The Specter of Vile Jingoism Raises its Ugly Head

Vile jingoism reminiscent of the likes of Gary Birdsong, known for his fundamentalist and accusatory style, has not been heard from the White House since perhaps the mid-19th century. Sadly, today, it has found a welcome home in the highest office of the land.

Vice-President JD Vance became unwittingly and offensively embroiled in the dispute about US support for Ukraine in its existential war against Russian aggression by urging the latest wave of Ukrainian immigrants, those who left their native Ukraine after the war began in February 2022, to forget about their homeland and become Americans. His observations that were reported in American newspapers such as the New York Post as well as overseas’ ones demonstrated Vance’s callus disregard for America’s best tradition of embracing immigrants from any part of the world that is etched on the base of the Statue of Liberty. Vance’s antipathy toward today’s new immigrants to America was thought to have gone out of style along with the false belief that the United States is a melting pot. In his seminal 1972 work, “The Rise of the Unmeltable Ethnics,” Michael Novak disparaged the concept of immigrants or refugees abandoning their languages, cultures, traditions, heritages at America’s shoreline. On the contrary, he argued, the vast immigrant populations added to the strength that has become America.

Vance went on to elaborate that during his Senate campaign in 2022, he met a Ukrainian American man in northeast Ohio, home to many Ukrainian Americans, including Ukrainian Greek-Catholic faithful of the Eparchy of Saint Josaphat in Parma, Ohio.

“He was very angry about my views on the conflict, and my desire to bring it to a rapid close,” Vance said on social media, adding that the man told him, “You are trying to abandon my country, and I don’t like it.”

“‘Sir, I replied, ‘your country is the United States of America, and so is mine,’” Vance wrote.

The Vice-President added that he finds it “offensive” when individuals use American influence to try to end conflicts at home.

Vance continued: “I always found it offensive that a new immigrant to our country would be willing to use the power and influence of their new nation to settle the ethnic rivalries of the old. One of the most important parts of assimilation is seeing *your* country as the USA. It’s part of the bargain: if you’re welcomed into our national family, you ought to look out for the interests of the United States,” Vance continued in his lengthy X post.

“I know many immigrants who have the right perspective, and I’m grateful to them. For example, I met many Ukrainian Americans during that campaign (and since) who agreed with my views, or at the very least, asked the right question: what is in the best interests of the United States?”

The Vice-President’s elaboration raises more substantively damning questions rather than answering any. The visible one is the lack of the hyphen. Ukrainian Americans are not hyphenated. They are not half of one and half of the other. They are equally Ukrainian and American.

It also sadly shows Vance’s insensitivity to the needs of the Ukrainian American community or Ukrainian American voters regardless of when they or their ancestors left their native Ukraine and arrived in the land of the free and the home of the brave. All Ukrainians are one; they are not divided into strata. They regard spiritual nationality as being greater than a passport consequently the Ukrainian American children of the first settlers are equal to the latest Ukrainian refugees who will commune in the same churches and in time become citizens and voters.

The implied assurance of the United States is that it would stand up for the legitimate claims and aspirations of all its citizen-immigrants and citizen-descendants. In return, Ukrainian immigrants, those who settled here in the 19th century and contributed to America’s betterment, their descendants and the newest arrivals—the war refugees have demonstrated a high degree of citizenship. Afterall, the community has been guided by what is called its three commandments:  Be loyal citizens of your new land; help your community in the United States; and don’t forget about your brothers and sisters in the native land. What’s offensive about that?

To be sure, Ukrainians from all regions of Ukraine came to the New World to escape foreign oppression and captivity be it Russian, Austro-Hungarian or Polish. They picked up the banner of liberation from George Washington whose teachings they embraced.

In the Jubilee Book of the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of its existence published in 1936, the historical, ideological and philosophical primer for Ukrainian Americans, we read many references about liberation, freedoms and social welfare found in the United States that inspired Ukrainian immigrants.

For example:

Long live the memory of George Washington!

Long live freedom!

Long live the revolution!

Long live the republic-Ukraine!

Indeed, Russia, among others, has always been the oppressor that Ukrainians most feared. The Founding Fathers of the Ukrainian American community also wrote:

Russia – is rape and violence.

Russia – is national captivity.

Russia – is hell for farmers and laborers.

Russia – is darkness, oppression and national death for our people.

The UNA’s newspaper, Svoboda, the first Ukrainian-language one in the United States, opposed forced loyalty and separation of the immigrant from his and her native land as Vice-President Vance would have it. “Svoboda stands against the attempts to forcibly assimilate. It argued that national separation of immigrants does not contradict the ideals of Americanism. Svoboda pointed out that the immigrant would sooner come to accept this ideal if he or she is given the opportunity to speak his own language and read his own newspaper,” the Founding Fathers wrote. It should be noted that these concepts were enunciated ahead of World War One.

“Ukrainian immigrants! Remember your obligations toward the Free Land of Washington, upon which you found safety and social welfare. Remember that we should be loyal toward our adopted Free Homeland. Remember that America has not been a stepmother to us but rather nurtured us as blood relatives. Ukrainians! Remember that your sacred obligation is to love free America and to defend the glory of the American flag.”

