by OREST DEYCHAKIWSKY
March 21, 2025
Ukrainian Weekly
To say that this has been a tumultuous time in U.S.-Ukraine relations is a major understatement. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agreeing to halt energy attacks on Ukraine on March 18 (which Russia has already violated) falls far short of the unconditional 30-day cease-fire proposed by the U.S. and Ukraine a week earlier. His effective rejection of the proposal vividly underscores the notion that there is still an incredibly long and complex path ahead for anything approaching meaningful peace in Ukraine, if it can be achieved at all. Many pitfalls lie ahead, in part due to U.S. President Donald Trump’s continuing seeming affection for the Russian war criminal, which stands in sharp contrasts with his treatment of Ukraine’s democratically elected president.
In the last month there has been a plethora of counterproductive, unnecessary and even cruel Trump administration actions with respect to Ukraine. One glaring example of the Trump team’s incompetence is the throwing away of negotiating leverage by ruling out North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO membership for Kyiv and insisting that Ukraine make territorial concessions. Someone needs to take a course in diplomacy 101.
Mr. Trump has been exceptionally tough on the victim of an unprovoked, unjustified, savage war, while being warm and fuzzy toward the perpetrator. It’s now sticks for the victim and carrots for the aggressor.
We all saw this first-hand during the infamous Oval Office debacle between Mr. Trump (with a major assist from J.D. Vance) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Among the many things that struck a nerve with me was the criticism of the Ukrainian president for not being thankful enough. Mr. Zelenskyy has repeatedly thanked the United States publicly (a CNN story chronicled 33 public expressions of thanks), as well as in countless private meetings with U.S. officials. I challenge anyone to find any foreign leader in history who has thanked America more profusely than has the Ukrainian leader.
Now here’s a thought: Maybe, just maybe, it’s America that should be profoundly thanking Ukraine. After all, it’s the Ukrainian people who are bearing the burden of protecting the free world – especially Ukrainian soldiers who are fighting and dying on the frontlines for the cause of freedom. Since the full-fledged war started, Congress has appropriated a total of $175 billion in Ukraine-related military and non-military aid, with $120 billion allocated to programs that directly support Ukraine. It’s not $350 billion, as Mr. Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed.
This is a colossal amount of money – no doubt about it. At the same time, this is a minimal cost when compared to the size of the federal budget, and only a tiny sliver of America’s GDP. Much
of the money is spent in the United States. The money spent has come with an incredible return on investment by reinforcing our own security (including by degrading the Russian military), helping to maintain the international order (which, despite what Mr. Trump might think, does serve our interests), and providing economic advantages. The costs to the United States will be far, far greater should Ukraine be taken over by Russia.
The suspension of U.S. military aid and intelligence sharing went beyond the pale and caused considerable consternation. Thankfully, it was quickly reversed.
There were other appalling claims by the Trump administration – that it was Ukraine which started the war, and that Mr. Zelenskyy, who was democratically elected, is a dictator. Or calling for elections in Ukraine, which are prohibited under martial law and the constitution. Holding anything approaching free and fair elections without a sustainable peace would be nearly impossible.
There was the shocking February 24 U.S. vote alongside such democratic stalwarts (yes, I’m being sarcastic) as North Korea, Belarus, Hungary – and, of course, Russia itself – in the U.N. General Assembly against a resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor in the war.
And then there have been administration officials spouting Kremlin talking points, and Mr. Trump’s “co-president,” Elon Musk, calling Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), a dedicated supporter of Ukraine, a “traitor” for visiting Ukraine. As I recently posted on Facebook: “Elon Musk, even with your billions, you are a zero compared to Mark Kelly.”
I doubt if Mr. Trump cares about Ukraine or has any knowledge or appreciation of the country, and at best only a vague awareness of its long history of struggle against Russian imperialism. He might do well to read recent U.S. intelligence reports that doubt Putin’s willingness to end the war, which have concluded that the Russian dictator is still committed to his maximalist goal of dominating Ukraine.
So, what now? As unlikely as it seems, we need to be open to the possibility that Mr. Trump’s thinking could evolve. Indeed, on occasion, he has shown glimpses of cognizance, realizing that reaching even a temporary cease-fire, not to mention durable peace, is an incredibly complicated endeavor. His March 18 lengthy phone call with Putin should have at a minimum raised serious questions in his mind as to whether the Russian tyrant even wants peace.
One hopes that it will become increasingly and painfully evident to Mr. Trump that Putin – the evil but savvy ex-KGB agent – is manipulating him and will string along any peace process. Mr. Trump might conclude that the only way to achieve even limited gains with Putin is with sticks, not carrots. His March 18 call with Putin should help him shed the obscene notion that it is Kyiv that stands in the way of peace and that concessions need to be made by the aggressor, and not only by the victim. Mr. Trump needs to grasp the notion that Kyiv’s conditions for a deal, including most notably meaningful security guarantees, are eminently reasonable, while Russia’s, to date, have been anything but.
To try and predict what Mr. Trump, given his volatility, will do is a difficult, if not futile, task. He could keep giving in to Putin, or he could get tired of Putin’s intransigence and his playing
him for a fool. Mr. Trump might realize that he doesn’t want an Afghanistan on his watch, which would pale in comparison to losing Ukraine. Hope springs eternal. In any event, all who care about Ukraine’s fate, political figures and lay people alike, need to make their voices heard and keep working for the best possible outcome.
Orest Deychakiwsky may be reached at orestdeychak@gmail.com.