It's not Donald Trump who failed to prepare Ukraine for full-scale war

Blaming Washington for everything is an easy way to deflect negativity and even score political points. And the public reacts well to it. Especially since Donald Trump, after a rhetorical pass from Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, shifted from talking about $350 billion and blaming Ukraine for the war with Russia to blocking military aid and cutting intelligence sharing. And the narrative took off.  

Let’s not forget: it wasn’t Trump who was building roads in Ukraine or funding the Armed Forces. It wasn’t Trump who sabotaged Ukraine’s missile program. It wasn’t Trump who downplayed the risk of invasion or suggested preparing for barbecues instead. And it certainly wasn’t Trump who failed to prepare Ukraine for full-scale war.

It wasn’t Trump who derailed mobilization, stayed silent about terrorist attacks on recruitment centers, dismissed Zaluzhnyi along with commanders of various military branches, and created problems on the front. It wasn’t Trump who launched cases against Generals Marchenko, Kryvonos, Halushkin, and others. And it certainly wasn’t Trump who is attacking freedom of speech in Ukraine and persecuting the opposition.  

It wasn’t Trump who brought Bakanov and a nest of Russian agents into the SBU. And it wasn’t Trump who surrounded himself in the Presidential Office with people from the anti-Maidan past, calling them five or six successful managers. Yet, blaming Trump for everything happening today is easy, conveniently forgetting who and how led Ukraine to this situation.  

Americans will deal with Trump—they elected him, and if they see him as a problem, it will be theirs to solve. But we must not forget the cause-and-effect relationships that brought Ukraine to where it is now. Yes, we have grievances against Trump and his actions toward Ukraine. But we shouldn’t use that as an excuse to replace the name of the one truly responsible.  

And yet, people find it much easier to blame Trump than to hold our own president accountable for everything listed above—and much more. Why is that?

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About the author. Boryslav Bereza, public figure, former member of the Ukrainian parliament.  

The editorial team does not necessarily share the opinions expressed by blog authors.