It’s been called the Trump-Ukraine controversy, Ukraine scandal, Ukraine matter, Ukraine affair, Ukraine mess. Call it what you will, but since late September, Ukraine has been at the center of attention in the United States in a way never before seen.
There are so many aspects that can be discussed, but let me share just a few thoughts.
As damaging and tragic as this whole episode is for the United States, how it plays out for Ukraine’s relationship with its most powerful strategic partner remains to be seen. While it certainly complicates U.S.-Ukraine relations in the short-term, I remain confident that America will continue to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity and democratic aspirations.
In terms of public attention, the scandal is a mixed bag. On the negative side, we see numerous references to Ukraine’s corruption. Alas, this reflects the harsh reality, although Ukraine is far from the most corrupt country in the world. Moreover, in contrast to many other countries such as Russia, Ukraine has at least undertaken some efforts over the last five years to combat this scourge, even if the process has been inadequate.
On the other hand, more Americans than ever are now aware of Ukraine. Ukraine is indelibly imprinted on America’s consciousness. It has become part of the American story – even if not in the way one would have wanted given the scandal’s deleterious impact on the United States. Importantly, far more Americans now know about and sympathize with Ukraine’s struggle against Russian aggression. I have been impressed with how often the media refers to Ukraine not just as a partner or friend, but as an ally – something rarely heard earlier.
Because of this, the reality that America stands with Ukraine has been reinforced in the public mind, notwithstanding President Donald Trump’s inexplicable affection for the authoritarian Vladimir Putin, negative comments about Ukrainians and attempts to pressure Ukraine for personal political reasons.
One of the most troubling aspects of this entire sordid affair has been President Trump’s withholding nearly $400 million of military/security assistance to Ukraine. President Barack Obama was rightly strongly criticized by many of us, both inside and outside the government, for not providing Ukraine with lethal weapons, notably Javelin anti-tank missiles.
But Mr. Trump, notwithstanding the highly welcome step of authorizing Javelins for Ukraine in 2017, did something that would have been inconceivable for Mr. Obama or any other American president – Democrat or Republican – to do in similar circumstances. That is, put a hold on all military/security assistance. Mr. Obama, with the important exception of lethal weapons, did approve significant amounts of military assistance appropriated by Congress during his administration. This amounted to much more than just blankets, despite the myth perpetuated in certain circles. Non-lethal equipment and other security assistance that the U.S. has supplied since Russia’s invasion has helped Ukraine monitor and secure its borders, deploy its forces more safely and effectively, and make progress toward NATO interoperability.
There are those who only see security assistance through the lens of Javelins and dismiss non-lethal assistance as having little or no significance. Not so. Over the course of the last five years, I often heard from Ukrainian civilian and military officials as well as Verkhovna Rada members about the vital role that U.S. non-lethal security assistance has played in helping to fight the war. A former leader of one of the volunteer battalions who is now a politician once even told me – somewhat to my surprise – that non-lethal was more important than lethal.
In any event, Mr. Trump putting a hold on this vital, substantial funding is a travesty of the highest order. After all, Congress, with overwhelming bipartisan support, had appropriated the funds. The Pentagon, the State Department and national security experts within Mr. Trump’s own White House had absolutely no objections to disbursing the aid, and many were surprised by it being frozen. The withholding sent the horrible signal that the U.S. was not concerned about Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine – a message certainly not lost upon Mr. Putin.
And if anyone thinks that Mr. Trump’s decision was based upon genuine concern about Ukraine’s corruption, well, I have a bridge to sell you. In short, count me among the extreme skeptics for many reasons, including his apparent lack of concern about corruption in any other country, let alone within his own administration. The real reason, of course, is that Mr. Trump was pressing Ukraine for an investigation that would benefit him politically.
One aspect of the scandal that encourages my faith in our system is the courage and determination of career U.S. foreign policy professionals to do the right thing: to raise alarms about Mr. Trump’s attempts to pressure Ukraine’s leaders to investigate his political rival, to honor Congressional subpoenas in the impeachment investigation despite administration attempts to prevent them from doing so, and to tell the truth, even if in some cases, it could harm their careers.
In my decades working for the U.S. government at the Helsinki Commission, I had the opportunity to work and interact with hundreds of State Department diplomats. I found most to be decent, dedicated professionals, including the overwhelming majority of those who worked on Ukraine whether at the State Department in Washington or U.S. Embassy in Kyiv.
Former Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovich, Ambassador Bill Taylor (currently serving as the Kyiv Embassy’s chargé d’affaires) and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State George Kent (now in charge of Ukraine and five other countries, and who previously served twice in Ukraine, most recently as deputy chief of mission) are among the best. Along with other officials, they have honored congressional subpoenas and testified in the impeachment investigation. They are courageous. They are forthright. They are honest. They care about what is right. They are patriots. And I can tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt, having watched and worked with them over the years, they care deeply about Ukraine. Like other public servants at the State Department, the Pentagon and other executive agencies, as well as in Congress, they have worked hard to strengthen U.S.-Ukraine relations. They recognize that an independent, secure, democratic and prosperous Ukraine is profoundly in America’s national interests. This stands in sharp contrast to those running a shadow foreign policy towards Ukraine who appear to care only about their own personal political and financial interests.
Despite the current adversity, I remain hopeful that U.S. political support to Ukraine, as well as concrete assistance – both security and non-security – will continue. Thankfully, there are enough serious people in Washington’s national security and foreign policy establishment and in the Congress – both Democrats and Republicans – who understand the importance of supporting Ukraine at this critical juncture.