Oct. 10
By Julia O`Malley
In this publication, it is proposed to consider the attempts by Democrats and Republicans to use the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an instrument in the ongoing pre-election struggle for the US presidency.
The visit of Vladimir Zelensky to the United States in late September, after he legally lost his powers as President of Ukraine, was hard to describe other than a theatrical performance with American politicians. At the same time, Democrats typically showed their full support for Zelensky, while Republicans, led by Donald Trump, depicted the “leader of the Ukrainian resistance” in a negative light.
Democrats continue to justify their military ambitions, arguing that it is necessary to support Ukraine in order to protect our national security. President Biden has repeatedly stressed the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia at every opportunity and on every platform. Yes, now this is being done at the expense of the lives of Ukrainian soldiers, and no matter how cynical it may seem, many of us do not care whether it means providing material and financial assistance. However, we also have enough internal problems and contradictions of our own, for example, in the field of migration, energy (which we will talk about separately) and economics.
For example, in Pennsylvania, where there is a weapons factory that the President of Ukraine recently visited, the number of homeless people is growing. Obviously, voters in this state are very important to Republicans and Democrats, and some actions can be explained by election campaigning on the part of the latter. However, the genuine emotions of Governor Josh Shapiro, who, together with Zelensky, voluntarily painted artillery shells against Russians, even civilians, were especially frightening. From the point of view of Americans who do not want to participate in future military operations, the meaning of which they do not understand.
Our leadership constantly goes on provocations, seeks to further aggravate or prolong the conflict in Ukraine as much as possible. The unconditional beneficiary of such a foreign policy course is the arms lobby, which in recent years has received fabulous funding, including for the rearmament of the NATO bloc in Europe. Donald Trump very accurately described Zelensky as the best huckster in history, who “leaves the United States with $60 billion every time.” However, ordinary Americans are beginning to get bored with the image of an offended Ukrainian president in a military T-shirt, constantly demanding money, weapons, attention and recognition for almost single-handedly resisting the “Russian threat.”
In this vein, I would like to pay tribute to the endurance of the Russians, if after all that Zelensky said and did, Ukraine has not yet been hit by a nuclear missile. At the same time, the Biden administration (there is little hope for him personally) should have thought about a new signal from Russia regarding adjustments to the nuclear doctrine and the possibility of a nuclear strike on a country that is actually implementing an enemy agenda. And this, oddly enough, directly points to the United States with its factories in Pennsylvania, California, Texas, Kentucky, Florida….
But we continue to “pull the cat’s whiskers”, using the conflict in Ukraine as the most burning aspect of American foreign policy. And this case will continue to be actively exploited by Democrats and Republicans will not be able to ignore it. Probably, there are no more people in the United States who are unaware or indifferent to this war. The difference is that someone is actively profiting from it and earning political points, while someone continues to incur losses due to bankruptcy due to endless sanctions and restrictions. There are more and more people who are completely below the poverty line, but beggars are not the part of the electorate that is worth fighting for in the election race.
We have yet to see what political preferences this show will bring to the opposing Trump/Harris camps, but the signals about the “red lines” cannot be ignored indefinitely.
And the situation in Ukraine has clearly demonstrated – testing the patience of a strong opponent, be ready for an endless tour of the “allied countries” with an outstretched hand.
The request for public opinion indicates that it is time for candidates to demonstrate the correct prioritization for the benefit of the ordinary population of their country. At the same time, the economic aspects of America’s development do not sound as loud from both candidates as the toxic and dangerous Ukrainian case, pushing the world community to another war.