Trump Owes Americans Some Answers on Foreign Policy - WSJ Henninger
(snip)
In the grand opera that congressional Republicans have become, no major legislation can pass until Donald Trump sings. The Trump-denounced border bill failed two weeks ago. Last week brought the unusual spectacle of South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who only last month called on Joe Biden to bomb Iran, voting against the bill to fund military aid to Ukraine and Israel. As did Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, heretofore a prominent supporter of Ukraine. Though the bill passed with 22 Republicans in favor, its future with Republicans in the House isn’t clear because Mr. Trump’s thinking on Ukraine’s future is unclear.
The people of Ukraine themselves must be starting to feel like the gladiators who fought in a walled colosseum to entertain the Romans. They await a thumbs up or down on their fate from Mr. Trump. So which will it be, Mr. Trump—let Ukraine defend itself, or let it go? At the Munich Security Conference last weekend, Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, a Trump surrogate, suggested his camp’s thumb is turning downward on U.S. military support for Ukraine. “We simply do not have manufacturing capacity to support a ground war in Eastern Europe indefinitely,” he said. “And I think it’s incumbent upon leaders to articulate this for their populations.”
Some believe that if the U.S. pulled its support, that would compel Ukraine to raise the white flag and reach an accommodation with Mr. Putin. I think it’s more likely they would fight until the last Ukrainian man, woman and child are obliterated by the Russian army. They’d rather drown in Europe’s biggest bloodbath since World War II than submit.
(snip)
For starters, what did Mr. Trump mean when he said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours? Does he in fact mean Mr. Putin should be allowed to annex eastern Ukraine? Would he withdraw the U.S. from the roughly 50-nation Ukraine Defense Contact Group? Would he cede Russian-speaking areas of the Baltics to Mr. Putin? I would ask Mr. Trump if he thought the Munich Agreement was a mistake in 1938, or just poorly negotiated.
(snip)
Mr. Trump may yet instruct House and Senate Republicans to end support for Ukraine. That would be a historic redefinition of U.S. leadership in a world of aggressors. If so, Mr. Trump has an obligation to tell American voters why 2024 won’t be another 1938.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-owes-americans-some-answers-on-what-he-would-do-nato-ukraine-war-2024-68a4fd1c?st=t4947cwaqa7v5b3&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink