By McKenzie Ward
In the early morning of Feb. 24, Russia launched an invasion on Ukraine, an ex-Soviet nation located in eastern Europe. The country attacked Ukraine in a mass assault by land, sea, and air.
In the morning and throughout the dawn of Feb. 24, explosions could be heard throughout the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.
According to Reuters, this is the biggest attack on a European country since World War II.
In a pre-recorded message by Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, he declared that Russia could not “feel safe, develop, and exist” because of Ukraine and the supposed threat Ukraine is to Russia, according to the BBC. The BBC reports that Putin is claiming he wants to protect people from genocide and aim for the “demilitarization and de-Nazification” of Ukraine despite there being no genocide in Ukraine and their president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, being Jewish.
Leaders around the world have expressed their support for Ukraine and have condemned Russia for their unprovoked aggression toward the much smaller country, even before the attack.
When President Joe Biden was asked to clarify his comments in January concerning the possible threat, he said he had been very clear with Putin that if any Russian units moved into Ukraine it would be considered an invasion, and Russia would “be met with [a] severe and coordinated economic response,” and Russia would pay a heavy price, according to ABC News.
While world leaders spoke out against Putin, former President Donald Trump has had nothing but love for the dictator.
In an Feb. 22 interview on “The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show,” Trump called Putin “very savvy” and Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, which is an independent, sovereign, and democratic country, an act of “genius,” according to Politico.
And while on Feb. 26 he did finally condemn the assault, it was too late – the damage was done.
While I am not surprised the former president has said yet another stupid comment, his remark isn’t just stupid – it is dangerous.
For years Trump has worshiped Putin and has consistently played into the hands of the dictator.
In 2018, Trump contradicted U.S. Intelligence Agencies at the Helsinki Summit and said there was no reason for Russia to meddle in the U.S. election, according to the BBC. This was despite U.S. Intelligence Agencies concluding that during the 2016 election, Russia authorized a campaign of cyberattacks and fake news stories on social media to tip the scale of the election against Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, according to the BBC.
When asked if Trump believed his own country’s intelligence agencies or the Russian dictator when it came to these allegations, Trump said, “President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
Sure, Trump, let’s just take the word of a man who won’t allow a legitimate election to happen in his country.
This is outrageous and the entirety of the GOP needs to condemn Trump for his admiration of Putin.
This man has time and time again put a country that is not even our ally over our foreign policy, citizens, and our government workers who make their best efforts to protect our democracy.
There was one point in history in which a GOP president, Ronald Reagan actually stood up to Russia and was credited for winning the Cold War.
Now we have a former GOP president acting as a puppet for the Kremlin while GOP senators such as Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz refuse to condemn Trump for his insensitive praise of a dictator, according to The Hill.
In my opinion, Trump’s statements are borderline treasonous.
There is nothing heroic about a man who invades an independent country solely to gain power.
The real heroes are the people of Ukraine who are bravely fighting and defending their country, including their President Zelenskyy who has continued to fight alongside his people.
May sundowers grow across Ukraine.