Zelensky, in a Chat With Sun Columnist, Emerges as Serious, Smart, Pragmatic — and Understandably Worried About American Backing for Ukraine

The leader’s goal is for America’s support for his country’s defense against Russia to be bipartisan.

On Wednesday I had the privilege of meeting with President Zelensky and his chief of staff, who are in the United States to garner support for their defensive military actions against Russia. They are concerned about diminishing enthusiasm among some American voters for the expensive aid — both military and financial — that our nation is currently giving the beleaguered Ukrainians.

I met with Mr. Zelensky at a hotel suite near the UN. He was being interviewed by my friend Greta Van Susteren for a Newsmax program. The owner of Newsmax, Christopher Ruddy, invited me to ask the president and his chief of staff some questions off-camera. He was on the way to Washington, to make his case to America’s leaders.

I told him that my family came from Galicia, part of which is now Ukraine, and that I had represented one of his predecessors, Leonid Kuchma, at Kiev. We discussed continuing American support for his country’s brave defense of their homeland. I found him to be serious, responsive, smart, pragmatic — and understandably worried. 

In our deeply divided country, few issues are nonpartisan. Support for Ukraine should be one of them. There are figures in both parties who oppose support for Ukraine, but the vast majority of Democrats and Republicans understand that if Russia is allowed to secure territory, and control the people therein, by aggressive and unprovoked military action, this will encourage President Putin as well as other tyrants to continue to violate international law.

There are legitimate criticisms of Ukraine, as there are of virtually every embattled country in the world. Ultra-nationalistic elements within Ukraine’s armed forces display symbols that have long been associated with Nazism. Ukraine’s record during the Holocaust was praised by Mr. Zelensky, though he should know better because he himself lost relatives during the Holocaust and many Ukrainians supported the Nazi genocide against the Jews. 

There are still symbols of antisemitism throughout Ukraine, most disturbingly the statue at Kiev of the Cossack leader, Bogdan Chmelnitzki, who massacred thousands of Jews in the 17th century. His picture is still featured on Ukrainian currency. It is remarkable that in the face of this lingering bigotry, the Ukrainian people voted for a president who is openly Jewish. 

Despite its blemished past, Ukraine now deserves support from our nation to prevent the unjustified targeting of civilians by Mr. Putin’s armed forces. Recall that Russia, too, has a deeply blemished past when it comes to bigotry, but more importantly it has an unacceptable present, when it comes to, among other issues, military aggression. 

There are many other nations in the world with aggressive ambitions. Among them is Communist China, which has set its sights on capturing and occupying the democratically-governed island of Taiwan. Iran, too, has ambitions beyond its borders, as evidenced by its virtual occupation of Lebanon and its determination to obtain a nuclear arsenal. 

Although America is not, and should not be, the policeman of the world, it is in America’s best interest to use its power and influence to deter the ambitions of rogue nations.

Ukraine’s greatest fear is that support for its defensive actions will become a partisan issue in the 2024 presidential election. President Biden has thus far given considerable, though not unlimited, support to Ukraine. Some influential Republicans, however, want to challenge this support in the upcoming election. 

They cite polls showing diminished enthusiasm among some American voters for the vast expenditures of funds needed to support a faraway nation. Mr. Zelensky wants to keep Ukraine out of the upcoming U.S. election. He wants support for Ukraine to be bipartisan, especially between the candidates.

Mr. Zelensky is correct about his concerns. Although it is in the interest of all Americans to deny Mr. Putin an unlawful and immoral victory, Ukraine is not a high-priority issue among many voters. It is in the nature of today’s politics that when one side strongly supports an issue, the other side looks for opportunities to exploit the division among voters to their partisan advantage. 

Yet the future of Ukraine and international stability is too important to become a divisive partisan issue. All Americans should stand against Mr. Putin’s unjustified aggression. So should the rest of the international community, because while today Ukraine is the target — tomorrow Russian aggression may be coming to a theater near you.