Poroshenko and Lincoln: Both Called to Preserve Union

With the Russian war against Ukraine raging in the eastern region, Crimea still occupied by the enemy and an illegitimate, unconstitutional secessionist vote threatening to tear apart the country, it is not difficult to draw comparisons between President Petro Poroshenko and President Abraham Lincoln.

Both presidents desperately sought to find a peaceful solution to preserving the national union. History shows that one was forced by the secessionists’ belligerence to resort to war to defend and restore the Union. Poroshenko may also be compelled to escalate Ukraine’s military campaign against Russia to preserve its territorial integrity and sovereign indivisibility.

In his first inaugural address to the American people, on March 4, 1861, Lincoln already faced the secession of seven states. He commiserated aloud the present and future of the United States of America.

“No State upon its own mere motion can lawfully get out of the Union.”

“Acts of violence within any State or States against the authority of the United States are insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstances.”

“I therefore consider that in view of the Constitution and the laws the Union is unbroken, and to the extent of my ability, I shall take care, as the Constitution itself expressly enjoins upon me, that the laws of the Union be faithfully executed in all the States.”

“I trust this will not be regarded as a menace, but only as the declared purpose of the Union that it will constitutionally defend and maintain itself.”

“In doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or violence, and there shall be none unless it be forced upon the national authority. The power confided to me will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the Government and to collect the duties and imposts; but beyond what may be necessary for these objects, there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere.”

“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen (Confederate Americans), and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict, without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to ‘preserve, protect, and defend’ it.”

“Plainly, the central idea of secession, is the essence of anarchy." 

“We denounce the lawless invasion by armed force of the soil of any State or Territory, no matter what pretext, as among the gravest of crimes.”

The fateful attack on Fort Sumter took place the following month. Then some four years and 620,000 deaths later, General Lee surrendered to General Grant in Appomattox and the Union was preserved.

Poroshenko and Ukraine, caught by surprise by Russia’s invasion of Crimea and then eastern Ukraine, sought to preserve peace and stability in the region even by sitting across a negotiating table and concluding a ceasefire agreements with the enemy leader. Lincoln had never met Jefferson Davis during the war.

Ukraine was lauded by the international community for strictly abiding by the truce terms, each of which was violated by Russian mercenaries and troops. In September Ukraine and Russia, in the presence of EU leaders, signed the controversial so-called Minsk Accords, which needlessly recognized some autonomous rights and privileges for the people of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Poroshenko defended his decision to sign the accords, saying he hoped to bring peace to Ukraine.

None of these efforts halted the war nor pushed back the Russian army. The Ukrainian regular army, National Guard and volunteer battalions have fought valiantly against the enemy and managed to stop their advances while incurring a great number of civilian and military deaths.

Russia’s relentless military campaign against Ukraine has proven that defending Russian speaking rights of Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine was never the reason for the invasion. Faced with the real possibility of losing Ukraine to the European Union, Putin probably felt he had no other choice than to invade, conquer and once again subjugate Ukraine. In time, the other former captive nations could also be returned to the Russian prison of nations.

World leaders and pundits have come around to realizing what Russia’s plan has been. As The Washington Post wrote this past weekend, Putin is continuing to chip away at Ukraine. Perhaps not chipping, but chopping.

After Russian terrorists held their illegitimate and unconstitutional elections in the Donbas region, a vote that was condemned by the United States, the United Nations and others, with which Russia hopes to formalize its seizure of Ukrainian land just as it did with Crimea, Poroshenko, who correctly emphasized that Kyiv is a firm supporter of the peace plan, had no other choice but to escalate Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

“These pseudo-elections are a gross violation of the September 5 Minsk protocol,” he said in an address to the nation earlier this week, pledging to “re-examine” Ukraine’s commitments to the truce deal.

“We should reexamine our action plan. I have discussed it with the defense minister,” he added.

Poroshenko said he is willing to abolish the law agreed under the truce deal that grants a certain level of autonomy for three years to the rebel strongholds in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. I criticized the Minsk Accords but support Poroshenko’s decision to abolish it now before it is too late.

At meeting with the National Security and Defense Council the next day, Poroshenko reaffirmed Ukraine’s hopes for a peaceful solution to the crisis that Russia instigated, but emphasized “We are capable of protecting our state.”

Poroshenko revealed that he had instructed the Chief of the General Staff and the Defense Minister to form several new units to repel possible attacks in directions of Mariupol-Berdyansk and Kharkiv area to the north of Luhansk and Dnipropetrovsk. Indeed there are been reports that the Russians are amassing some 20,000 fresh troops on the border with Ukraine.

US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki confirmed this fresh Russian mobilization: “In recent days, Russia-supported separatists have publicly stated their intention to expand the territory under their control. We strongly condemn ongoing separatist attacks in Mariupol and Dubalsiva and around the Donetsk Airport.”

Poroshenko said plans for the construction of the first, the second and the third line of fortifications is being carried out. “Provision of modern offensive and reconnaissance weapons, as well as fire control systems are pretty efficient,” he said.

Poroshenko announced he would propose to the Verkhovna Rada to abolish the law granting local governance in parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

“This law wasn’t easy for us, but Ukraine demonstrated to the whole world its responsible attitude to the Minsk agreements, its decisiveness and willingness to have a peaceful dialogue. This law helped us stop the aggression and prevent anyone from accusing Ukraine of reversing the peace process and refusing the proposition on the political dialogue,” he explained.

Poroshenko pointed out that this move doesn’t mean the rejection of Minsk agreements. According to him, Kyiv would be willing to adopt the new law under the following conditions: sustainable ceasefire, withdrawal of troops from the front line, clear demarcation of the collision line laid down in the Minsk protocol of September 5, liberation of all hostages, including those illegally imprisoned in Russia, and annulment of illegal election farce of November 2.

Reinforcements and parliamentary invalidations notwithstanding, I fear that Poroshenko’s hopes and prayers for a peaceful solution to Russia’s aggression is, in the words of the late dean of the UN diplomatic corps, Ukrainian patriot and Rukh leader Hennadiy Udovenko, a combination of two great novels: “Great Expectations, Gone with the Wind.”

Ukraine cannot submit to Europe’s wish that it quietly cede to Russia the lands that it has already grabbed so it can continue to wheel and deal with a less abrasive eastern partner.

It is time for the US, EU, NATO and other sober world leaders to understand this and unyieldingly support Ukraine with all means as it defends its independence, territorial integrity and sovereign indivisibility.

As it has in the past, so too in the future, Russia, having tasted blood and the world’s limited involvement, will continue to mobilize thousands of troops and mercenaries on the border with Ukraine and send them westward wave by wave. Military analysts have already written about Russian armies ultimately approaching Kyiv, Lviv, the Baltic Republics and Poland.

For that not to happen, for the world to be saved from the peril of Russian domination and oppression, for Ukraine and the other former captive nations not to be returned to the prison behind the iron curtain, a global last stand must be taken in Donetsk and Luhansk.

As non-violent as Lincoln was, he ultimately realized that without a war, the union would not be preserved.