative and judicial—to ensure total control by Russia of Ukraine’s military, intelligence and security apparatus.
Trump admonishes Ukraine for its “terrible” corruption but he refuses to point a finger at his “smart” friend Putin who institutionalized it. It took the EuroMaidan Revolution, which ousted Yanukovych in 2014, to reverse back to a pro-West government. What will it take to normalize America’s politics after Trump?
Putin lost more than face in Ukraine. He struck back with military force annexing Crimea and waging war in southern Ukraine. In turn, Western democracies instigated economic sanctions, a punishing development which he is determined to remove. This is a key reason for penetrating U.S. politics. The other, of course is, the presidential elections.
Taylor’s testimony reminded of the torturous road that Ukraine is traveling to free itself from Russia’s clutches and build democracy, freedom, sovereignty, personal rights, dignity. This is why it needs both moral and military support from leaders like America. This is why Congress approved the military aid, and why Russia’s president wants none of it. Trump is helping him and hence the impeachment investigation.
When the US political mess is dealt with, Taylor needs to be honored for his backbone to stand up to a twisted man whose chief reason to hold the world’s highest political office is personal gain and serving America’s greatest enemy Russia.
Most Americans are like the ambassador; not like the president. Thank God!
Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, a former president of U.CAN Ukraine Canada Relations Inc. and senior policy advisor for the Canadian government, writes on Ukrainian issues.
