US support has been undecided, and may soon evaporate altogether.
11 November 2024
My biggest fear about a Trump victory in the US election arose from his attitude to Ukraine. His seeming affection for autocrats put him on the side of Vladimir Putin. He might be happy to reward Russian aggression. I still have that fear.
Recently, however, I also concluded something else. From my own visits to Ukraine and reports from friends at the front line, it became clear that Ukraine was losing ground and the Nato allies were letting this happen.
Although the Biden administration was theoretically more hawkish than Germany and France, with America giving far more kit than any other country, it seemed, in practice, to be going through the motions. Rather as with Israel, but even more so, Biden’s White House consistently undercut the effectiveness of the support it was itself giving.
Influenced by his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, President Biden kept holding Ukraine back from using the most powerful weapons its allies supplied. Biden’s particular bugbear was the use of long-range weapons to penetrate deep into Russia. Not only US weapons were affected. The White House still forbids Britain to let Ukraine use the Storm Shadow missiles we have given it for this purpose. This despite the fact that Russia hurls long-range missiles into Ukraine almost every day.
The reason seems to be Biden’s fear of Putin’s threat to use tactical nuclear weapons if Ukraine assails his motherland. That is a serious issue, but study of the course of the war shows repeatedly that Putin bluffs. When his bluff is called, he does nothing.
The hope now, which many Ukrainians share, is that Trump, being a stronger man and armed with a stronger mandate, will not want to be “the president who lost Ukraine”. And Putin, respecting him and fearing his unpredictability, will want to offer reasonable terms.
The latest signs are not propitious, however. Trump has indicated he will not give jobs to those Republicans, such as his former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and his former opponent Nikki Haley, who best understand the situation. He seems to be influenced in Moscow’s direction by the Putin-fancying Tucker Carlson, and by his own son, Donald junior.
This presents a tremendous challenge to all the European members of Nato who – and here Trump has always been right – have grossly failed to shoulder our fair share of the burden of the defence of Europe. Past history suggests they will not rise to it.
Britain, with Poland, the only unequivocal big backers of Ukraine in Europe, should play the key role here. We keep saying we shall do “whatever it takes”. What it takes at this crucial point is two things – to convince Trump that the peace of Europe cannot survive a Putin victory, and to convince our European allies that this means we shall have to do much more to help Ukraine.
…………
Marco Rubio set to be Trump’s secretary of state
Florida senator is a hardliner on China and Iran and would be the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat
12 November 2024
Donald Trump is set to appoint Marco Rubio as the new US Secretary of State.
The senator for Florida will become the first Latino to serve as America’s top diplomat, according to sources close to the president-elect.
Mr Rubio was one of the more hawkish names on the shortlist for Secretary of State and the 53-year-old has hardline views on China and Iran.
Over the last few years, Mr Rubio has softened some of his stances to align more closely with Mr Trump’s views. The president-elect has accused past US presidents, including current president Joe Biden, of leading America into costly and futile wars and has pushed for a more restrained foreign policy.
Mr Trump has vowed from “day one” of his second term in the White House to negotiate an end to Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Since his first term, Beijing has also aligned itself more closely with Moscow and Iran, amid deepening global divisions.
The Ukraine crisis will be high on Mr Rubio’s agenda.
He has said in recent interviews that Ukraine needs to seek a negotiated settlement with Russia rather than focus on regaining all territory that Russia has taken in the last decade.
Mr Rubio was also one of 15 Republican senators to vote against a $95 billion (£74 billion) military aid package for Ukraine, which cleared Congress in April.
“I’m not on Russia’s side — but unfortunately the reality of it is that the way the war in Ukraine is going to end is with a negotiated settlement,” Mr Rubio told NBC in September.
Mr Rubio, whose grandfather fled Cuba in 1962, is also an outspoken opponent of normalising relations with the Cuban government, a position Mr Trump shares.
While he was far from the most isolationist option, Mr Rubio’s likely selection nonetheless underlines a broad shift in Republican foreign policy views under Mr Trump.
Mr Rubio’s selection is also significant domestically given Mr Trump’s success in winning over the Latino vote at last week’s presidential election, as many Latinos switched from the Democrats to the Republicans.
He was also considered as a possible running mate for Mr Trump, who ultimately picked JD Vance.
It comes as Mr Trump has in recent days been assembling his top team ahead of his inauguration in January.
On Monday, he appointed the fiercely pro-Israel Republican congresswoman Elise Stefanik as the next US ambassador to the UN.
Mr Rubio ran against Mr Trump for the Republican nomination in 2016 but could not keep pace with the future president or Texas senator Ted Cruz.
Representatives for Mr Trump and Mr Rubio did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“From my own visits to Ukraine and reports from friends at the front line, it became clear that Ukraine was losing ground and the Nato allies were letting this happen.”
It seems that they want to give putler even more than the 20% he has now. It really is disgusting and disgraceful.
A massive joint orcs/norks assault is pending. Ukraine desperately needs a LOT more firepower NOW.
There were a couple of presidential candidates of Cuban descent back in 2016: Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Trump slandered Cruz by absurdly claiming that his father was involved in the JFK assassination. (Ridiculously he has now appointed far left conspiracy theorist and total fucking idiot RFK Jr to his transition team). He belittled Rubio with stuff like “little Marco.” Rubio became my favourite candidate because he produced a document: “The Rubio Doctrine”; now disappeared from the internet, which set out his Romney-type position on ruZZia; ie that it was and is America’s most dangerous enemy and must be prioritized. He outlined a number of sensible policy positions, including drastically increased help for Ukraine and isolation of ruZZia.
Since then of course he’s backed down and revealed himself to be just another morally bankrupt trumper.
“The White House still forbids Britain to let Ukraine use the Storm Shadow missiles we have given it for this purpose. This despite the fact that Russia hurls long-range missiles into Ukraine almost every day.”
This is borderline criminal. It has certainly cost many lives; almost as many as the definitely criminal murder by proxy: the engineered aid block.