Ukraine, like Israel, is fighting the West’s war. The right response is support, not blame.
To President Donald Trump, Ukraine invaded Russia on Feb. 22, 2022. This is exactly backwards. Russia invaded Ukraine.
To President Trump, Volodymyr Zelensky is the dictator and Vladimir Putin is not. This is exactly backwards. Zelensky was elected in a real election — the surprise winner, in fact — while Putin was elected in a Russian election, whose winner is a foregone conclusion.
To President Trump, Zelensky played former President Biden “like a fiddle.” This is exactly backwards. Zelensky sacrificed tens (hundreds?) of thousands of his soldiers to defend the values of the West, and to weaken severely the American enemy, Russia; while the US provided weaponry and lost not a single soldier in the process.
To President Trump, the idea is to blame Ukraine in the UN General Assembly for starting the war and not to blame Russia in the UN Security Council for starting the war. Both UN votes — for our enemy, not for our ally — have it exactly backwards.
To President Trump, the idea is to rescue Putin when he is at his weakest, having lost some 100,000 soldiers and seen his weaponry radically diminished and his economy badly damaged. This is exactly backward for an opening negotiating position.
One might say that in order to end this war the US president needs a new, unprecedented, disruptive approach, which requires flattering the aggressor with what he wants to hear. The problem is that in doing so Trump lays down major concessions that cannot be pulled back if the aggressor actually comes to the table.
One might say that in order to get European nations to step up their own support for Ukraine, shock treatment is needed — the US must pull back. The problem is that shock treatment may well get Europe to increase its financial commitment to Ukraine, but not on the scale required. Here, Trump has it exactly forward: He correctly reads Europe’s unwillingness to pay for its own defense. Which makes his withdrawal of aid for Ukraine exactly backward: It will not sustain Ukraine because Europe will not pick up the slack to the extent needed.
One might say that Ukraine is a tough case to like. For all the injustice done to it by Russia, Ukraine has never once voted with Israel at the UN. Ukraine has a long history of lethal anti-Semitism. Ukraine is the land of Petlura and Babi Yar. Ukraine has come a long way on the anti-Semitism question, but not on the Israel question. None of this changes the calculus of democracy vs. authoritarianism, which Trump’s backward moves and statements on Ukraine ignore.
One might also say this: An American president who is willing to abandon one ally on grounds that are not true might abandon another ally — such as Israel. Right now, Trump stands firmly with Israel in its fight with inhumane terrorists who, next to killing the innocent, enjoy parading the caskets of their victims. Right now, Trump says yes to Israel and no to Ukraine. We are grateful for Trump’s support for Israel, but will it last? Will he, like his predecessor, start one way and end another?
© IJN 2025