The fatal behavior of the MAGA movement is its complete disregard for the person, persons or national group’s raison d’etre. “The discussion of almost any aspect of the situation of Ukrainians in America – if it is to contain genuine knowledge rather than an assemblage of emotional phraseology, mere hopes or platitudes – demands at least an elementally concise definition of what ‘is behind the term ‘Ukrainian,’” Stephen W. Mamchur wrote in the Jubilee Book. “What particularistic meaning the world ‘Ukrainian’ has to any specific individual depends on his experiences. But there is a common denominator, as it were, of these subjective conceptions, and that common denominator is that the term stands for a certain group of people – to use layman terminology. Just what is it, then, that fundamentally distinguishes Ukrainian from non-Ukrainian?”

Exactly! No one, especially the occupants of the White House, cares about Ukraine, Ukrainians and their history. If only the MAGA movement would take the time to learn about Ukrainians and Ukrainian American voters and the latest refugees who will become voters and understand their pain points, then the Russian war against Ukraine would find genuine allies and come to an end.

The social structure that is America nurtures both Ukrainianism and Americanism. Accept it. Embrace it. Cherish it. Don’t belittle Ukrainians by demanding that they surrender their heritage at the door or the demand will backfire.

If you are unaware of these tenets of Ukrainianism, then it’s best for you not to venture an opinion and awaken the specter of jingoism.

 

United States Joins Terrorist Russia on the Dark Side of International Affairs

It has taken three decades since the dissolution of the Russian empire with its notorious prison of nations for the United States of America, the historical defender of nations oppressed by Moscow, to reveal its shameless support for the enemy of humanity, freedom and democracy.

This week, the US has twice sided with Russia in votes at the United Nations to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, highlighting the Trump Administration’s change of stance on the war and Ukraine. The White House’s policy of supporting Russia rather than beleaguered Ukraine has been on a downward slope toward hades since Donald J. Trump assumed the presidency. He put Ukraine, the victim, on the same level as Russia, not only dividing guilt between both countries but absurdly declaring that Ukraine started the war. The international community arose in shock and offered its support for Ukraine. Finally, Trump denounced Ukrainian President Zelenskyy as a dictator.

The language and words expressed by the American president fit hand in glove with age-old Russian diatribes against Ukraine, its national leadership and patriotic citizens. This prompted many to research and uncover claims, most from European and notably East European sources, that Donald J. Trump became a Soviet asset in the mid 1980s.

At the United Nations, first, the US opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Moscow’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity – voting the same way as Russia and countries including North Korea and Belarus at the UN General Assembly in New York.

Then the US drafted and voted for a resolution at the UN Security Council which called for an end to the conflict but contained no criticism of Russia.

The Security Council passed the resolution, but two key US allies, the UK and France, abstained after their attempts to amend the wording were vetoed.

The UN resolutions were tabled as French President Emmanuel Macron visited President Donald Trump at the White House in an attempt to address their sharp differences over the war. On Thursday, last week, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was to visit the new American leader.

Trump’s White House has upended the transatlantic alliance and the post-World War Two security structure, currying favor with Moscow and casting doubt on America’s long-term commitment to European security.

That rift was laid bare on the floor of the 193-member UNGA on Monday, February 24, as American diplomats pushed their limited resolution mourning the loss of life during the 

“Russia-Ukraine conflict” and calling for a swift end to it. The parity they hoped to achieve was in reality a pro-Russian propaganda gambit to erase Russia’s stigma of culpability and the strong international support Ukraine has garnered in three years since Russian launched the war against Ukraine.

European diplomats tabled a more detailed text, blaming Russia for its full-scale invasion, and supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

“However, reducing the Assembly’s position to merely stating this desire is not enough. We need to reconfirm that the aggression should be condemned and discredited, not rewarded. Our position must include substantive elements and ensure that any future peace initiative aligns with the principles of the UN Charter.” said Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa, who spoke in the hallowed halls of the UN.

“We need clear guidelines – not just to silence weapons temporarily, but to achieve a sustainable and just solution. A solution that guarantees there will be no repetition of what happened three years ago, on February 24, 2022. Neither in Ukraine, nor elsewhere.

“For us, for Ukraine the path forward is clear: the only way, as our President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated, to ensure comprehensive, just and lasting peace is to reaffirm our commitment to the UN Charter and to agree that principles enshrined in it – the principle of sovereignty and the principle of territorial integrity of states within its internationally recognized borders – must serve as the foundation,” she continued.

Betsa told the member-states that the way Russian aggression is answered today “will define the future of Ukraine…Europe and our common future.”

UNGA members backed the European resolution by 93 votes but, extraordinarily, the US did not abstain but actually voted against it, along with Russia, Israel, North Korea, Sudan, Belarus, Hungary and 11 other states, with 65 abstentions.

The UNGA also passed the US resolution but only after it was amended to include language supporting Ukraine, which led to the US abstaining.

Republican Sen. John Curtis said he was “deeply troubled” by the vote “which put us on the same side as Russia and North Korea.”

