Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reason
Reason
Politics
Ilya Somin

Trump's Shameful Betrayal of Ukraine

The flag of Ukraine on a pole | Denys Bozduhan | Dreamstime.com
(Denys Bozduhan | Dreamstime.com)

Today is the third anniversary of the beginning of Russia's full-blown assault on Ukraine, on February 24, 2022. Sadly, over the last few weeks, the Trump Administration has moved towards abandoning Ukraine to its brutal enemy. Trump has essentially adopted the Kremlin line on the war - blaming Ukraine for Russia's aggression, and made a series of concessions to Vladimir Putin (foreclosing Ukrainian membership in NATO, letting Russia keep the territory it occupied, etc.), without demanding anything from Russia in return. The Administration has been trying to make a deal under which the US will have rights to much of Ukraine's mineral resources. But they aren't offering any security guarantees or continuation of military aid in return. On top of that, as part of a broader assault on legal immigration,  Trump has suspended the highly successful Uniting for Ukraine program, under which Americans are able to sponsor Ukrainian refugees to live and work in the US.

This shift is reprehensible on both moral and strategic grounds. Most conservatives back US support for Israel's war against Hamas, because of the horrific atrocities of the latter. Russian atrocities in Ukraine are comparably awful, and on a much larger scale.  Russian forces have brutally massacred civilians, tortured and executed prisoners, and kidnapped thousands of children.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.