Threats go against our interests

To the editor: 

“Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me.” 

President Donald Trump’s statement should send a shiver down the spine of anyone who cares about the future of representative democracy in America. 

Trump said these chilling words during the disturbing White House meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine. Earlier, President Trump told the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, that Putin would “keep his word” on a peace deal. Starmer was far less confident. That’s not surprising. Putin has repeatedly broken his country’s commitments to Ukraine. 

In 2014, Putin first broke Russia’s obligations to Ukraine under the Budapest Memorandum by annexing Crimea. Then, Russia began providing military and economic support to a breakaway effort in Ukraine’s Donbas. In February 2022, Putin underlined his duplicity with the invasion of Ukraine. That horrific war continues today, with at least 100,000 Ukrainians killed, millions of refugees displaced and swaths of the country turned into a desolate landscape. 

Putin is not our friend. He is our adversary. Putin rules his country with an iron fist and has repeatedly stated his opposition to representative democracy. That a president of the United States would praise a dictator and mass murderer is a threat to our system of governance.       

President Trump accuses Ukraine of starting the war with Russia. Anyone who has paid attention knows this is baseless. Trump adds the ridiculous charge that President Zelenskyy is a dictator. Trump also falsely claims the U.S. has provided more support to Ukraine than the rest of NATO.  

To Trump’s claims: Ukraine’s governments and presidents have been democratically elected since Ukraine’s independence in 1991. When Zelenskyy was elected in 2019 he won 75% of the popular vote in a free and fair election, with a 62% voter turnout. Trump won in 2024 with less than 50% of the popular vote.  

Following Russia’s invasion in 2022, martial law was proclaimed in Ukraine. The status of martial law is reviewed every 90 days by Ukraine’s democratically elected parliament. Elections do not take place in Ukraine under martial law.  

An actual dictator is found in Ukraine’s neighbor, where Putin has ruled for the last 26 years. Putin murders or imprisons anyone within his grasp who publicly opposes him. The lucky dissenters who flee the country spend the rest of their lives wondering if they can safely drink their tea or sit on a park bench.      

As to the claim that Ukraine started the war, Trump ignores everything that has happened between Russia and Ukraine. Some say Russia felt threatened by Ukraine’s desire to become a part of NATO. But there was little Ukrainian public support for joining NATO until Russia seized Crimea. Suddenly, joining NATO became incredibly attractive. 

While peace for Ukraine is essential, it can only come with security guarantees from the U.S. and our European allies. Yes, we need Putin to agree to end the war. But the representative democracies of Europe and North America will need to enforce Putin’s compliance by assuring a unified response should he renege. When it comes to Ukraine (and most things), Putin’s words and signatures are worthless.   

Yes, we should consider America first, as we need to protect ourselves if we are to remain a free country. But we should not be, cannot be, America alone. The world’s autocrats are our adversaries, some our avowed enemies. We need to interact with them, as it is too dangerous not to do so. But the United States and our allies must present a united front that recognizes the evil the autocracies represent.  

The people of Ukraine are providing the blood, sweat and tears in resistance to Russia’s thirst for dominance. The other countries of NATO are doing their part, making a greater contribution of military and humanitarian support than the United States. They have as much to lose as we do — our systems of governance.  

Trump’s threats to end support for Ukraine, pausing shipments of ammunition and military equipment, as well as ceasing intelligence sharing are huge mistakes. So is praising Putin. These threats are not in the interests of the representative democracies of the world, including the United States. 

Eric R. Rogers

Portland