“These are not our friends. This posture is a dramatic shift from American ideals of freedom and democracy,” he wrote on X. 

The vote was “contrary to our long-standing support of democracy,” said former US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi. At least two generations of Americans have grown up believing that the United States does indeed support the aspirations of the captive nations only to be awakened by a new reality.

Kowtowing to Russian complaints has been avoided for decades until now. Special envoy Steve Witkoff oddly said Sunday that Russia should not necessarily be blamed for sparking the war in Ukraine — a position that aligns with Trump’s recent claims with Vladimir Putin against Zelenskyy as the three-year anniversary of the fighting looms.

“The war didn’t need to happen — it was provoked. It doesn't necessarily mean it was provoked by the Russians,” Witkoff said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.

Witkoff suggested that Ukraine’s desire to join NATO instigated the war, demonstrating a phenomenal lack of knowledge about the history of Ukraine and Russian aggression.

“There were all kinds of conversations back then about Ukraine joining NATO. ... That didn't need to happen,” he said. “It basically became a threat to the Russians and so we have to deal with that fact.” 

In an interview on ABC News’ This Week, Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), a senior member of the armed services committee, castigated Trump’s recent verbal attacks on Zelenskyy and increased alignment with Russia.

“Essentially, this is President Trump surrendering to the Russians,” he said. “This is not a statesman or a diplomat. This is just someone who admires Putin, does not believe in the struggle of the Ukrainians and is committed to cozying up to an autocrat.”

How to return to a time in history when the United States is visibly standing on the front line of defending Ukraine and the other x-captive nations can only be determined by the occupant of the Oval Office. The current inhabitant, sadly, is ready to sleep with the enemy until the next elections, which can’t come to soon.

PS: In reply to Trump calling Zelenskyy a dictator without support, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada or parliament voted unanimoulsy in support of its national president.

Rape and Murder in Front of Eye Witnesses

America’s reaction to what is happening to Ukraine today is incomprehensible and immoral while being encouraged by the so-called leader of the free world.

Thus far the international community, notably Europe, the former captive nations, Canada and a few others been incapable of stopping Russia from ravaging Ukraine for the sake of its imperial expansion and protecting Ukraine. Then add to this President Trump’s latest misguided expressions of support for the perpetrator rather than the wretched victim that goes against the grain of 249 years of righteous American history, including the 1959 Captive Nations Week Proclamation.

How can this be taking place in broad daylight in the 21st century? Hasn’t anyone read history? Certainly not President Trump and his assortment of myopic politicians pretending to be world class government leaders. Isn’t the catastrophic conclusion obvious? To most voters yes but not to this sorry group.

Thinking about this, my thoughts drifted to a tragic event that had its place in the borough of Queens in New York City six decades ago and to my blog of May 13, 2015. A young woman was killed in full view of her neighbors who actually witnessed the gruesome event from the comfort of their high-rise apartment windows and couldn’t or wouldn’t do anything to stop the assailant or protect the unfortunate woman.

Here is an excerpt from Martin Gansberg’s article in The New York Times of March 27, 1964.

For more than half an hour 38 respectable, law-abiding citizens in Queens watched a killer stalk and stab a woman in three separate attacks in Kew Gardens.

Twice their chatter and the sudden glow of their bedroom lights interrupted him and frightened him off. Each time he returned, sought her out, and stabbed her again. Not one person telephoned the police during the assault; one witness called after the woman was dead…

Twenty-eight-year-old Catherine Genovese, who was called Kitty by almost everyone in the neighborhood, was returning home from her job as manager of a bar in Hollis…

The entrance to the apartment is in the rear of the building because the front is rented to retail stores. At night the quiet neighborhood is shrouded in the slumbering darkness that marks most residential areas.

Miss Genovese noticed a man at the far end of the lot, near a seven-story apartment house at 82-40 Austin Street. She halted. Then, nervously, she headed up Austin Street toward Lefferts Boulevard, where there is a call box to the 102nd Police Precinct in nearby Richmond Hill.

She got as far as a streetlight in front of a bookstore before the man grabbed her. She screamed. Lights went on in the 10-story apartment house at 82-67 Austin Street, which faces the bookstore. Windows slid open and voices punctuated the early-morning stillness.

Miss Genovese screamed: “Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!”…

The assailant stabbed her again.

“I'm dying!” she shrieked. “I’m dying!”…

Gansberg concluded his article by writing: “It was 4:25 A.M. when the ambulance arrived to take the body of Miss Genovese. It drove off. “Then,” a solemn police detective said, “the people came out.”

Kitty’s neighbors offered a variety of excuses why they allowed her to be killed in their voyeuristic presence.

“I didn’t want to get involved.”

“We thought it was a lovers’ quarrel.”

“I didn't want my husband to get involved.”

“We went to the window to see what was happening … but the light from our bedroom made it difficult to see the street … I put out the light and we were able to see better.” Asked why they didn’t call the police, the wife shrugged and replied: “I don't know.”

“I was tired."

“I went back to bed."

