We’ve been at war with Russia for three years now. We’ve provided arms to the Ukrainians in their fight against a Russian invasion. That money doesn’t go directly to the Ukraine, but to American defense contractors, which helps our economy. 45 other countries also provide weapons and support, and together we’ve imposed sanctions on Russia to cripple their economy.
Because the Russian invasion isn’t only a violation of international law and the Russian constitution, it’s a traditional American value. We learned in WWII what happens when aggression isn’t challenged in the beginning, before it has a chance to spread.
The Ukrainians have paid dearly with around a half million casualties, and closing in on 100,000 dead. Those people gave their lives fighting for their country. The Ukrainians still support the fight, as does our allies.
This week Trump bypassed the Ukraine and our allies and is working to strike a deal, which by all reports is favorable to Russia. In short, we surrendered on behalf of the Ukraine, which has no intention of surrendering. Which prompted Trump to not only accuse the Ukrainians of causing the invasion, but went as far as to call their democratically elected president a dictator.
It’s not often the United States surrenders, especially when it comes to Russia. So this is a moment worth lingering on.
I won’t pretend to know why Trump is so fond of the Russians, but this puts us at odds with our traditional allies, and lands us in bed with countries like Iran and North Korea which support the Russians.
I get it, it comes down to economics. We have to sacrifice a bit financially when we fight for freedom, but not as much as those who are actually dying for the cause.
Is it just me, or does this seem like the American values we were raised on, that our soldiers fought and died for, are now being tossed aside by a single person? Who once claimed he’d end the war the day he took office. The only question is, if all you’re doing is surrendering to the enemy, why does it take so damn long?