UMVA has learned that the 2024 presidential campaign was haunted by a grim prophecy: President Donald Trump would hand Ukraine to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin if elected.
The grim vision painted Trump as a quick‑deal seeker, surrendering everything to Putin and turning Ukraine into a Russian vassal while democracy crumbled and NATO members fell under an emboldened Soviet shadow.
No such handover has occurred. The reality on the ground has defied even the most cynical expectations.
In its first eighteen months of the second term, Trump’s strategy unfolded far more slowly than he imagined, turning Ukraine into the toughest puzzle of the Biden era.
Yet the president has shown patience, keeping open lines of communication with both Kyiv and Moscow, and has devoted more time to Ukraine than to any other issue.
That persistence may finally be paying off, as Ukraine has begun to reclaim territory lost in the early days of the war and Russian confidence wanes.
June 4 saw the House pass a bill authorizing $1.3 billion in immediate military aid and $8 billion in long‑term loans, a move unanimously supported by Democrats and 18 Republicans.
Before Congress reverts to a Biden‑style “as long as it takes” approach, a sober assessment of Trump’s Ukraine policy is overdue.
The Trump‑Zelenskyy relationship started on a tense note during a January 2025 Oval Office meeting, where the president challenged the Ukrainian leader to recognize the limits of American support.
Zelenskyy absorbed that message, accelerating the development of long‑range drones capable of striking deep into Russian territory and disrupting supply lines to Crimea.
These weapons have shifted the balance, earning global acclaim and generating much-needed revenue for Ukraine.
Since Trump took office, U.S. military aid has flowed to Ukraine, albeit at the expense of European allies who rely on U.S. supplies for their own defense plans.
Ukraine has recently requested licenses to manufacture PAC‑3 interceptors for Patriot missile defense, a move that could benefit both sides if technology safeguards are maintained.
Trump’s upcoming NATO summit in Ankara will showcase Ukraine’s success and reinforce the need for Europe to lead in its own defense, while the U.S. commits $1.5 trillion to the largest military budget ever.
Meanwhile, Russia faces shortages of conscripts, economic instability, and a looming threat of internal collapse, undermining Putin’s supposed inevitability.
Instead of abandoning the Biden framework that dragged the war for years, Trump should double down on supporting Ukraine’s self‑defense and bolstering NATO’s resolve to deter further aggression.