On a personal, human level, the murder of Kitty Genovese and the callous disregard for her life by her neighbors was crass and inhuman.

On a national level, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the indiscriminate killing of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers along with the callous inability to stop the perpetrator from spreading bloody terror is also devastating and inhuman. 

The murder 60 years ago does bear resemblance to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On a global scale, thanks to all sorts of technological advances, Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine is being witnessed by the same callous, immovable, unconcerned, indifferent neighbors who witnessed Kitty’s murder five decades ago. Their apathetic explanations are identical to those who saw Kitty killed in cold blood. Their character, excuses and specious accusations are abetted by the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

While Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was undeclared and unexpected, the subsequent occupation of Crimea and Donbas, and Moscow’s advances westward did not occur without some sort of spy in the sky warnings. Remember the 40-mile-long Russian armored column approaching Kyiv? Furthermore, there has been a centuries long track record of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine that today has not been slaked. 

The latest fallout has already begun. The United States will not co-sponsor a new United Nations resolution backing Ukraine. The draft UN General Assembly resolution condemns Russian aggression, backs Ukraine’s territorial integrity, diplomatic sources told Reuters on Thursday, February 20. This is the first UN about face regarding Ukraine in at least the past decade and another check mark for Russia’s global political victories spearheaded by Trump, who is apparently operating under the influence of a Russian kompromat.

In the past week, America’s desertion of Ukraine caught Ukraine and the free world by surprise even though Trump has been briskly walking down that path even before he was elected to the White House. Clearly, the United States is not supporting unequivocally Ukraine in the manner that it has in the recent past. Trump first put equal blame and responsibility for the war on Kyiv and Moscow and then the scales tipped in favor of Russia. Trump accused Ukraine of launching the war because it didn’t do anything to stop it early on when it, Kyiv, had a chance to do so.

Take a moment digest this. Three years ago, Russian cutthroats and armor were already approaching Kyiv from the north, Bucha has been destroyed, innocent men, women and children have been raped and murdered. Was this the moment in time, when Kyiv could have ended the war? What would it have taken for Ukraine to end the war then against a brutal invader? According to Trump and Putin, only Ukraine’s surrender. That would be national suicide.

Then Trump accused Zelenskyy of being a dictator because he had not called national elections. You should recall that during World War Two, Winston Churchill also suspended elections for the duration of hostilities. Trump continued to belittle Zelenskyy saying: “The leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he’s down at 4% approval rating.”

Actually, Zelenskyy “retains a fairly high level of public trust” — about 57 percent, according to a report released Wednesday by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology.

An analysis of Trump’s rhetoric reveals that word for word, phrase for phrase, concept for concept, the American president is repeating Russian anti-Ukrainian propaganda going back to the Cold War. Gabrielius Landsbergis, former minister of foreign affairs of Lithuania, a former captive nation and NATO member, alluded to this when opined that Trump’s and Putin’s plans and goals for Ukraine are aligned.

Regarding this latest wave of Trump lies, the Ukrainian Canadian Congress issued the following statement:

“US President Donald Trump’s recent statement that Ukraine is to blame for Russia’s genocidal invasion is as revolting as it is false. Russia invaded Ukraine for no reason other than to destroy the Ukrainian state and annihilate the Ukrainian people.

“Trump’s insults directed at Ukrainian leaders and the undermining of Ukrainian sovereignty will only encourage Russia to further aggression against Ukraine and Ukraine’s neighbors.

“Moreover, to demand that Ukraine hold elections while Russian rockets and missiles rain down on Ukrainian homes, hospitals and schools is absurd and contrary to international law and norms, concepts that are foreign to Donald Trump.

“Trump has demonstrated that he is a willing instrument of the Kremlin and the war criminals who run Russia today.  They are certainly rejoicing today. And well they should.

“It should by now be crystal clear to the EU and all other NATO leaders that the United States under President Trump is no longer a reliable ally – neither in the defense of Ukraine’s freedom nor in the guarantees of the Alliance.

“It is critical that Canada and other European allies dedicate far more resources to our collective defense and to supplying Ukraine with armaments and ammunition. The $300 billion of frozen Russian assets in European banks must be confiscated immediately and used to arm Ukraine.

“That would be a good place to start.”

As the war of words evolves, it is becoming apparent that the United States will remain the sole opponent of Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, having taken sides with the Kremlin, which regularly reminds the world of its nuclear capabilities. BBC News on Thursday, February 20, reported that the United Kingdom, in the wake of Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine, among others, has reaffirmed its unshakable support for Ukraine.

Trump’s harsh words for Zelenskyy and Ukraine drew criticism from Democrats and even some Republicans in Congress, where Ukraine’s defense against Russian aggression has had bipartisan support. Zelenskyy said Trump was falling into a Russian disinformation trap — and was quickly admonished by Vice President JD Vance about the perils of publicly criticizing the new president.

Vance told the Daily Mail that Zelenskyy’s criticism of Trump was not helping his cause. “The idea that Zelenskyy is going to change the president’s mind by bad mouthing him in public media, everyone who knows the president will tell you that is an atrocious way to deal with this administration,” Vance said.

