It’s been almost three years since Russia invaded Ukraine in an attack that shook the world. And while Ukrainians are fighting for their survival and European allies assessing their ability to limit Russian aggression, the last few days has seen America appear to be retreat from its commitments to help the beleaguered former Soviet republic.
President Donald Trump once promised to end the war in a day if re-elected. But since his inauguration, he’s making clear that he would prefer to end the war with Ukraine conceding significant territory.
Just this week, Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator,” falsely claimed that Ukraine started the war, said that Russia has the upper hand in peace talks, falsely said that Zelenskyy has a 4 percent approval rating, echoed Kremlin arguments that Ukraine should be forced to hold elections before any agreement and began negotiating peace talks with Russia without any Ukrainians at the table.
This shift comes as American support for continued aid to Ukraine has waned, especially among Republicans. A Pew Research Center poll from this past November found only 36% of Republicans believe the U.S. has an obligation to help Ukraine.
Trump’s handling of this issue is a stark reversal from the days of Ronald Reagan.
For longtime Republicans such as myself, Trump’s handling of this issue is a stark reversal from the days of Ronald Reagan.
In his 1985 State of the Union address, Reagan told the nation, “We must stand by all our democratic allies. And we must not break faith with those who are risking their lives — on every continent, from Afghanistan to Nicaragua — to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth.”
Sure, there are old-guard Republicans who still stand with Ukraine. Trump’s former vice president, Mike Pence, even rebuked his former boss for his diatribe against Zelenskyy, writing, “Mr. President, Ukraine did not ‘start’ this war. Russia launched an unprovoked and brutal invasion claiming hundreds of thousands of lives. The Road to Peace must be built on the Truth.”
But even with these exceptions, there is no effective voice in the Republican Party advocating for Ukraine and our European allies. Even Secretary of State Marco Rubio — once a staunch supporter of Ukraine aid — is now carrying out Trump’s reckless policy that treats Russia as an ally and Europe as an enemy.
Perhaps we Republicans have assumed too much in our support for the global world order and taken for granted our leaders’ willingness to stand with our allies and not “break faith” in defense of freedom. Even the Republicans in Congress who have backed Ukraine in the past have given only mild fact checks of Trump’s gross mischaracterizations and untruths while still supporting his general strategy. Or perhaps it was Reagan who was the aberration, and Trump — as he’s done so many times here at home — is only showing the world who Republicans truly are. Either way, this Republican president’s apparent abandonment of Ukraine after years of devastation at the hands of a pointless Russian crusade reminds me of President Reagan’s warning, “freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.” I never thought freedom for Ukraine could be extinguished at the hands of this generation of Republicans. ^ Neither did our allies. For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch “The Weekend” every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.
Michael Steele
Michael Steele is a co-host of "The Weeknight," which airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. He is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. 
