In the past week, both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Pennsylvania. Zelensky toured an ammunition factory in Scranton, while Duda attended the unveiling of a statue at the Czestochowa cemetery honoring the Polish Solidarity movement’s fight for independence against the Soviet-backed communist regime. Both leaders were on their way to the United Nations General Assembly and share concerns about the United States’ role in leading NATO’s defense of Eastern Europe against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threat.
The outcome of the upcoming presidential election will have a significant impact on Washington‘s involvement, making it crucial for Pennsylvania’s 750,000 Polish residents and 122,000 Ukrainians to participate in the electoral process. During the presidential debate on September 12, Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump refused to state whether he wants Ukraine to win the war. He has also never condemned Putin for his invasion and bombing campaigns that have resulted in the deaths of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians. Instead, Trump has blamed Zelensky for the war and even threatened to cut off aid to Ukraine. His running mate, J.D. Vance, has suggested that Ukraine should give up territory to negotiate with Russia.
By ignoring Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine and its implications for U.S. national interests and the security of European allies, Trump has aligned himself more closely with Putin than with America’s longstanding commitments to peace, democracy, and fundamental freedoms. As president, Trump did little to assist Ukraine and even attempted to extort the country for his own political gain. His 2020 campaign was notably silent on both Russia and Ukraine, allowing him to promote an isolationist and misguided “America First” agenda.
Vance is a strong opponent of providing military and economic aid to Ukraine. Earlier this year, he publicly opposed legislation that aimed to seize Russian assets in the U.S. to support Ukraine and protect American taxpayers from the damage caused by Russia. As a former U.S. Treasury Department official and Republican congressman who represented Pennsylvania for 12 years, we believe that seizing Russian assets to aid Ukraine would have been a priority for both former Republican presidents. However, Vance holds a different view.
Historically, Trump has opposed the existence of NATO, which has been crucial for U.S. and European security since the Cold War. On the same day that NATO convened in Washington this year, a Russian missile destroyed the Okhmatdyt children‘s hospital in Kyiv. Trump’s response was to reiterate that he would not necessarily defend a NATO ally against Russia.
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