Former Vice-President Mike Pence reminded Trump in a Tweet that Ukraine didn't start the war but rather Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion that claimed hundred of thousands of lives. "The road to peace must be built on the truth," he stated.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was appalled that Trump was blaming Ukraine for Putin’s invasion.

“It’s disgusting to see an American president turn against one of our friends and openly side with a thug like Vladimir Putin,” Schumer said.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said he disagreed with Trump’s suggestion that Ukraine was responsible.

“I think Vladimir Putin started the war,” Kennedy said. “I also believe, from bitter experience, that Vladimir Putin is a gangster. He’s a gangster with a black heart” who has Soviet dictator Josef Stalin’s “taste for blood.”

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Trump’s words were insulting to the thousands of Ukrainians who have died in the war, and he accused the president of parroting Putin. “I would call on President Trump to apologize to the people of Ukraine, but it would be a waste of breath,” Durbin said. “Donald Trump is a pushover for Putin.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is among the Republican lawmakers who have supported Ukraine over the course of the war. He said the Trump administration needed space as it seeks a resolution. “The president speaks for himself,” Thune said about Trump’s sharpening rhetoric toward Zelenskyy. “What I want to see is a peaceful result, a peaceful outcome.”

As the war of words in the free world grinds back and forth, individual countries should do something while they still have time. Returning Ukraine to Russia’s prison of nations, even a part of Ukraine, will have dire consequences for all of civilization. It would mean that the West can be browbeaten into submission, invasions are legitimate and Moscow can win without firing a shot. Ukraine and the other former captive nations are pleading for us to do something before it’s too late.

The global village must consider what will be its steps when they hear: “Oh, my God, he stabbed me! Please help me! Please help me!”… “I'm dying!”

Talking Points for Raising Awareness about Ukraine

Except for Russians, it is safe to say that most of the free world is concerned about the fate of Ukrainians as they withstand the latest onslaught of their country by Russian cutthroats.

To be sure, the international community is deeply supportive of all Ukrainians – civilians and military – as they endure wave after wave of Russian bombings of civilian targets, war crimes, murder and rape of innocents, destruction of their homes, hospitals, churches and cultural artifacts, and life-saving infrastructure.

The global Ukrainian community, especially Ukrainian Americans organized in the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), is pursuing an intensive campaign to raise global awareness about this latest installment of Russian bloody aggression against Ukraine that hopefully will culminate with Russia’s defeat and withdrawal from Ukraine.

For advice about points that should be included in written and oral encounters, I referred to Dr. Yuri Scherbak, former Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, physician, environmentalist, writer and contributor of articles to THE UKRAINIAN QUARTERLY.

Scherbak pointed out that the fate of Ukraine is not limited to itself but rather it also impacts every free country in Europe as well as the United States. Anyone promoting Ukrainian sovereignty and independence must emphasize the interconnectivity between free Ukraine and the free world, he explained, notably America’s desire to lead its democratic allies to future greatness.

“Ukraine must remain a sovereign independent democratic state that is not part of Russia’s sphere of influence. The capitulation of Ukraine, fulfillment of Putin’s wishes, will mean a strategic defeat for the USA. America will cease to be a great power, because the alliance of Russia and China will dominate in Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America,” Scherbak explained.

Similarly, the loss of Ukraine as a loyal ally of America will open the door for Putin to occupy the Baltic states and Poland, Scherbak predicted, echoing scores of democratic national leaders’ belief. “A US withdrawal from Europe will lead to a war with China and the transformation of America into a regional power that will be subject to the dictatorial regimes of the global south,” he continued.

Turning to national political matters, Scherbak urged that efforts to support the statehood of Ukraine must include strengthening the internal political unity and democracy of the nation. The Ukrainian diaspora must express its undying support for the people and leadership of Ukraine in these trying times.

“Condemn all attempts of the current leadership of Ukraine to deepen the split through repression against the opposition and against part of the military leadership, which can have tragic consequences. Confirm the need to hold democratic elections after the conclusion of the armistice,” he said. “Emphasize the solidarity of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America with the Ukrainian nation that is resisting Russia’s bloody aggression, and express the hope that the American people will support Ukraine’s independence.”

Finally, the homicidal, genocidal mission of Russia can’t be underestimated. “The genocidal nature of Russian aggression attempts to destroy the Ukrainian nation, language, religion, history. It is very important for the American people to know this.”

“You, Ukrainian Americans and Americans, can’t be silent,” Scherbak declared.

Raising awareness is not difficult. All it requires is the genuine humanity and ability to speak and write.

Sad State of Affairs

There’s a Ukrainian adage that in its English translation reads:

You can’t show a blind person;

You can’t tell a deaf person;

You can’t convince a dunce.

That in essence characterizes the current White House Administration.

President Trump and his Cabinet have jumped into the deep end of the pool with their half-baked ideas about ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Sadly, the proposals benefit Russia but not Ukraine because so far President Zelenskyy has not been invited to sit at the conference table.

