Donald Trump’s startling claim that he has “a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin” and can make a deal to stop the war faces voter backlash. Many view this as a Russian victory for the personal pleasure of Putin, a wanted war criminal and terrorist who allegedly directed the abduction of 700,000 Ukrainian children.
The Trump/Vance ticket has everything to lose and nothing to gain by advocating policies aimed at slashing support for Ukraine. While this appeals to hardliner isolationists, it contradicts the will of most American taxpayers and Independents who decide elections. A July 2024 Pew Research study reported only “29% of Americans believe that the US is spending too much on Ukraine.”
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Foreign policy is normally a mute issue but may become a crucial factor in this election. University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato suggested the race “will be determined by 7 battleground states” in a very close race. Battleground states Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin have a sizeable Ukrainian and Polish American population ranging between 6% and 9% that passionately support Ukraine.
It seems hilarious that Trumps running mate, JD Vance, touts himself as a foreign policy expert. He wants Ukraine to forfeit 27% its land to Russia to induce Russia into peace negotiations. During a September Ukraine Action Summit in Washington, the 500 attendees overwhelmingly blasted this as an illegal land heist for Russia. No one understands better than a 93-year-old Lithuanian-born American Veteran who endured the brutality of WWII. During a private conversation he emphasized that Russia will never negotiate sincere lasting peace until they are weakened or defeated.
How to Deal with Putin
The pitfalls of Donald Trump’s strategy relate to a false assumption that Russia will honor its treaties. Russia never honors peace agreements. In 1994, Ukraine relinquished its nuclear arsenal to Russia in exchange for peace and security guarantees per the Budapest memorandum. Russia violated this after violently annexing Crimea in 2014. Over the past decade “Russia has violated 400 of its International Treaties” according to Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
America must never deal with dictators like Vladimir Putin, who disrespect international borders and peace settlements. Since 1988 Russia has attacked Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine twice, Chechnya and Tajikistan. Not to mention that Russia carpet bombed Syrian cities to rubble.
In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain also foolishly touted a peace deal with Adolph Hitler. This agreement between Britain, France, Germany and Italy, let Germany seize western Czechoslovakia in exchange for peace. It merely postponed the inevitable as Germany ramped up its military complex for an attack on Poland in 1939, and Britain in 1940. This escalated further into World War II, costing the lives of 325,000 American soldiers.
Peace with Russia is a fool’s fantasy. Over the past 36 years numerous Russian leaders (Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Dimitry Medvedev and Vladimir Putin) have overseen Russian aggression against peaceful countries. Putin, became the world’s most dangerous terrorist because Western leaders allowed him to continually invade with impunity.
Former President Ronald Reagan understood that peace through strength – not appeasement – would bring Soviet Russia to its knees. As Reagan’s tenure ended, the Soviet Union collapsed. During the Reagan era, America spent approximately 5% to 7% of its GDP on defense. Meanwhile, JD Vance and Trump want to quash Ukraine aid, even though the $61 billion provided in military aid represents a mere 0.1% of America’s GDP. Relative to GDP, 13 European countries are providing more for Ukraine than America.
Voters of Eastern European descent are reeling over Trump’s menacing demeanor towards Ukraine and Poland. He recently suggested that Zelensky was a con artist and “Ukraine is dead” even though Ukraine’s economy is growing. Trump snubbed the Polish-American community by cancelling a scheduled meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda, an ardent Ukraine supporter. He refused to answer whether Ukraine should win during a debate with Kamala Harris.
Exactly how many voters will prioritize Ukraine over issues is unknown. But Republicans are likely giving the Democrats a handicap advantage of several percentage points by wrangling over Ukraine funding, which has practically zero impact on the budget.
In an election where razor thin margins will determine the outcome, Donald Trump should produce a comprehensive plan to help Ukraine defeat Russian aggression or face defeat. Likewise, Kamala Harris should do the same.
The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.
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