Trump’s position on Ukraine is just as bad as Harris’ but for different reasons

At first I was pleased that Trump (as much as I dislike him) at Tuesday’s presidential debate refused to call for a victory for Ukraine over Russia. But upon thinking through what both candidates stand for, I realize that both are war mongers but in different suits.

The Biden administration is standing aside while Ukraine pushes into Russian territory. Kamala Harris is on board with this. Now, Washington is floating the idea of deep strikes into Russia. Not only does that move us to the edge of a nuclear confrontation, but it also invites Russia to escalate air attacks on Ukraine with devastating consequences for civilians. The Biden administration and Zelensky could care less. Unless Kamala Harris disassociates herself from these policies, she is as much responsible as Biden for the waste of U.S. tax dollars and for the suffering that the war has caused. Biden hasn’t raised a finger to support a negotiated solution which sooner or later is going to happen. The real strategy behind Biden’s policy is to weaken Russia militarily and Putin politically and to isolate Russia from the rest of Europe. These goals come at an immense price both economically and on human lives.

Trump calls for a resolution to the conflict but his roadmap is to assert U.S. authority. We’re the bully on the block and all sides have to listen to us. But what would happen if they don’t? What would happen if a negotiated solution that Washington proposes is turned down by Moscow? As the strong-man, a President Trump would end up threatening Moscow, since otherwise we would look weak. But what would happen if Moscow didn’t step down? This is brinkmanship, a dangerous game, and it’s brinkmanship that underpins Trump’s foreign policy. This is exactly why my vote goes to Jill Stein.