A host of experts have been pointing out to Trump that his views about Russia, Russian aggression and the current Fuhrer are wrong and dangerous. But he stubbornly has not accepted them. He continues to place Russia’s aggression and Ukraine’s defense on an equal plane. Both presidents are equally guilty, he believes. Both require equal global compassion, he adds.

On the other hand, the international community, notably Europe and the former captive nations of Russian subjugation, are justifiably deathly afraid of Moscow and are convinced its tanks and cutthroats will press westwardly if they’re not stopped in Ukraine. This belief has not had the slightest impact on Trump’s policies and behaviors.

Six European countries and two regional agencies issued on February 12 a statement that assesses their point of view about regional security in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The signatories, 

Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the European External Action Service and the European Commission, declared among other points: “We are ready to enhance our support for Ukraine. We commit to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s war of aggression. We share the goal to keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached. A peace that guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own.”

The salient thoughts herein are “just, comprehensive and lasting peace” that “guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own.” These countries understand that a peace that doesn’t safeguard their peace and security along with Ukraine’ is meaningless in the face of never-ending Russian aggression.

The former captive nations of Russian subjugation are also understandably stalwart supporters of Ukraine. They know what it means to be an inmate in the Russian prison of nations so they’re offering it military supplies, even jeeps, to defend itself and all of Europe against Russian invasions. Estonia, a “David” compared to Russia’s “Goliath” rises to the top of the list.

Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, warned in a speech before the country’s parliament on February 11 that Russia remained a serious and a long-term security threat and that both NATO and the European Union needed to shape their policies for containing Russia accordingly.

“It was only recently that many European leaders said they should have listened to the Baltic States when we warned about the growing threat of aggression in the east. Today we say: listen to us now as well. Our freedom is at stake; keeping it requires victory in Ukraine, containing the aggressive Russia for a long time, strengthening our alliances and a more confident Europe.” 

Tsahkna noted in an article in Estonian World that the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, had not changed his goals and still wanted to subjugate all of Ukraine and fundamentally restructure European security. He emphasized that no one wanted peace more than the Ukrainians; however, peace must be just and lasting.

“In light of this, the democratic world must ask itself – will we allow the threats to grow until it is too late, as was done in the 1930s, or will we resolutely take a stand to defend our values,” Tsahkna said. “It was only recently that many European leaders said they should have listened to the Baltic States when we warned about the growing threat of aggression in the east. Today we say: listen to us now as well. Our freedom is at stake; keeping it requires victory in Ukraine, containing the aggressive Russia for a long time, strengthening our alliances and a more confident Europe.” 

The citation about who should have listened to who is quite relevant taking into account that Ukrainian freedom fighters, members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who emerged after the end of World War Two eight decades ago, warned the United States and the free world that the war is not yet over because Russian imperialism is threatening Europe with death, destruction and captivity.

In a speech by Marta Kos, European Commissioner for enlargement, on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas of Estonia at the European Parliament plenary spoke about the three years of Russia’s war of aggression.

“How many times, after the Second World War we said, ‘never again.’ Then, we had a war in the territory of former Yugoslavia.  

“Soon, we will mark three years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  

“President, Honorable Members of the European Parliament, 

“This is a sombre milestone. During these three years, the Ukrainian people have endured unimaginable hardship: families have been torn apart, and many lives have forever changed. 

“Three years of children learning to read in underground schools. Three years of people worrying about their loved ones. Three years of running for shelter almost every night.  

“But through the darkness, the Ukrainian people have shown impressive bravery and resilience. Ukrainians have stood together to defend not only their land, but also their values, their freedom, and their future. A future that they see as a member of the European Union.,” Kallas stated.

The Estonian official went on to say: “Ukraine needs our continued political, economic and military support. Ukraine’s fight is also our fight – for a Europe that values justice over aggression, and unity over division. By supporting Ukraine, we are also safeguarding the very foundations of European peace and security. Together, we must remain resolute…

“The European Union has taken resolute steps to support Ukraine – and our commitment must not waver. Ukraine deserves just peace: we must put Ukraine in a position of strength, especially ahead of potential discussions to end this war of aggression…  

“Ukraine will need strong, credible, long-term security guarantees to deter future attacks…

“And the European Union is preparing further sanction packages to further hamper Russia’s ability to wage this war… 

“At the same time, we will continue supporting Ukraine implement the necessary reforms in their path towards the European Union. This is where they belong…  

“The Ukrainian people are undertaking tremendous efforts under very difficult circumstances, and the European Union should recognise this. This is the merit-based nature of the European Union enlargement policy: we should match their efforts and open the first negotiations cluster – the cluster on fundamentals – as soon as possible this year…  

“Our European message to Ukraine is clear: Ukraine is part of our European family, we will stand with you, and we will bring you in the European Union, where you belong.” 

The statements, comments, pleas and facts are out there so all you have to do, Mr. President, is open eyes, ears and heart and read them and, if you have an ounce of decency, you’ll see the errors of your ways.

Ukraine is on the Verge of a Catastrophic Betrayal

Throughout its misunderstood and despised history, Ukrainians were deprived of their own existence and nation-state by well-intentioned but naïve allies, benign foreign rulers and malevolent despots, who were propped up by homegrown supplicants.

