Washington Post editorial warns of potential Ukraine abandonment under Trump

The Washington Post’s editorial board released an op-ed on Saturday detailing the potential threats to Ukraine and the U.S. if President-elect Trump moves to strike a deal with his Russian counterparts.

“The reason for this surge in fighting is clear: Mr. Trump seems inclined to strike a quick deal to end the conflict once he takes office. He has been vague about what an eventual deal would look like, promising only that he would swiftly solve the conflict upon taking office — or perhaps, somehow, even before,” the board wrote.

“Vice President-elect JD Vance was more specific, saying an eventual settlement would probably entail a 'demilitarized zone' that would include lands currently occupied by Russia,” they added. 

“Hence the Kremlin’s drive to grab as much additional land as possible before Inauguration Day, and Ukraine’s desperate bid to resist it.”

However, the Post warned that if Ukraine cedes land overtaken by Russia it would damage its growing alliance with the West and give other countries the green flag to act with similar aggression towards desirable sovereign nations.

“An abandonment of Ukraine — or a deal that leaves Ukraine untenably territorially diminished — would signal to dictators around the world that Western resolve comes with an expiration date,” the board stated.

“Imagine how Chinese President Xi Jinping would take a Western retreat from Ukraine as he contemplates taking Taiwan or the atolls and shoals in the oil-rich South China Sea.”

Russia has already deployed North Korean troops to the frontlines on the battlefield and is actively working to combat Ukraine’s use of ATACMS missiles and F1 fighter jets supplied by their allies.

“A Ukraine left with a chunk of its eastern territory under Russian occupation is tantamount to a defeat — for Ukraine and for the West,” the board wrote, adding details about Trump’s harsh critique of President Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan which he deemed “weak.”

“An abandonment of Ukraine, after nearly three years of what has been a unified American and European front, would send the same sort of signal,” the board added. 

“And if it came as a result of Mr. Trump’s negotiated deal, the onus would be on him. He won’t have Mr. Biden to blame anymore.”