Ukraine, Part VI

To make matters worse, I think it was Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth who said that Ukraine will not get all their territory back, and will not be allowed to become a member of NATO.  Why would any of that ever be said out loud before the signing of a peace deal?  That does not sound like "peace through strength."  But it does sound like peace at any cost - in other words, appeasement of our enemy, Russia.  

When I first heard some of these comments by Trump, I thought of a post I wrote the first year of the blog, called "Fools, Liars and Thieves," written on 12/12/09.  I gave quotes from 2 former presidents about war.  First, Jimmy Carter:  "War may sometimes be a necessary evil.  But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good."  I strongly disagreed with Carter.  WWII was fought by the US and our Allies in order to defeat Nazism and totalitarianism - threats to the entire world.  It may be tragic that the war had to be fought, but it was definitely not evil.

Hitler was evil for starting that war, for invading other countries.  For causing the Holocaust.  But there was nothing evil about the Allies fighting back.  I contrasted Carter's remarks with those of Teddy Roosevelt.  Roosevelt:  "Peace is generally good in itself, but it is never the highest good unless it comes as the handmaid of righteousness; and it becomes a very evil thing if it serves merely as a mask for cowardice and sloth, or as an instrument to further the ends of despotism or anarchy."

"To further the ends of despotism."  That is certainly what Trump's words have sounded like.  None of them sound like "peace through strength."  It sounded like peace at any cost; akin to Biden's exit from Afghanistan at any cost.  Trump's comments even sounded like Neville Chamberlain's "peace for our time," after he ceded the Sudetenland to Hitler in the Munich Agreement.  Chamberlain's actions probably constituted the most well known case of "appeasement" of a totalitarian dictatorship in the 20th century.  It was the opposite of "peace through strength."  Winston Churchill called it "a total and unmitigated defeat."  Of course, Churchill was correct, as after the Munich Agreement the Nazis very quickly continued their aggressive invasion of other countries.      

So what is going on?  Has Trump really given up on "peace through strength?"  Is he really willing to sell out Ukraine, a friend and ally of the US.  I wish that Zelenskyy had not publicly responded to Trump's comments.  Trump has proven on multiple occasions that he has somewhat of a thin skin.  If he is verbally attacked, he escalates.  

The Wall Street Journal's lead editorial of 2/20/25, about Ukraine, started with this sentence:  "One challenge in the Trump era is distinguishing when the President is popping off for attention from when his remarks indicate a real change in policy and priorities."  They expressed their concern that "President Trump's rhetorical assault on Ukraine in recent days appears to be the latter, and perhaps it is a sign of an ugly settlement to come."

Perhaps.  I suppose that cannot be ruled out.  But in discussing this issue with a friend, he reminded me that Trump often has something else at play.  Some plan, which may not be immediately apparent.  When he made his Gaza comments, did he really mean that the US would take over Gaza?  Or was it his way of telling the Arab world that they need to figure out how to get rid of Hamas, or Trump will let Israel level Gaza?

So, for now, I remain concerned.  I hope that Zelenskyy refrains from further negative comments about Trump.  And I hope that Trump realizes that Ukraine is a friend, and that Putin/Russia are mortal enemies.  And I hope that Trump has something up his proverbial sleeve, the likes of which I have not yet been able to ascertain.