Putin & Ukraine

I am calling on our two US senators, Todd Young and Mike Braun, as well as Indiana’s US representatives to publicly repudiate Trump’s deeply disturbing support of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.  In case you haven’t paid attention, Trump called Putin’s invasion “genius” and “savvy.”

I am also calling on all Republicans to accept what would have happened in Europe if Trump had won the last election or if he is elected again.  Trump has been crystal clear in his admiration of Putin and his low regard for NATO.  For the purpose of clarity, NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, an alliance of democracies in Europe, Canada, and the United States.  NATO began as a bulwark against the spread of the Soviet Union’s control in Europe and now stands as a bulwark against Russian aggression.

That is what makes Republican accusations of Biden’s weakness in the face of the Ukrainian crisis so hypocritical.  Had Trump had won the last election, the US commitment to NATO would have been so weakened by Trump that Putin could invade not just Ukraine, but Poland, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and whatever other country he desires.  Put simply, without US backing, NATO doesn’t have the military forces or the weaponry to hold Putin at bay.  

It is not an exaggeration that Europeans see Putin’s invasion as the biggest threat to their security since Hitler.  They know that NATO will eventually have to draw a line, not with sanctions, but with troops prepared to fight Russian aggression.  It seems likely that Putin will not conform to international law and withdraw until he sees overwhelming troops confronting his own.  

No sane person in Europe, Canada, and the United States wants war.  But if recent history has taught us anything, it is that dictators grab all they are allowed to take.  Experts are convinced that Putin’s ultimate aim is to take back all the countries that once suffered under Soviet control.  How Putin will do this is now also clear.  He will invent stories of Russia’s security being threatened by European democracies, or he will spin yarns that neighboring countries want to be under Russia’s control.

There are many issues that will be part of the next presidential election, but I doubt if any will be more important than America’s role in stopping Putin.  If Trump or someone who shares his adoration for Putin is elected, Putin will see a green light to invade wherever he wants.  What we are witnessing in Ukraine will be but the beginning of a much larger crisis.

That is why now is the time for Republican senators and representatives to repudiate the bizarre stance that Trump is taking to Putin’s invasion.  Trump acts as if he is part of Russia’s public relations team if not on Russia’s payroll.  

And one final point has to be made clear:  European democracies are aware of everything Trump is saying and its implications for their future.  They know how close the last presidential election was, and they know that if Putin has a fawning booster in the White House, that will spell the end of the peace in Europe, a peace Europe and the rest of the world have enjoyed for over thirty years.  

If Trump is not repudiated, if the Republican party allows him to represent their party again, the next presidential election will determine not just America’s future, but Europe’s fate.