No foreigner took the time to learn about Ukrainians, to understand them, their history and legacy, their aspirations. Ukrainians’ brief periods of self-determination were frowned upon by all because they demonstrated the Ukrainian nation’s undying will and ability to periodically stand up to a range of recognized dictators, all of which had political and commercial relations with the so-called benevolent international rulers.

In 1991 the Ukrainians proclaimed an independent and sovereign Ukraine and set out to chart its own future, separate from its subjugator, Russia. The ensuing three decades was still insufficient time for the international community to delve into the meaning of Ukrainian.

Russia, to be sure, was not wasting its time but rather planning to rebuild what it believed was only its temporarily lost empire. It believed that Ukraine would be returned to the Kremlin’s fold one way or another. That fateful moment came on February 22, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, eight years after illegally invading and occupying Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.

After some seventy years of expressing its support for Ukraine and the other captive nations of Russian subjugation, Ukrainians and other nations actually believed that the United States of America would eagerly stand up for Ukraine. The newly independent captive nations quickly assumed their rightful positions alongside Ukraine. They were joined even by the United States – until now. It was unthinkable that a Republican Administration in the White House would abandon Ukraine in its existential war against Russian invaders. But it’s happening now.

President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio have toned down America’s support for Ukraine by disparaging Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, openly stating that Ukraine’s return to the Russian fold is of no consequence. The current White House is willing to undertake peace negotiations with Russia without Ukraine’s participation. It has offered to sell its support for Ukraine’s freedom for the billion-dollar price tag for its natural resources.

Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense, who also doesn’t shine with intelligence about Ukraine, has categorically ruled out granting Ukraine NATO membership as a security guarantee to end Russia’s war. Some have argued that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be the least expensive way to assure regional peace and stability.

Ukraine’s desired return to its pre-2014 borders and membership of NATO are “unrealistic” goals that should be excluded from any future peace settlement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told allies on Wednesday, February 12, as he emphasized that Trump's intent to end Russia’s war “by diplomacy.” Hegseth’s remarks came at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. More than 40 nations were represented.

"We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” Hegseth told his counterparts. “A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again. This must not be Minsk 3.0,” he added, referring to the unsuccessful agreement that failed to end the Donbas war.

Reportedly, a few hours later, Trump said he and Russian fuhrer Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war. In a social media post that upended three years of US policy toward Ukraine, Trump disclosed a call between the two leaders and said they would “work together, very closely.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said Zelenskyy and Trump also had a phone conversation. The Ukrainian president is convinced that nothing will convince Putin to end the war.

Taken together, the statements by Trump, Hegseth and other White House officials offered the clearest look yet at how the new GOP Administration might try to end Europe’s largest land war since World War Two. Ukraine will simply be betrayed. It is striving to end the war in the easiest way possible, without consideration for the fairness of the conclusion. Will it be peace with justice, with strength, for all times?

Certainly, no. And the current White House Administration doesn’t care what kind of peace it will win so long as the President can declare that he said he’d do it, and he did.

It is important to comprehend what the United States is advocating – international theft is permissible. If a malevolent country invades its neighbor and illegally occupies acres and acres of farmland, destroys cities, and kills innocent men, women and children then it is alright to surrender permanently that real estate to the invader – for the sake of peace. Any superficial student of history would quickly realize that the sought after goal of peace is ersatz. Russia would certainly press westward, seizing more and more oblasts of Ukraine until it reaches the Polish border. And then what?

The White House Administration has turned a blind eye to Russia’s ongoing bombardment, destruction and killings. President Zelenskyy called on Western partners to apply more pressure to Russia after the latest overnight ballistic missile and drone strike killed at least one person and set multiple fires in the capital Kyiv.

“Apartment buildings, office buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “All our services are working on the ground, helping people and eliminating the consequences of this terror.”

“Unfortunately, as of now, one person has died in Kyiv,” he added. “Four more were injured, including a child. My condolences to the family and friends.”

Ukraine’s air force reported downing six out of seven ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih – Zelenskyy’s hometown. The air force said Russia also launched 123 strike drones into Ukraine, of which 71 were shot down and 40 were lost in flight.

Russia plans to exert long-term regional dominance by establishing its own lebensraum, a trading bloc to counter the likes of the European Union, but Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has hampered that vision, a leaked Kremlin report alleged, according to Kyiv Post. The report also acknowledged Western sanctions have driven the Kremlin’s former allies away from its grasp.

The Financial Times (FT) said the details were outlined in a presentation “shown at a strategy session led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin last April,” with high-level figures in attendance that included “several dozen senior government officials and top executives at some of Russia’s largest state companies,” as well as some Kremlin hardliners such as far-right philosopher Aleksandr Dugin.

The FT did not disclose how it obtained the documents, and Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the content.

According to the FT, Russia sought to create a Moscow-led, trade-oriented Eurasian “macroregion” to restore its global influences – a bloc that would also connect the Global South by granting each side access to raw materials, as well as developing financial and transport The envisioned bloc would also have an ideological element, which would share a common “world view... where we write rule for the new world [and have] our own sanctions policy,” the report allegedly states.

