Dear Editor:
I write to voice disagreement with Alexander J. Stepanyk, whose letter in The Ukrainian Weekly (March 3) contained harsh criticisms and accusations directed at President Donald Trump and Republican politicians: perceived adulation of Vladimir Putin by Mr. Trump; disapproval of Mr. Trump’s criticism of NATO; outrage by a lifted sanction on Russia; accusation of Republican politicians of accepting campaign contributions from Russian oligarchs. These are serious claims and accusations which merit the following responses.
1. Had Republican politicians accepted campaign contributions from Russian oligarchs, a scandal of such magnitude would have inevitably been the subject of extensive media coverage and intensive investigations. Such was not the case, so this accusation can only be regarded as fiction.
2. Criticism of NATO is justified. The U.S. pays a disproportionate share of the NATO operational budget, while most member nations do not pay their agreed share.
NATO’s role is outdated because of inability to confront terrorism and failure in its original mission of restraining Russian expansionism. On full display was the feeble response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the invasion of eastern Ukraine – blatant violations of the Budapest Memoran-dum meant to guarantee Ukraine’s territorial integrity in exchange for surrendering its nuclear arsenal.
Equally feeble was President Barack Obama’s support for Ukraine. He refused to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons despite repeated appeals from the Ukraine government, Joint Chiefs of Staff and even prominent Democratic senators. His reason was to avoid escalation of the war (as if Ukraine defending itself is an “escalation”).
3. To his credit, President Obama did impose sanctions against Russia in 2014. Unfortunately, they are ineffective since Russia still occupies Ukrainian territories.
4. President Trump did lift a sanction on the Russian aluminum company Rusal, a calculated decision based on the sanction’s unintended consequence of increased price of aluminum on the global market. This hurt European economies while benefiting China, a political and economic adversary of the U.S.
5. President Trump deserves full credit for providing military assistance to Ukraine, a policy that produced the following results:
• U.S. defense budgets for 2018, 2019 and 2020 – passed by Congress and signed by Mr. Trump – collectively appropriate $750 million for military assistance and weapons to Ukraine.
• Javelin anti-tank rockets were deployed in Ukraine in 2018 – an effective counterforce to Russian tanks, as acknowledged by President Petro Poroshenko.
• Collaboration between U.S. and Ukrainian forces in joint military exercises in Eastern Europe and naval operations in the Black Sea.
• Partnerships with U.S. and Ukrainian companies for weapons production.
U.S. initiatives in assisting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression undoubtedly do not please Mr. Putin and should dispel any perceptions of adulation of Mr. Putin by President Trump.
Ukraine will ultimately prevail against Russian aggression because Ukrainian forces have the courage and will to fight to defend their homeland, and because they now have the weapons needed to wage this fight – largely thanks to President Trump.
They are the heroes who will make Ukraine great again!
Chicago