Trump simply must be stronger than Obama
Three years ago last month, violent protests were climaxing in Ukraine as a clarion for regime change and social reforms. In February of 2014, Ukrainians gathered by the hundreds of thousands under the shadow of the monument to Ukraine’s fledgling independence to fight for further European integration and to unseat President Viktor Yanukovych and his crooked government.
More than 100 people died in Kiev and other large cities across Ukraine as a result of the protests and violent reaction of the police and military forces aligned with President Yanukovych. Eventually, President Yanukovych fled to Russia, where President Putin of Russia currently protects him from Interpol.
From that point, it took roughly one month for President Putin to seize the moment and illegally annex the critical important Crimean region in Ukraine. This move gave Russia crucial seaports in the Black Sea for its large Black Sea fleet as well as control over more than 2.3 million Ukrainians. America and President Obama did nothing to stop this.
In May of 2014, continuing on the theme of annexation, a full-fledged, yet not declared, war was being waged in Eastern Ukraine for control of the Donetsk region. The BBC has suggested that more than 1.5 million refugees have fled the city of Donetsk and the region. They may never return as much of Donetsk has been flattened. America and President Obama did nothing to stop this.
An uneasy peace is generally holding in the area, but as recently as last week, Russia announced it would accept the validity of passports issued by the Donetsk separatists. This move seals the deal on the legitimacy of the separatists and completes the illegal annexation of yet another critically important section of land for Russia. President Putin has again successfully out-maneuvered the politicians of the European Union and the United States.
As I stood in Freedom Square last week in Kiev among a healthy crowd of people honoring the Heavenly 100 that were killed 3 years ago, I was struck by how real and raw the situation is in Ukraine. They are a people caught in a familiar proxy battle between the West and Russia. It is a battle that President Putin is enjoying. It is a battle that the European Union is watching. And it is a battle that President Obama and the United States have thus far ignored.
Similar to the American elections of 2016, Ukraine also elected a populist billionaire candy maker. Unlike America, President Petro Poroshenko had experience in government, both in parliament and as foreign minister. He addressed a joint session of congress in Washington, D.C., in September of 2014 asking for military assistance and aid in his fight to keep Ukraine independent from Russia. He was given a healthy standing ovation. And yet, America and President Obama did nothing to help Ukraine or to stop the Russian aggression.
The people of Ukraine deserve American support and aid. So does the rest of the European continent. Ukraine is but a very small buffer between Russia and our NATO allies to whom we have pledged support should Russia advance on them.
President Trump must not allow President Putin to have unfettered access to whatever he wants in Ukraine. America must stand up to President Putin and draw a meaningful line in the sand. President Trump simply must be better and stronger than President Obama.
With weak leaders across the EU and a populace with no appetite for a fight with Russia, President Putin will in the absence of American foreign leadership continue to slowly boil the Soviet soup, and Europe will never know they were cooked so expertly.
Brian Gannon is a resident of Lakeside. He works for a non-governmental agency that facilitates international students, including thousands of Ukrainians, traveling to the United States during their summer breaks. He has also traveled to the Ukraine on many occasions.