February 10, 2017

Trump administration’s mixed messages

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At the beginning of this year, we noted that no one was quite sure what the new Trump administration would bring. The concern among our readers and our community was palpable then, and it continues to be so. And it isn’t only Americans who are anxious. As Mark Raczkiewycz reports from Kyiv, Ukraine and its people are “watching and waiting” to see what President Donald Trump’s policy toward Ukraine turns out to be. One of the main reasons for our trepidation, to put it plainly, is the lack of a coherent policy toward Ukraine and its aggressor, Russia.

On January 28 the new president spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a White House readout of the call, they spoke about “terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern.” The Kremlin said the two leaders agreed to establish “partner-like cooperation” on international issues, including “the crisis in Ukraine.”

Within 24 hours after that phone call, Russian-backed forces attacked Avdiyivka. Questioned on February 3 by Bill O’Reilly of Fox News about the stepped-up violence in Ukraine’s east, Mr. Trump offered this strange response “…we don’t really know exactly what that is. They’re pro-forces. We don’t know if they’re uncontrollable? Are they uncontrollable? That happens also. We’re going to find out. I will be surprised, but we will see.” Things got stranger still when Mr. O’Reilly noted that Mr. Putin is a killer, and Mr. Trump responded: “There are a lot of killers. Do you think our country is so innocent? Do you think our country is so innocent?”

Then Mr. Trump apparently told Ukrainian National Deputy Yulia Tymoshenko in Washington on February 2 that he wouldn’t abandon Kyiv and that it’s too soon to lift sanctions on Russia. Speaking with President Petro Poroshenko on February 4, he promised: “We will work with Ukraine, Russia and all other parties involved to help them restore peace along the border” (N.B.: the problem is not “along the border” but on Ukrainian territory).

Meanwhile at the United Nations on February 2, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley took a strong and clear position in condemning Russian aggression. “The United States stands with the people of Ukraine, who have suffered for nearly three years under Russian occupation and military intervention. Until Russia and the separatists it supports respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, this crisis will continue,” she stated. The new ambassador also spoke of Crimea: “Crimea is a part of Ukraine. Our Crimea-related sanctions will remain in place until Russia returns control over the peninsula to Ukraine.”

Back in Washington, the State Department had expressed concern on January 31 “with the recent spike in violence in eastern Ukraine around Avdiyivka- Yasynuvata.” Curiously, the statement cited Ukrainian military and civilian casualties, but not who caused them. Vice-President Mike Pence, speaking of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, told ABC News on February 5: “We’re watching and very troubled by the increased hostilities.” Asked whether sanctions on Russia will remain in place as long as Russia violates the ceasefire in Ukraine, the VP was noncommittal: “That’s a question that will be answered – in the months ahead.”

So, what we’re left with is this: President Trump has vowed to “find out” the nature of the forces fighting against Ukraine, as if the true actor and aggressor was unknown, and the administration is “watching.” But the time for watching has long passed. His administration’s mixed messages on policy toward Ukraine and Russia, expressions of moral equivalency and improvisational approach to governing, cannot be allowed to continue while Ukraine’s people die daily.

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