Editor’s Note: This feature separates Ukraine’s friends from its enemies. The Order of Yaroslav the Wise has been given since 1995 for distinguished service to the nation. It is named after the Kyivan Rus leader from 1019-1054, when the medieval empire reached its zenith. The Order of Lenin was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union, whose demise Russian President Vladimir Putin mourns. It is named after Vladimir Lenin, whose corpse still rots on the Kremlin’s Red Square, more than 100 years after the October Revolution he led.
Ukraine’s Friend of the Week: Impeachment witness Alexander Vindman
By Illia Ponomarenko
It was a sorrowful thing to learn from the news that Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, the key witness in the Trump-Ukraine impeachment case, announced his retirement from the U.S. Army on July 8.
After he in early 2020 dared to give his explosive testimony about U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s attempt to freeze almost $400 million in military aid and force Ukraine into investigating his rival Joe Biden, Vindman’s career fell into ruins.
Vindman stood before the Congress out of a “sense of duty” telling the truth about the president’s blackmailing stunt for the sake of very personal political gains. The Republican Senate eventually acquitted Trump — but the White House, as well as many in top U.S. national security establishment, will never forget Vindman’s brave stand.
First, he was booted from his position of Ukraine expert at the U.S. National Security Council. Then, according to numerous reports in the media, the Department of Defense failed to promote him to the rank of colonel — reportedly, due to objections from the White House.
Vindman knew powerful people in the military had problems with him progressing in his career. It was even reported that the outstanding national security and foreign policy expert was sneeringly offered a “rehabilitating assignment” and to “man a radar station in Alaska,” CNN sources said.
David Pressman, Vindman’s lawyer, said his client had endured a “campaign of bullying, intimidation and retaliation” spearheaded by Trump. Seeing few ways out, Vindman, the Purple Heart recipient, decided to leave and turn a new page in life after 21 years in active duty service.
The end result of this nasty story is undoubtedly a major loss for the U.S. Armed Forces, the national security community, and America as a whole. The United States neglected and lost a truly brave officer with a burning sense of justice who opted to stay loyal to America and its fundamental values, rather than to the selfish vested interests of politicians.
It is thanks to conscientious people like Vindman that evil often receives a counterpunch and has its shady plans foiled — which is exactly what happened to Trump’s attempts to intimidate Ukraine by withholding military aid, on which Kyiv heavily depends amid an ongoing hot conflict with Russia.
It is a loss for Ukraine as well.
In many ways, thanks to people like Vindman in Congress, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense, Ukraine continues to enjoy broad political and military support from the U.S., including the provision of lethal weapons and advanced military hardware it needs in the battlefield of Donbas.
He pressed two administrations in Washington D.C. since 2014 to continue supporting Kyiv in its struggle for independence and not to succumb to the Kremlin’s sweet proposals of deals with the devil.
In many ways, it was Vindman who saved the uninterrupted flow of American military aid to Kyiv that helps save so many lives of Ukrainian soldiers and officers.
Vindman says he is leaving the U.S. Army, the organization he loves, and we don’t yet know what he is going to do in civilian life. But what we know for sure is that he will always be a welcomed guest in Ukraine — his country of origin and the country he did his best to support.
Ukraine’s Foe of the Week: Rapper Kanye West
By Matthew Kupfer
Kanye West is running for president of the United States.
The acclaimed American rapper made the announcement on July 4 over Twitter, calling on people to “realize the promise of America by trusting in God, unifying our vision and building our future.”
Lest you take this for a joke — after all, he’s running under the banner of the “Birthday Party” — West explained his political platform days later in a colorful interview with the Forbes news site, where he described vaccines as “the mark of the beast” and said “they want to put chips inside of us.”
But why does that make West this week’s foe of Ukraine? After all, Ukraine elected a celebrity president and he hasn’t done significantly worse than previous presidents.
The answer is not obvious, but fairly simple.
While West is an extremely talented rapper and performer, his political instincts are hit or miss. West has actively supported important causes like prison reform, but has also praised Donald Trump and espoused strange political beliefs.
In 2018, he had a meeting with the U.S. president in the Oval Office where he wore a “Make America Great Again” hat and described Trump as a “fine wine” with “complex notes to it.”
Now, West says he is getting off the Trump train and removing the red hat. But should we actually believe it?
To many, West’s nascent campaign looks like a ploy to take votes away from the Democratic Party’s base, which includes many African-American and young voters. That would only benefit Trump, raising the possibility that West — who, according to Forbes editor Randall Lane, had expressed support for Trump just weeks before their interview — is actually trying to help the incumbent American president.
Even if West truly intends to run a serious campaign, his late start and the nature of the U.S. political system virtually ensure that he cannot win. He can only siphon off votes, most likely from the Democratic nominee, former Vice President Joseph Biden.
Secondly, were West to win the 2020 presidential election (humor me here…), he would not be America’s first celebrity president. That title belongs to Trump, who, despite masquerading a successful businessman, is actually a professional showman.
Trump’s presidency has been disastrous for Ukraine. While military aid for Kyiv did increase under his watch, the country found itself dragged into an international scandal after Trump and his associates accused Ukraine of interfering in the 2016 presidential election against him.
In response to this supposed interference, Trump tried to extort politically motivated investigations against Biden from Ukraine and threatened to withhold $400 million worth of military aid if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky didn’t give in. Trump nearly got away with it. The revelation of this deeply illegal quid pro quo ultimately led to his impeachment.
While bipartisan support for Ukraine remains strong in the U.S., the “UkraineGate” scandal has damaged the country’s relations with Washington, turned Ukraine into a shorthand for corruption and empowered a coterie of Ukrainian politicians who seek to wield supposed ties with Trump’s circle to gain influence and power.
This all demonstrates two things: Because U.S. support is so important for Ukraine, it requires a steady hand. Electing a celebrity who lacks knowledge of international affairs and experience in government — whether Trump or West — is bad news for Ukraine. Ukraine needs a U.S. leader who understands the importance of its democratic development, integration with Europe, territorial integrity and sovereignty. Both Trump and West lack that.
To this end, anyone who increases Trump’s chances of getting another term as president fundamentally undermines Ukraine’s interests. That includes Kanye West — something that makes him immediately merit the Order of Lenin.
In his hit song “Stronger,” West channels Friedrich Nietzsche and raps: “Now that that don’t kill me, can only make us stronger.”
I hope that Kanye West will recognize that not being president will make him stronger: more capable of advocating for the issues that matter to him without having to deal with ones that don’t — like Ukraine.
