A Soldier's Grave

 Trump has telegraphed for a long time that he means to sell out Ukraine. We've all been able to see this coming. He's been telling us for years he is on Putin's side in this war. But still—even knowing this—the past week's events were especially hard to take. Because this week was the first week, since Putin invaded, that Ukrainians have actually been dying as a result of the United States's betrayal. 

It started with Trump's suspension of all U.S. military aid to Ukraine. But this, on its own, would not have been fatal. The Ukrainians had enough supplies to wait out the pause until Zelensky could thaw relations with the White House (as many people still thought was possible, at the start of the week). But then, Trump also cut off intelligence- and satellite imagery-sharing with Ukraine too. 

Predictably, Putin immediately moved to take advantage of Ukraine's new inability to pierce the fog of war. He began a fresh wave of air strikes targeting Ukraine's critical infrastructure. The reason for this timing is obvious. He knew the Ukrainians would be handicapped in their ability to respond, because Trump had deprived them of any ability to see Russia's troop movements or plan ahead. 

As a result, for the first time in this war, Ukrainians are dying because of the United States. Trump has forged his Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Putin. He has signed it in blood. And as a result, the United States is now effectively fighting on Putin's side. 

We have declined a long way from the early days of the invasion, in 2022, when American volunteers signed up to fight on Ukraine's behalf, in the modern-day equivalent of the Lincoln Brigades—or of Byron going off to die in Greece on behalf of that country's struggle for freedom. Now, we are "bought and sold" as a nation, as Robert Burns once wrote, "for hireling traitor's wages." 

I never thought I'd see the day that the country of Washington and Lincoln would sign a pact in blood with Putin's despotism. But here we are. The honorable thing to do would be to ignore the U.S. government, follow in Lord Byron's footsteps, and go and seek a "soldier's grave" in the struggle for freedom. I confess, I don't quite have the courage to do it. But I would respect mightily anyone who did. 

The Ukrainians at any rate are clear on the fact that they will keep fighting. As the New York Times quoted some Ukrainian front line soldiers—even if the U.S. cuts off the supply of weapons, they will keep fighting with whatever they have. But they shouldn't have to do it alone. There should be a Hemingway at their side; or a Byron—someone who is willing to risk their neck for liberty.