America, the splintered reed

Ukraine - and its supporters in America - should have known better than to count on the US.

“Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharoah king of Egypt to all who depend on him.” - Isaiah 36:6

Yesterday’s press conference with Donald Trump and Vladimir Zelensky left me conflicted. On one hand, the polls have been crystal clear for some time now: Ukrainians are ready to negotiate. In that regard Trump’s efforts to force Ukraine to the negotiating table approximates their will much more closely than Zelensky, whose hardline position — a return to 1991 borders — is shared by less than 15% of the population.

But on the other hand holy fuck have we screwed Ukraine. We strung this poor nation along with hopes of NATO membership for nearly two decades, knowing full well that this placed Ukraine at real risk of attack by Russia. And we did it with no serious plan to actually follow through. Then we spent three years arming Ukraine in its fight against Russia, but never enough to actually win — just enough to keep the bloodshed going.