For four years the Biden Administration could not move Russia an inch closer to the negotiation table. Just before the inauguration of the New Trump Administration, the U.S.’s policy on the Ukraine conflict was still a continuation of financial, weaponry, and diplomatic support for Kyiv.
Only a few weeks after the inauguration of the new administration, it was revealed that the U.S. was in touch with Russia that set in motion an incredibly fast-paced negotiation keeping Kyiv and NATO in the dark as if Ukraine is a U.S.’ territory and Kyiv is just a land manager.
And NATO? -The landowner does not necessarily consult his neighbors on any transaction involving his land.
Such astounding hurry raises a deep suspicion that the U.S. is pursuing an urgent agenda that Russia will play a crucial role and that the U.S. and Russia are now comrades in arm.
In 1938, after he had secured his grip on Germany, Hitler used both lies and threats to demand Czechoslovakia to cede its land called The Sudetenland to Germany. He claimed Germans had been mistreated there.
Russia learned the lesson well and denounced Ukraine of mistreating Russians living in Southern and Eastern Ukraine before invading Ukraine.
Germany met with the other European powers, Britain and France, and they signed the Munich Agreement WITHOUT Czechoslovakia’s consent, which gave its land to Germany.
Just like that.
That agreement was the one Prime Minister Chamberlain waved from the steps of his airplane.
Ukraine is faced with the same thuggish intimidation from Russia. Strangely and alarmingly the U.S. seems to be willing to agree to a Munich styled agreement to resolve the war in Ukraine, going alone into negotiation with Russia without Ukraine. This time seems to be worse because none of the other American allies goes into the meeting with the U.S.
A year later, in 1939, Hitler just tore up the Munich Agreement, probably doubled over in laughter, and took the rest of Czechoslovakia. Russia’s following step is easily to predict, especially watching the U.S.’s behavior: swallowing the whole Ukraine country and, why not, Poland and other NATO members adjacent to its western and northern borders.
President Trump assumed power only a few weeks ago but his approach in internal and foreign affairs is a complete disregard of protocol. The appointments of yes people to form his cabinet at least understandable in the sense that he does not need thinking heads but only loyalists to spy on his opponents in the government and carry out his orders. But his approach to the Ukraine-Russia conflict to seek a settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war without Ukraine or Europe, and his proposal that Ukraine provides the U.S. with $500 billion worth of raw materials without a guaranteed security assurance in return for Ukraine, are brute. His underlings treat our allies in Europe as if they were the U.S.’s vassals and lecture them as if they were students in need of special education.
The U.S.’s sudden turn of its back to its hopefully-still-allies rings alarm bells not just in Europe but among many other nations having believed in the promise of a steadfast American alliance.
Through its elected (and even non-elected) representatives, the U.S. sides with the extremists in Germany even suggesting that they should not feel guilty about the Holocaust. Is it an early sign that the U.S. under President Trump wants to move fast to White-nationalize Europe with the help of Russia? That the U.S. will soon support the abolishment of NATO and facilitate a union of Russia and Europe?
After the withdrawal from the Middle East and Afghanistan, perhaps the U.S. does not want to be bound to any alliance which may requires it to enter a militarily conflict. Geoeconomic Warfare would suffice to guaranty American’s influence.
But the Munich Agreement aftermath should not be forgotten. It seems that our Secretary of State goes into the Riyadh meeting trusting that Russia would honor a promise to take only a portion of Ukraine’s territory. The English PM understood the Germans a whole lot better than our secretary does the Russians.
But a possible take from the U.S.’s about-faced foreign policy is that the U.S. is reassessing its power due to the growing strength of its main adversaries, Russia and China. It is still the strongest but not strong enough to continue to provide a security umbrella for Europe and East Asia simultaneously.
Regardless of why the U.S. changes course, its attitude toward Ukraine and its European allies is uncalled for and deserves a rebuke for lack of decency and finesse, the norms in diplomacy.
JOHN P. LE PHONG
(This article can be found in X, Facebook, and thelephongjournal.com)
