Two statements by Donald Trump that give hope to Ukraine and NATO

As you know, I have been very critical of Donald Trump regarding his policy on Ukraine and, in particular, his rapprochement with Putin.

NATO must show no more weakness toward Russia: It's time to take down armed intruders
The defenders of Ukraine deserve respect and the invaders do not deserve a reward

I believe that a politician should be judged by his words and actions, and not by the ideology or principles he claims to defend, and that is what I have sought to do so far with all politicians and all parties. Just as I have criticized some of Trump's words and actions, today I must congratulate him on two statements.

Trump supports shooting down Russian military aircraft that violate NATO airspace

First, US President has expressed his support for shooting down Russian military aircraft that violate NATO airspace. This is related to last week's incident: three armed Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace for 12 minutes, an extremely serious incident. This aircraft model has the capacity to carry nuclear weapons, making it one of the most serious provocations carried out by Russia against NATO.

Furthermore, this incursion took place during Russian maneuvers in Belarus, the Zapad 2025 exercise, near the borders with Lithuania and Poland. This joint training of the military forces of these two dictatorships takes place every two years. The Zapad 2021 maneuvers served to mobilize troops for the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In these new maneuvers, the Russians have deployed nuclear-capable missiles near the Polish border, in the enclave of Kaliningrad. Added to this is the fact that two weeks ago Russian attack drones fell on Polish territory during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine.

With these actions, dictator Vladimir Putin appears to be testing NATO's response capacity, and especially its firmness in responding to aggression against an allied country. Bullies cannot be met with weakness or appeasement, and I am glad that Trump has finally realized this. For many years now, the United States has been acting on the principle of "peace through strength", and that must remain its policy in the face of tyrants and criminals like Putin.

He says Ukraine is in a position to “back in its original form”

On a separate note, yesterday, after meeting with the President of Ukraine, Trump posted a message on Truth Social that left me stunned, in a good way. I've transcribed it in full below (I've separated it into two paragraphs for ease of reading):

"After getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine/Russia Military and Economic situation and, after seeing the Economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form. With time, patience, and the financial support of Europe and, in particular, NATO, the original Borders from where this War started, is very much an option. Why not?

Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like “a paper tiger.” When the people living in Moscow, and all of the Great Cities, Towns, and Districts all throughout Russia, find out what is really going on with this War, the fact that it’s almost impossible for them to get Gasoline through the long lines that are being formed, and all of the other things that are taking place in their War Economy, where most of their money is being spent on fighting Ukraine, which has Great Spirit, and only getting better, Ukraine would be able to take back their Country in its original form and, who knows, maybe even go further than that! Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!"

I confess that this has surprised me a lot. Pleasantly. I am glad that Trump has finally realized what many of us have been saying for three years: Ukraine can win this war if it receives the necessary support, a support that the Ukrainians deserve, because they have been defending their homeland with admirable courage. A support that, moreover, Europe must give because Ukraine, like Israel, is defending the limits of the West alone against barbarism, and the least we can do for them is to support them with everything we can.

These statements by Trump are a breath of fresh air for Ukraine and NATO, and they come at a time when such hope is needed more than ever. Since the beginning of the Cold War, the United States has acted as a great defender of freedom and democracy in the face of communism, preventing Moscow's yoke from falling on the western half of Europe and contributing to the fall of that oppressive system in its eastern half, largely thanks to the firmness demonstrated by President Ronald Reagan. The transatlantic bond is especially valuable and must be preserved and strengthened, because today Putin's Russia is taking the place once held by the Soviet dictatorship as the greatest threat to peace in the West.

Zelensky expresses gratitude to the US President

Last night, Volodymyr Zelensky commented on Trump's message, stating that he had a "productive meeting" with the US president, adding the following:

"Today, there was significant focus on bringing back children abducted by Russia and supporting our efforts in defense of life. We discussed several promising ideas to advance peace, and I hope they will yield prompt results. In particular, we touched upon the PURL initiative, which is already working well, and potential projects within this framework.

I am grateful to President Trump for strong cooperation with the United States. Mr President clearly understands the situation and is well-informed about all aspects of this war. We highly value his resolve to help end this war. Thank you!"

The PURL initiative Zelensky is talking about is a NATO program to transfer weapons from the US to Ukraine, paid for by European countries. I hope this will provide Ukraine with the resources it needs to reclaim all the territories occupied by Russia since 2014. Peace in Europe will only be possible if Russia is not rewarded in any way for attacking Ukraine, and that means the withdrawal of all Russian soldiers from Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula.

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Photo: Офіс Президента України.