In what must come as a terrible shock to liberals who believe that President Trump is Russian President Putin’s puppet, the American president has approved a plan to send antitank missiles to Ukraine, thereby ensuring a “new phase” in the conflict between that country and Ukraine.
The decision to send Javelin antitank missiles, the Wall Street Journal reports, “places Washington closer to the conflict in eastern Ukraine. Although Ukrainian government officials have long sought these missiles, the U.S. refused to do give in to the pressure fearing doing so would escalate the conflict.”
Apparently, those fears have been dealt with.
As Noah Rothman explains, Kiev will undoubtedly be extremely happy with this decision:
When I was in Kiev in Feb, all I was told was that the tide in Donbas would shift if only they were provided Javlin anti-tank missiles. Trump just approved their transfer to Ukraine. https://t.co/TnwF1oexKw
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) December 23, 2017
This is a significant escalation of tensions between the West and Moscow and another major blow to Putin’s aspirations in Europe.
— Noah Rothman (@NoahCRothman) December 23, 2017
Additionally, Commentary rightfully points out that although Trump is often accused of being “buddies” with Putin, his administration has actually been much tougher on Russia than Obama’s.
Trump has ordered harsh sanctions on Moscow’s Iranian allies for violating United Nations resolutions—a course the Obama administration declined to take even if it allowed Hezbollah terrorists with direct links to Putin to operate with impunity. He ordered long overdue airstrikes on Putin’s vassal regime in Syria, halting any further use of chemical weapons in the process. Trump not only declined to lift Obama-era sanctions on Moscow, as many feared he would, but expanded them. This administration closed Russian consulates and annexes in the United States. It has targeted Putin allies like Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov under the Magnitsky Act—the same act that Kremlin cutout Natalia Veselnitskaya lobbied the Trump campaign to scuttle. Trump has even gone so far as to open U.S. arms sales to Ukraine, representing a significant blow to Putin’s ambitions in Europe. It is without a doubt that Trump now has a stronger record on Russia than Barack Obama ever did.
Isn’t it strange how the mainstream media have yet to point out these facts?
Be that as it may, it’s clear now that Trump’s foreign policy is much more “conventional Republican” than many seem to believe. He’s taking steps to curb Russia’s influence in Europe and the Middle East, he’s prepared to take action against North Korea, and he has taken steps against Iran. That’s a significant change from Obama’s foreign policy — which was all talk and no action. Even, yes perhaps especially so, with regards to Russia and Ukraine.
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