Someday, historians will study us and our actions. Could we have prevented certain events, which decisions were fatal, changed the course of the war, and brought a just peace closer?
We don't yet know what this period will be called in the books, but we do know that the eyes of the whole world are on Ukraine, and most of them are the eyes of the leaders of non-democratic countries. This is because they are reading signals and planning potential actions based on the West's response to the Russian attack.
The United States is a key partner in providing military support to Ukraine in this war, and when Donald Trump won the presidential election, it was natural for Ukrainians to ask, “What next?”
On the one hand, we know that Donald Trump was the first president to provide aid to Kiev. murder weapon(Javelin anti-tank system) was used to repel the Russian invasion even before a full-scale invasion began. On the other hand, during the election period, statements were also heard about ending the war in the country. 24 hours.
No one knows what strategy the new government will choose regarding war. But we also learned something.
Firstly, the responsibility for this war lies only with the Russian Federation. It began in 2014 with Russia's unprovoked annexation of Crimea and occupation of parts of eastern Ukraine, and continued until its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Second, it is impossible to negotiate with Russia, to seek compromise with President Putin, to hope for an agreement with President Putin, because President Putin will not honor agreements. In 2014, Ukraine and Russia signed the Minsk Agreements, a peaceful resolution to Russia's initial invasion. According to former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, since then most of the 200 negotiations and 20 full-scale ceasefire agreements. Russia followed none of them. As a result, on February 24, 2022, a full-scale war broke out in the heart of continental Europe. Because the Kremlin was amassing troops and weapons, and there were no effective sanctions to stop it.
Third, we have learned that international agreements and arrangements only work if they are enforced. In December 1994, Ukraine signed the following agreement: budapest memorandum and voluntarily gave up nuclear weapons. Twenty years later, the Russian Federation, one of the guarantors of Ukraine's sovereignty, launched an invasion, which turned into full-scale war 28 years later. Today, when Ukrainians hear about security, they ask themselves and the world: “Who will enforce it?”
President-elect Trump took office with a promise to “Make America Great Again.” And it is clear that this entails a return of the United States to a world leadership role. This role involves keeping promises and supporting those who fight for democratic values.
When the new U.S. president looks at the world map, what is happening in Ukraine is that a country in the 21st century simply annexed the territory of another country, committed all kinds of war crimes and atrocities against civilians, and is now in a state of war. It should be understood that this is a precedent for committing a crime. There is no punishment and, in fact, a lucrative deal with the world's police forces rewards them for their brutality.
That's not the signal America wants to send to the world. Iran, North Korea, China, and other tyrants cannot learn the lesson from this conflict that they can destroy, kill, torture, and destroy and then strike a deal with the United States.
The signal that the civilized world expects from the United States is peace through strength. This power is what Ukrainians need from America, and America has already proven through its actions that it is ready to fight for freedom.
At this time, we are cautiously optimistic about this appointment. General Keith Kellogg In his capacity as the US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia, he emphasized the realization of the concept of peace through strength.
The key question Trump and his team are asking is: Who will pay for all of this? Of course, you don't have to be an American or European taxpayer. President Putin must pay a price for both Ukraine's victory and postwar reconstruction.
Meanwhile, the United States has already adopted REPO methodwhich refers to Russia's frozen sovereign assets. However, most of this money for the Russian Federation is not in the United States, but in Europe, especially Belgium. euro clear I'm holding it. Decisions have already been made in each country. big seven Although there is mention of the use of profits from frozen Russian assets, the main body (up to $500 billion worldwide) remains intact.
Confiscating this money and sending it to Ukraine means not only saving European and American citizens money, but also demonstrating Putin's strength. This is because the Kremlin is most concerned about money, not the lives of Russian people, and it is the most painful point for the regime.
Therefore, we optimistically hope that the new team in the White House will not only take all the necessary decisions, but also continue to pressure European partners to follow suit in expropriating Russian assets.
It is possible to force Russia and Ukraine into some kind of compromising ceasefire, but it is naive to hope that it will result in a just and lasting peace. The Russian economy is currently suffering due to sanctions and market closures. The Kremlin needs a pause to rearm, draw conclusions from its past mistakes and launch an attack with renewed force. They will do it and have proven it multiple times in past wars such as Chechnya and Georgia.
At the same time, other dictatorships will see small country invaders and wars as a no-brainer. All you have to do is renegotiate later and pretend you're going to keep your word. Is such a world safe? Certainly not.
The world needs to understand that America is back in the game, and that police officers who will not tolerate democracy and freedom being mocked are back. Violations of the rules of the world order will be severely punished and negotiations will be impossible.
Kira Rudik is a member of the Ukrainian parliament and leader of the Golos party.
