President Donald Trump took it upon himself to disrupt progress toward peace in Ukraine by choosing to side with the invaders. Russia has been encroaching on Ukrainian territory since 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and has since developed into a stronger aggressor, escalating to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Following the invasion of Ukraine, a full-scale war has taken place and left both Ukraine and Russia with a death toll of 148,359 people, including Ukrainian civilians.
On Feb. 19, Trump criticized the President of Ukraine on X, saying, “Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelensky, talked the United States of America into spending 350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn’t be won, that never had to start.” He followed that by saying that, “[Zelensky] refuses to have elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelensky better move fast or he is not going to have a country left.”
Trump has no business criticizing how a president in an active war zone manages his country considering he is not well versed with handling a full scale war.
Ukraine used to be conflict-free until 2014 when Russia began invading their territory. Predicting the timing of Russia’s aggression is not something Zelenky could have done but what people aren’t realizing is that he spent the first years of his term devoting his time to building a strong resistance for Ukraine and since the war has tried to rally up support for his country.
In a recent Oval Office meeting with Zelensky, both Trump and JD Vance humiliated and criticized Zelensky in front of national television. The arguments began after a reporter asked Zelensky why he wasn’t wearing a suit. To many of the people in that oval office meeting, it seems to be that dress code and critiques were far more important than addressing the issue of the Russia-Ukraine war.
In relation to professionality, a shouting match from Trump and Vance against Zelensky displayed such a spectacle for millions to see and was embarrassing. Instead of offering a new proposal towards ending the war in Ukraine, Vance suggested a diplomacy approach that was used back in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. Clearly that strategy did not work all that great considering matters have worsened since then.
In Trump’s attempt to criticize Zelensky in the media, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is still at large. There is still hope for a future of peace in Ukraine and a better future for Ukrainians who have suffered for too long from Russian aggression. It is important to encourage Americans to donate, inform themselves and protest in support of Ukraine.
