On Friday, we saw an angry Donald Trump and J.D Vance go up against a leader with limited options in Volodymyr Zelensky. There is the common phrase, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you,” and I applaud Zelensky for keeping his cool. Unfortunately, he is at the whim of the White House, and he does not have much of a leg to stand on. The American people must see the strong-arm tactics and know this is wrong.
Ukraine has been a war-torn nation for the past 3 years. Many thought that even with the help of the world, Russia would defeat Ukraine in a matter of weeks, but the resilient people of Ukraine defied the odds and put up a remarkable fight. This fight is largely due to American military support.
There is no question this war must end, but I do agree with Zelensky that the Ukrainian people need future security measures to prevent this type of attack in the future. Many believe the way to give them this security is to provide them with NATO membership, which I think would be a mistake. With Donald Trump as president, NATO is already a weak alliance. Also, we should only add NATO members for strategic reasons, and unfortunately, the addition of Ukraine would cause a greater risk for the rest of its members, including Canada.
We face the issue that Donald Trump and JD Vance are acting like bullies in front of the world to have Zelensky bow to their every demand. In the video, Trump says, “You are being very disrespectful to the country.” Well, that is the pot calling the kettle black. This man has shown disrespect in trying to take control of Canada and Greenland and by displacing the people of Palestine. Unfortunately, Donald Trump has the biggest stick in the yard and is not afraid to show it. Condemning these actions on social media is not enough, and world leaders must show strength and unity. Friedrich Merz, the leader of Germany’s CDU and likely next Chancellor, said in a speech that he wants to work on creating unity “so that, step by step, we can achieve independence from the US.”
Before the Ukraine War and the annexation of Crimea, I visited Ukraine and met the people there. Ukraine is a beautiful country with amazing people. I visited a kid’s homeless shelter in Odesa and played soccer with these young men. These kids were snorting glue to help cure the pain of hunger. It was clear that Ukraine had issues and was not ready to be a member of NATO, but they deserve their sovereignty and their security. They were proud to be Ukrainian and loved their country.
More importantly, we must stop the powers of Russia and their leader, Vladimir Putin. Zelensky said in the Oval Office regarding issues with Russia, “Everybody has problems, even you, but you don’t feel it now… but you will feel it in the future.” This greatly upset Trump. Trump took this personally and said, “Don’t tell us what we’re going to feel.” Zelensky is not wrong. If not confronted, we will feel the sting of Putin, and Trump takes offence as he thinks he can control him. You can’t control a dictator.
Canada, let’s stand with Ukraine, but more importantly, not allow Trump to bully the world.
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