Steve Cortes
Interventionist politicians like Lindsey Graham and Joe Biden constantly positioned U.S. support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "fight for democracy" against autocratic Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Recent actions suggest that Zelensky and his effective co-president, Andriy Yermak, act in very authoritarian ways themselves—and increasingly reveal to the world that they are not transparent, reliable partners for the United States.
Corruption remains entrenched in Ukrainian politics and governance, starting at the very highest levels of the administration in Kyiv. Just this week, the office charged with fighting and prosecuting corruption was raided in an extra-judicial attack on decency and due process. This raid reeks—and it smells like gangsterism, not democracy.
Given these tactics, it is no wonder that Americans increasingly realize that sending $175 billion of borrowed money to corrupt leaders in Ukraine is just not sound policy. In fact, sending mountains of borrowed funds to kleptocrats actually harms America's national security, all while making our country poorer.
Perhaps for these reasons, Americans now display a new preference for disengagement from the Ukraine-Russia war. A 62 percent majority of Americans now say that America should disengage from the war if the two parties cannot find a peaceful resolution, now that President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to demand direct talks between the governments of Zelensky and Putin. Even among Democrats, 45 percent support such disengagement. Among young Americans aged 25-44, a stunning 69 percent favor disengagement.
Those numbers have risen dramatically for two primary reasons. First, the war has reached a seeming stalemate, compelling a negotiated solution rather than massive new American spending. Second, U.S. citizens are becoming more aware of the disreputable actions of the officials receiving the aid.
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