The bloc, as per the Kremlin’s vision, would eventually counter other economic blocs, including those of the US, the EU, and Moscow-ally China.

It is evident that Putin hasn’t abandoned his broader goal of redrawing the balance of power in Europe three years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estonia’s foreign intelligence service warned in a yearly report. A temporary ceasefire in Ukraine risks giving Putin a chance to “catch his breath” before resuming his war on Ukraine in pursuit of that goal, said the Estonian report, published Wednesday, February 12. His pre-invasion demand that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization roll back from eastern Europe still stands, it added.

The Baltic nations on NATO’s eastern flank are staunch supporters of Ukraine. Estonia, which borders Russia, has blamed Moscow’s intelligence services for a spate of acts of vandalism in recent years and ramped up defense spending.

“Putin likely views a resolution to this conflict as achievable only through a Yalta style agreement – that is, dividing Europe into spheres of influence,” the report said, referencing the meeting between US, UK and Soviet leaders to reorganize Europe’s borders and security architecture after World War II. 

In order to discourage military support to Ukraine, Russia will stoke “fears of a nuclear winter” in Western societies this year, the intelligence agency said. It added that Moscow is “highly unlikely to use nuclear weapons” against Ukraine, but “observing how the fear factor has restrained the West thus far,” will exploit it to the fullest. 

And all of this could happen on Donald Trump’s watch but Trump certainly has not read any of this nor does he care.

White House Dealmaker Doesn’t Care about Ukraine

On the eve of a major European conference, at which Ukraine’s existence will be discussed and perhaps decided, President Trump has lived up to his reputation of a shrewd dealmaker but, sadly, he also revealed that he doesn’t care about Ukraine.

The White House has dispatched a high-level delegation, headed by Gen. Keith Kellogg, its point man on issues pertaining to Ukraine and Russia, and Vice-President J.D. Vance, to the Munich Security Conference that will be held February 14-16 in its namesake German city.

Yesterday, February 10, Trump, who has never clearly stated his support for Ukraine but rather has tended to favor Russia, expressed his lackadaisical opinion about Ukraine’s independence. Nonetheless, regardless of Ukraine’s victory or defeat, he wants compensation for the aid America provided Ukraine to turn back Russian aggression. He’s cashing in on a money-back guarantee.

“They (Ukraine) may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in (Ukraine) and I say, I want it back," Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier.

Apparently, the American president doesn’t respect America’s partners and allies and the captive nations that it pledged to support in numerous proclamations since the height of the Cold War.

Trump had pledged during the presidential election campaign to broker a swift peace deal to end the Russian war against Ukraine that is nearing its third anniversary, claiming that the conflict would have never happened if he had been in office in 2022. 

Earlier, Trump indicated that he would be interested in ensuring US support for Ukraine in exchange for its rare earth minerals in a $500 billion resource deal. Trump claimed that Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has “essentially agreed” to the deal.

“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth (minerals), and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” Trump said.

Ukraine has already signaled it is open to developing a partnership in resource extraction with the US and other partners in exchange for security guarantees, but details are lacking.

In the world of high-stakes foreign politics, such haggles aren’t unusual, especially between halfhearted partners. However, in the case of Washington and Kyiv, in the past three decades surely and since the end of World War Two, there has been an explicit and implicit understanding that the United States supports Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. Since Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine three years ago the level of this support has been greatly magnified – except in the dealmaker’s mind. If President Zelenskyy wants to see Ukraine independent and sovereign, he will then have to buy assurances on the open market.

Trump’s flippant comment about Ukraine becoming Russian or not was not lost on the Kremlin leadership. Putin et al picked up on it right away.

Kremlin’s chief public liar Dmitry Peskov said a day later that the situation in Ukraine “largely corresponds to President Trump’s words.”

On Tuesday morning, Peskov said Trump’s remarks indicated the situation on the ground in Ukraine – often referred to by Putin and other Russian officials as the “new territorial realities” of Russian military occupation.

“The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact,” he lied in talking to reporters, referring to Moscow’s 2022 illegal occupation of four Ukrainian regions. “Any phenomenon can happen with a 50 percent probability – either yes or no.”

The Russian war against Ukraine is continuing. Its mission is to fulfill President Trump’s ill-fated words about Ukraine becoming Russia. That’s the way it is today and that’s the way it’s been for centuries. Russia wants Ukraine to be included in its prison of nations. As the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, foreign policy and national security adviser to US presidents, observed, “It cannot be stressed enough that without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire, but with Ukraine suborned and then subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire.”

Trump should also stop whitewashing Putin and Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. In an article in the New York Post after speaking with the Russian fuhrer, Trump said, “He wants to see people stop dying. All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Ask the International Criminal Court, ask the parents of murdered Ukrainian children, ask the people about their killed in action sons and daughters. Russians’ rape and killings continue.

On the night of February 11, Russian cutthroats launched 124 drones and up to 18 cruise missiles at Ukraine.