Thoughts on Ukraine

Today I attended a town hall led by a Ukrainian official. Following their update, the floor was open for a Q&A session. As it was my first time attending a public event surrounding the war, I chose to be a listener. At least that is how my social anxiety justified not asking the many burning questions I had. Thankfully, there were plenty of good ones asked by others, but mine was the elephant in the room. A quiet, endangered elephant shot dead by self-doubt and the fear of insulting the entire hall. My question would have been: “Are decision-makers for Ukraine really reading The Art of the Deal to form a rational response to Trump’s blocking of military intelligence and support to Ukraine?”

My internal question was in response to the official summarising their rationale for signing a minerals deal with Trump in order to obtain Patriot missiles. Had a deal been signed last week in Washington, Ukraine would be in a better position today, they went on to state. I felt this was wishful thinking. Next, he explained how Trump sees Russia as a US ally and China as an enemy - he did not elaborate on China, but most likely has to do with Trump’s financial interests in Taiwan and keeping the country as a back-pocket bargaining chip. Furthermore, if Trump could strike a deal with Zelensky, this would in theory calm his MAGA base. They clarified saying that Trump’s goal is to “cause as much chaos and disruption as necessary to get the deal he wants,” followed by referencing his position to the book The Art of The Deal. The outlook which I hope is not an echo from his colleagues in Kyiv is drenched in rationalisations. I had many problems with this assessment were the fact that Trump is not a rational person. I don’t know if Trump is dumb, but he does not have to be smart or tactful. He has been handed everything in his life and simply follows the will of billionaire money. He has complete immunity from any crimes according to the US Supreme Court and has not faced any consequences for his many crimes. Second, he has never kept a promise. Instead, he has burned every person who ever signed an agreement with him. Lastly, Trump did not write Art of the Deal. It was ghostwritten by Tony Schwartz.

I do have a way of combatting this mental block that has occurred my whole life. I keep a pen and paper to write down questions with various phrasing before asking, choosing the best option. This has helped me immensely in class room settings and would have helped me here. Unfortunately, while I had my notebook, I could not find one damn pen in my bag.

My follow up question would have asked their confidence in Ukraine winning against Russia without the US. Would the strengthening of support for Ukraine by Europe, Canada, and Australia harm the minerals deal Ukraine is still considering? Could it be dangerous to sign for that reason? They had already stated earlier with 100% confidence that Ukraine will win the war. I consciously decided against this question - a rare handshake between my anxiety and logic. My disorganised thinking tangled with this second question. A dozen scenarios sprung into action to prevent my vocal chords from engaging. It was, for one, too speculative. Maybe my nerves would have botched the meaning behind them. There were also US-Russian sympathisers outside during the rally before the meeting. I felt this was a vulnerable space for to show cards.

The official stressed the importance of the US remaining seen as an ally and not an enemy. “Don’t protest at US embassies” was said to some disagreement in the crowd. They also encouraged attendees to reenforce the fact that Russia started the war when speaking to our communities. There is much propaganda attempting to change this narrative. To digress briefly, I hear a lot of it among both the left and right, as well as by competing socialists groups at the Palestinian rallies. Having said that, there were many overlapping ideologies in attendance, including those sympathetic to Palestine, a Vietnamese man who supported the north during the Vietnam war, and older demographics who were antiwar their whole lives, but see Trump and Putin as an exception. In speaking with them outside, they agreed oligarchy is the common enemy and that is what brought them there. I am interested to see if solidarity grows among the people of Palestine and Ukraine, especially after Israel voted with the US refusing to condemn Russia in last month’s UN resolution. Unsurprisingly, the official mentioned countries who voted with the US but failed to mention Israel. Keep an eye on this rift in the coming months: I am curious to see how many Ukrainians will stay loyal to Israel as they continue to side with the US. There is a pattern of double-think in March of 2025: The US is both a friend and enemy to Ukraine. Ukraine is both a friend and enemy to Israel. The rudiments of war pit victims in one country against victims in another. All are competing with each other for aid, despite the same capitalist oligarchs killing them. Many Ukrainians will throw their support to Israel with the hopes of receiving weapons. Of course, Israel will follow wherever the US goes in order to get their’s. Everyone is trying to survive. Yet, today I saw all of these different people come together to stand against Trump, but also stand for Ukraine. I don’t think this was a selfish proxy cause for those who attended. The losers of war are always the people so maybe there is hope for solidarity down the line. Humans are good, just gullible.

I enjoyed the presentation and admire the resilience and strength this official and his country still have. While world leaders smile with Trump, Zelensky stood his ground and spoke the truth. Ukrainian officials are of the same batch. I have no doubt my internal monologue is echoed among many hushed offices around the world, as it is among many of my fellow Americans. My reactions simply come from someone who lived through the first Trump administration. Like many, I am familiar with Trump’s past and know who his supporters are.

By the end of the town hall, I feared the rationalisation of Trump could weaken Ukraine’s position in the short term, especially when there are many discussions in windowless European rooms on how to proceed without America. That said, the language of international relations may require these baby steps before coming to terms with the elephant. Much like building a case, we have to at least try the methods we may very well know not to work, because if we don’t, there is less ammunition to use when justifying a more drastic step. These slow, “by the books” motions practiced by the majority of countries are being challenged by Trump’s disregard of political norms and both domestic and international law. Drastic action may need to be taken one day if we are to go by Trump's word. For now, there are two lessons to follow: speak your mind, even if your voice shakes, and loose lips sink ships… So do NATO missiles.