Coming to Terms

But what terms?

Celebration. ©2024 William L. Brown.

Despite the shock and despair that landed like a fist on election night, the Ukraine-advocacy community is following Zelensky’s lead. Ukrainian president Zelensky immediately sent a congratulatory letter to US president-elect Trump, embracing the chance to find peace–as long as Ukraine’s terms are met.

American advocates are following suit, swallowing fear, sending congratulations and preparing to use persuasion rather than protest. Since the war started they have struggled to keep Ukraine out of partisan politics, though in the election campaign they were pushed into it by the MAGA/isolationist faction who exploited Ukraine aid funding for political advantage.

Following the election Donald Trump, Jr. posted a photo of Zelensky on social media with the text “POV: You’re 38 days from losing your allowance.” Cutting off US aid could mean death and destruction to a nation of millions of people. What kind of person makes a joke about that?

Bomb Threats. ©2024 William L. Brown. 32 bomb threats were made on US Election Day, disrupting schedules and temporarily closing voting stations in swing states. Many of these calls were traced back to Russia. So far, it doesn’t look like there will be further investigations or actions taken.

President-elect Trump himself isn’t acting out his son’s taunt. Instead, it seems he talked tough to Putin, if we can believe his account. And, he seems to take seriously his promise to accomplish negotiations by Inauguration Day. Finnish President Alexander Stubb tells us “We in Europe and the rest of the world need to understand that Donald Trump is very serious about getting a peace deal sooner rather than later,”

If Trump is talking tough to Putin, that would be good. Talking tough to Putin is what Ukraine supporters have wanted since 2014 when Russia first invaded. An even better time would have been 2009 when Russia invaded Georgia. An “all options on the table” response would have averted all the death and destruction of the last 15 years, just as stopping Germany from re-militarizing the Rhineland in 1936 might have averted WWII.

Fixers. ©2024 William L. Brown. Russia interfered with Moldovan and Georgian elections in the weeks prior to the US election. In both cases, bomb threats were involved.

So far, Ukraine officials have voiced no objection to discussions Trump is engaged in. He may yet propose Ukraine concede territory, stop/delay seeking NATO membership, or tolerate a frozen conflict with Ukrainians trapped behind a new Iron Curtain, as one alleged, leaked proposal suggested.

Despite campaign rhetoric, Ukraine is a non-partisan issue. The majority of the newly-elected House of Representatives supports Ukraine across party lines. 99 Republicans have a record of positive votes for Ukraine, according to the American Ukraine PAC.

Ukraine supporters include many conservatives and Republicans. The diaspora is full of avid anti-communists, Cold Warriors, Reaganites or McCain-fans.

Pro-Ukrainian advocates are counting on this as they seek support in the new Congress. Republican politicians will be approached by advocate-constituents from their own party who share many core assumptions. The president doesn’t hold all the power, and even if his party controls both houses of Congress, it is by a slim majority. The Congress-member may follow their conscience, or their constituents wishes, in a vote on Ukraine.

Europe, meanwhile, is pledging to give Ukraine more assistance, which would probably not be enough to replace what America provides, but will make it possible to keep fighting if the terms Trump proposes are unacceptable.

Thrown Under the Bus. ©2024 William L. Brown. Hopefully this will not be the case, but statements such as Don Trump Jr’s (quoted above) are not reassuring.

Capitol Hill

In September I was one of around 500 Ukraine advocates meeting with congressional representatives (their aides, usually). The event was the bi-yearly Ukraine Action Summit, and it’s the third I’ve attended. The main “ask” to our Congress-members was please support the Stand With Ukraine Act, which would elevate Ukraine’s ally status, making aid payments part of an annual process, not piecemeal as it is now. This would protect some of the aid if the next president wanted to stop it. The Stand with Ukraine Act has 32 co-sponsors, currently, but there may not be enough time to pass it before the new Congress session in January.

Our other “ask” was to lift limits on striking military targets in Russia that the US has placed on the long-range weapons it has provided these off—limits areas have recently been dubbed “Biden-sanctuaries.”

The photos show meetings with NH Senator Chris Pappas’s aide, and with Maine Representative Jared Golden. I attended the Maine meeting because the northern New England delegates pooled efforts. Rep Golden was very impressive, an ex-Marine who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, he was as-well-as if not better-informed, and just as supportive of Ukraine as we were. ¹

The Summit consisted of two days of meeting/training, followed by two days of Congressional office meetings. Pictured here is a speech made by a wounded Ukrainian veteran, who lost his arms and eyes in battle. A rally at the White House, and a photo exhibit on a woman soldier at the Washington, DC Ukraine House.

Two Ukrainian women in our delegation were delighted with the Ukrainian/Gadsden flag mash-up in one of the Congressional office building halls. Some of us attended a US Helsinki Commission meeting - the colorful character in star-spangled suit was not one of ours.

Donut not included

Maybe readers would like to have a RESIST! coffee mug - I created these in response to the first Trump election. On my Zazzle store - the images can be printed on t-shirts or other objects/garments of your choice.

1. Rep. Golden also serves on the Appalachian Trail Caucus, the LGBT Equality Caucus, the Organic Caucus, the Military Mental Health Task Force, the Shipbuilding Caucus and the Small Brewers Caucus, to name just a few. He’s an interesting guy.