Trump Dumps Ukraine
Diesel Deal: Failure of Leadership
How do you know a valued ally is no longer your friend?
If the ally is Donald J. Trump, and you live in Ukraine, the answer's easy: when your enemy gets a deal while you receive a threat.
This US presidency must surely now be, at the very least, something of an embarrassment to many reasonably-minded Americans - of whatever political persuasion - and an affront to much of the free world who, without having had any say in the matter, will have to live with the outcomes of Trump's unstinting and blatant support of the Russian dictator, possibly for years to come.
As time goes by, it becomes clearer that either the dictator has kompromat on the US president, or that he has promised Trump business deals of enormous potential benefit to his family. (The only other option, sadly, is that Trump's mental health is wavering, though that would be difficult to confirm.)
The US president's diesel deal reportedly represents only one or two days' worth of fuel by US standards. Any real gains, then, (if kompromat is ruled out) must surely be in the realm of business for Trump and kudos and money for Putin and his malicious war.
There appears to be little of any real value for anyone else. For Ukrainians, who suffer most in all this, there are only more angry words from Trump about their president.
History will, I think, judge this US president quite harshly on various areas of foreign policy. I humbly venture to suggest that, on present evidence, the God he has occasionally professed might judge him even more harshly, for encouraging the ongoing slaughter of innocent Ukrainians and for other misadventures abroad.
This president is not, in my view, acting justly, loving mercy or walking humbly with God. This, we are told in Micah 6:8, is something God requires of all human beings.
In view of the support President Trump has enjoyed from many U.S. Christians, I feel I should say this. I'm well aware that, in the worldview of Christians - of whom I'm one - God alone judges a man's heart and actions.
However, he does require that we exercise discernment and make wise judgments using the faculties he's given us, including our conscience.
I'm also aware that high-level politics is undertaken in a world of competing interests and differing ethical views, both domestically and within the global community. This is perhaps one reason why we're commanded in the Christian scriptures to pray for our leaders—theirs is not an enviable task.
However, surely even the pragmatic, realpolitik aspects of governance can be worked through with dignity, moderation and due respect for humane values.
In his treatment of Ukraine, President Trump seems, at the very least, to have placed personal animosity and familial commercial interests above even a pragmatically motivated pursuit of fairness.
Like many others, I admire so much about the US. We owe a good deal to America. I would not wish upon her a return to the moral quagmire of wokeism that was promoted under a previous administration.
I am aware of the president's success in cutting illegal migration, especially on the country's southern border. The previous situation there was untenable. Mass migration must be managed to be truly just and merciful.
I'm also painfully aware of the problems my country, the UK, faces. However, it seems to me that Trump has wasted numerous opportunities to do the right thing in the right way, particularly where Ukraine and Russia are concerned.
When he uniquely has the political, economic and military power to improve life and promote peace on earth, President Trump so often encourages division and chaos.
He sometimes uses peaceful words, but his actions ultimately shout louder.
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