“Diverse, creative, and spiritually enlivened” were three ways a National Geographic journalist chose to describe the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, in the summer of 2018. The city had entered a sort of Renaissance period following Ukraine’s liberation from Russia in the early 1990s as it began to shed its Soviet identity and redefine its sense of self. Upscale restaurants, plush hotels, luxury condominiums, and chic coffee shops began sprouting up throughout the city. This embrace of Western architecture and development styles – coupled with looser travel requirements and heightened English fluency rates – put Kyiv on a trajectory to become a prime tourist destination, poised to draw holidaymakers from around the globe.
This vision was, however, short-lived. Kyiv’s rejuvenation and all the dreams that came with it were quickly squashed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020. And just as Kyiv – like cities all around the world – began to recover from the pandemic, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, igniting the largest conflict Europe has seen since World War II.
Today, Kyiv is but a shadow of its 2018 self. Thousands of buildings have been bombed, and the walls of those that remain are punctured by bullets. The ruins of annihilated vehicles lay forgotten, like Kyiv’s pre-invasion fantasies, in heaps. The threat of an air raid looms over the city’s inhabitants like a great, charcoal thundercloud.
The story of Kyiv is not unique; it is shared by nearly every city, village, and town in Eastern Ukraine. The war, however, continues to drag on as a stalemate while the country seeks to defend its territorial integrity and repel the forces that seek to dismantle it.
Following Russia’s invasion, which was widely condemned as a violation of international law, the European Union, in addition to the United States under President Joseph R. Biden, quickly came to the aid of Ukraine, providing the country with financial and military assistance to support its war effort. If it weren’t for this valiant display of empathy and camaraderie, Ukraine would likely have long since crumbled. However, unswerving loyalty to Ukraine, specifically from the United States, is on borrowed time.
Highly controversial and notoriously egocentric U.S. President Donald J. Trump has consistently been vague about his support for Ukraine. In the last few weeks, however, the President has made it abundantly clear that his loyalties lie not with Ukraine but with the totalitarian government of Russia. This development, however disheartening, is not exactly surprising. Trump has long nursed a certain fondness for dictators. Envious of the absolute power exercised by monocrat mates, Trump yearns for the ability to make his harebrained schemes an instant reality, unburned by pesky things such as checks and balances or democratic processes. Thus, shortly after his inauguration, Trump jerked the steering wheel that is American foreign policy away from helping Europe and Ukraine and veered his country towards serving Russia and its tyrannical president, Vladimir Putin.
In mid-February, the President – no doubt acting in an attempt to make good on his promise to end the war on his first day in office – began to initiate peace conferences with Russia without inviting any European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In the days that followed, Trump oversaw a relentless smear campaign on Ukraine and its president. Blaming Ukraine for starting the war and refusing to acknowledge the role Russia had played in igniting it, Trump called Zelenskyy an “illegitimate leader” and a “dictator.”
The apotheosis of this campaign was a fractious meeting at the White House with Trump, Zelenskyy, and Vice President JD Vance. The meeting proved to be an unqualified disaster as Trump mocked Zelenskyy’s outfit and spoke over him, calling him “disrespectful.” Trump’s sycophantic sidekick then chimed in, chastising Zelenskyy for being “ungrateful” and not having properly thanked the U.S. for its role in defending Ukraine, despite Zelenskyy having quite literally done so at the start of the meeting. The fiery meeting culminated in Zelenskyy storming from the White House as European countries watched in shock and horror as America turned its back on democracy and embraced despotism.
This brazen disposal of sacred American values is among the most disgraceful actions of the turbulent Trump administration so far. Our country was founded on the premises of personal autonomy and freedom, and thousands of soldiers have given their lives throughout history to defend these principles both domestically and abroad. To actively support a country that not only oppresses its citizens and represses its opponents, but has also threatened the sovereignty of another country is appalling.
The Trump Administration claims that all it wants is peace, yet peace can not come at the expense of Russia keeping hold of its seized Ukrainian territory, lest the thousands of deaths Ukraine has sustained, both military and civilian, be in vain. These people, who have sacrificed their lives to defend their country’s people, culture, and land, will have done so for nothing. Ukraine may as well have just waved the white flag three years ago and allowed Putin to help himself.
Trump’s fraternization with the enemy is more than a surrender of morals. A Russian victory in Ukraine will not mean an end to Russian aggression in Eastern Europe; rather, Putin will advance into Poland, the Czech Republic, and the Baltic states, working to resurrect a Russian empire, injecting Russian influence and dominance into every corner of the European continent. Xi Jinping of China and Kim Jong-Un, close friends of Vladimir Putin, will only be emboldened by his victory in Ukraine and ability to violate international law with impunity as they continue their hostility towards Taiwan and South Korea, respectively. This disintegration of foreign affairs is one that may even send us down a path that ends with World War III. At some point in the not-so-distant future, we may regret not helping Ukraine over the finish line, but by that time, it will be too late.
Some have floated the idea that the President has assembled some brilliant plan to liberate occupied Ukraine from the clutches of the Kremlin. They proclaim that, behind closed doors, the President actually despises Vladimir Putin, and is only toying with his affections to contrive some miraculous peace treaty that will magically end the war and all further problems pertaining to it. I have absolutely zero faith in the idea that Donald Trump and his quick-witted cabinet are doing anything of the sort. Like so many other aspects of Trump’s second term, this is an impulsive decision constructed from bitterness – not strategy – by a man who wears his heart on his sleeve, backed by his blind, incompetent advisors.
I am, of course, willing to stand corrected. For all I know, there is a Signal group chat out there at this very moment where Trump officials are discussing their cunning plans to gain Putin’s trust, only to backstab him, and save Ukraine. Perhaps it will be an editor from The Washington Post who will accidentally be added to that group chat this time around.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel. President Trump seems to be coming to the realization that striking deals with dictators may not be the best idea after all. Trump has grown irritated with Vladimir Putin’s sluggishness to move forth with peace negotiations, and has even threatened his default punishment for any person that does not do as he pleases: tariffs. Moreover, Trump and Zelenskyy are said to have enjoyed a cordial and productive phone conversation following their calamitous previous meeting.
Meanwhile, in Kyiv, despite the bombings, despite the destruction, despite the fear, life continues. The buses are full in the mornings, and so are those lavish restaurants in the evenings. It is a sign of bravery in the face of extreme adversity. The Ukrainians have done their part, and it is high time we do the same. With the grace of God, President Donald Trump will shelve his pride and defend democracy, freedom, and every value that our country has stood for since its inception.
