Ukraine Endgame?
Three presidents enter..
President Trump and Ukraine’s President Zelensky exchanged insults last week, in an apparent souring of the relationship between Washington and Kiev. President Trump “dismissed the Ukrainian leader as a ‘modestly successful comedian’ who essentially tricked the US into spending hundreds of billions for a war that ‘couldn't be won’ and should have never started.”
(I imagine it might not have been too difficult to persuade a US president with dementia and shameful connections to Ukraine, but that is history now, I guess.)
There was back and forth about whether American money sent to Ukraine was a loan or a grant. It seems there is not even agreement on the total figure. Ukraine is apparently going to pay European patrons back, but reports say the Biden administration made no such deal.
Maybe the President is just miffed that Ukraine could show a little more gratitude.
Trump wasn’t done, going on to brand Zelensky a “dictator” and calling for elections to be held in Ukraine. Ukraine has been under martial law since the Russian invasion and Zelensky’s presidential term only recently ended. Observers say that holding elections now could help pro-Russian candidates to gain influence. For his part, President Zelensky says Trump is falling for Russian disinformation.
President Trump accused Ukraine of starting the conflict, which had the media melting down. The President has previously stated uncategorically that Russia is the aggressor here, so it may have been a slip of the tongue. However, the US just voted against a UN resolution that sought to officially blame Russia for initiating the war, so I guess the Trump administration is playing its own game. There is certainly disagreement more broadly about who is the real bad guy here. Some say Ukraine had it coming, some say the West will regret it if they don’t keep Putin contained. While Ukraine and its government have their flaws, Putin is hardly a saint. From my perspective, it’s pretty clear who crossed whose border.
And yet there is no clear win here for the Ukrainians.
So, for now it would seem President Trump is focusing his attention on working with Putin to sort things out. He’ll be the latest in a long line of American presidents to try and reset relations with Russia. Representatives from both nations have met, saying this is a beginning and others will be invited to the discussion later. Kyiv has said it won’t agree to anything that is decided without out them, although historically, many nations have been excluded from their own peace talks – you can determine yourself whether those were ill-advised or wise.
European leaders worried out loud – if America is throwing Zelensky under the bus, does that mean he’s hanging Ukraine out to dry? (to mix all the metaphors..) Where does that leave them? Britain and France floated the idea of deploying peacekeeping troops to deter another Russian invasion, despite Moscow’s warning that it will not tolerate NATO forces on its border. But Europe’s response to this awful war has crystallized the cultural aimlessness and moral apathy that has become characteristic of many Western nations. No doubt, some believed the end of history was upon us, with the 90s signposting the beginning of humanitarian peace and prosperity. But Putin’s brutal invasion has shattered that illusion.
Writing from a British perspective, Aris Roussinos gathered together some straight-talking commentary on his home country and his reflections can really be applied more broadly. He notes that calls for national pride ring hollow after decades of Western elites denigrating every foundational principle: “voices now trying to summon up a martial spirit among their young are precisely the ones who have eroded this same common identity: something they achieved in a single generation”. Europe’s leaders “until now happily enjoyed a parallel reality of its own construction, where Western resolve was firm and Russia was always a few short months from collapse.” But apart from the lack of national identity and moral clarity needed to critique a foe like Vladimir Putin, the lack of preparation for such an enemy has resulted in “stern words concealing empty armouries”.
Bringing the bloodshed to an end must be a good thing. And if Trump’s approach wakes Europe out of complacency, then that also is a good thing. For now, there could be more on the line than we can know. But Jesus knows and he can work all things for our good and his glory.
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
FYI Rev Fisk wrote a handy outline of the main issues in this war. (Rev Fisk)
-updated to be more accurate 26th Feb!