I wholeheartedly congratulate the people of the United States on the inauguration of their new president Donald Trump. At this historic moment, it is worth pausing to reflect on what truly makes America great, and how it can be greater still.
Throughout its history, the United States has fought for freedom. From the War of Independence to the fight against Nazism, this commitment to freedom has defined the United States at home and abroad.
This resonates deeply with Ukrainians, who also have a long history of fighting for our freedom. Generations of Ukrainians have resisted Russian imperialism, Nazism, and Soviet terror in a struggle that goes back centuries. With the help of the United States and the entire free world, Ukraine is now defending itself against the resurgent Russian imperialism of the twenty-first century.
As the largest European invasion since World War II approaches the three-year mark, this shared dedication to liberty has brought the United States and Ukraine closer than ever. There are also a number of very practical reasons why continued support for Ukraine is beneficial for the United States and for President Trump.
While the United States is not at war with Russia, the Russians firmly believe they are at war with the United States. Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to outsmart Trump and views the invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to humiliate the United States on the global stage.
Putin’s immediate objective is to erase Ukrainian independence, but his ultimate goal is to reverse the verdict of 1991 and dismantle the entire US-led rules-based international order. Unless he is stopped in Ukraine, Putin will seek to subjugate other countries of the former Russian Empire, from Moldova and Belarus in Eastern Europe to Kazakhstan and the nations of Central Asia.
If Putin’s current invasion is allowed to succeed, the main beneficiaries will be Russia and fellow authoritarian regimes including China, Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela, along with an assortment of rogue actors such as Hamas and Hezbollah. This Axis of Autocrats is already taking shape against the backdrop of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
A new autocratic world order would be disastrous for US interests. NATO would be deeply discredited, while authoritarian dictators everywhere would be emboldened. The US dollar would give way to the Chinese yuan as the global currency of choice, while many current partners of the United States throughout the Global South would begin leaning increasingly toward Beijing. The impact on international security and the US economy would be severe.
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Crucially, Russia victory in Ukraine would cause irreparable damage to the prestige that underpins US power globally. In 2021, Putin watched the botched United States withdrawal from Afghanistan with glee. He is now eager to repeat the process in Ukraine. The Kremlin dictator is convinced this would shatter the credibility of the United States, while dramatically enhancing Russian influence across Europe and beyond.
Putin’s fellow autocrats would also draw the logical conclusions from Russian success in Ukraine and embark on more aggressive foreign policies of their own. This would undermine the security of United States allies including Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
Trump has the opportunity to prevent all this. By resolutely backing Ukraine, he can stop the slide toward World War III and reestablish US leadership at a time when international stability is increasingly threatened by Putin’s Axis of Autocrats.
It is important to acknowledge the role played by US President Joe Biden and the bipartisan backing of the Democratic and Republican parties, which have been instrumental in strengthening Ukraine since 2022. At the same time, it is clear that much more could have been done. As a Ukrainian, I sincerely hope the Trump administration will now go further.
As many commentators have pointed out, military aid to Ukraine is arguably one of the best foreign policy investments in United States history, significantly undermining the military capabilities of a key adversary without requiring any boots on the ground. Supporting Ukraine is also good for the economy. After all, most of the aid allocated to Ukraine is actually spent in the United States, creating jobs in the defense industry.
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Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the key foreign policy issue facing the Trump administration. The outcome of the war unleashed by Putin almost three years ago will define the international security climate for decades to come. By now, it should be obvious that this is not a minor dispute that can be resolved by appeasement and compromise. It should be equally apparent that Western weakness only encourages Russian aggression.
While some Western leaders have hesitated, Putin has bet everything on victory in Ukraine. He has placed the whole of Russian society on a wartime footing and is openly preparing his country for the rigors of a long war. It is delusional to believe he will stop unless he is forced to do so.
Collaboration between Moscow and its authoritarian allies is also deepening. Iran is arming Russia with drones and is one step away from acquiring nuclear weapons. Thousands of North Korean troops are fighting on the front lines against Ukraine, while China is accused of providing “very substantial” help to the Russian war machine. All of these countries are united in their desire to humble the United States and bring down the current international order.
Stopping Russia will require bold actions. This means introducing and strictly enforcing new sanctions that will deprive Moscow of funding from the energy exports that finance the invasion. It means putting pressure on all those who directly or indirectly help the Russian war effort.
In parallel, military support to Ukraine must increase significantly, while restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to defend itself must be lifted. Ukraine needs ironclad security guarantees that will keep the country safe from further Russian aggression until it is able to join NATO. A Trump Plan modeled on the post-World War II Marshall Plan and funded by confiscated Russian sovereign assets can fuel Ukraine’s postwar recovery.
I am convinced that a just and sustainable peace can be achieved through negotiations. These talks should take place in a four-way format involving Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and Russia. In 2014, I was one of the initiators of this format, which was established in Geneva. The alternative, with Ukraine alone against Russia, would mean the capitulation of the United States and the entire Western world.
While adherents of realpolitik call for concessions, the reality is that the future of international security depends on a steadfast defense of the rules-based order against Russia’s onslaught. The West has the requisite strength and resources to do this. All that is needed is strong leadership from the United States.
Arseniy Yatsenyuk is Chairman of the Kyiv Security Forum and former Prime Minister of Ukraine (2014-2016).
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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.
The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia in the East.
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Image: US President Donald Trump signs documents as he issues executive orders and pardons for January 6 defendants in the Oval Office at the White House on Inauguration Day in Washington, US. January 20, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo