The Appeaser

Donald Trump is Backing Putin and Selling Out Ukrainians. My guest is Volodymyr Dubovyk, a Senior Fellow at CEPA. In South Korea this week, the specter of authoritarianism briefly materialized when Prime Minister Yoon declared martial law. Although it lasted only hours, Yoon may have felt encouraged by the incoming Trump administration. While democratic forces prevailed in South Korea this time, Ukraine's situation is very different.

In Kyiv, we witnessed something previously unthinkable: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has steadfastly maintained Ukraine's right to complete territorial integrity since Russia's invasion, appeared to blink against Putin.

Zelenskyy's new apparent openness to the temporary Russian occupation of Ukrainian territory marks a dramatic shift in position—one that reveals both the mounting pressure on Ukraine's military and democracy and the growing recognition of the evaporating Western resolve.

The Trump administration is stumbling over itself in floating peace proposals that align with Russian interests, even before potentially taking office. They even dispatched their new advisor to the Kremlin, only to be dismissed by Putin's spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov.

However, this dismissal wasn't a rejection of diplomacy but a calculated message. Why rush to negotiate when military realities and global dynamics increasingly favor Russian objectives? 

It seems unavoidable that we will march into 2025 in a manner reminiscent of how the world marched into Munich in 1938. 

Just as Chamberlain convinced himself that sacrificing part of Czechoslovakia might satisfy Hitler's ambitions, we are watching the potential next U.S. administration craft peace proposals that would effectively validate Putin's territorial conquests.

Get used to it, folks—we're witnessing a seismic shift in the global democratic order. It’s the first time we've sacrificed the principles of territorial integrity and democratic self-determination, which are the cornerstones of the post-World War II international system. These principles are being reconsidered in real time.

So yes, elections have consequences, and these developments do not make one feel very good. However, there is a lesson in the events that just happened in South Korea: it took a unanimous vote of parliament and some street protests, but martial law only lasted six hours, and now Yoon faces impeachment. 

Putin may feel emboldened by recent events and by Zelenskyy's apparent concession, but he is still facing the resolve of the Ukrainian people. When people stand up to these paper strongmen, they are often defeated. When the rule of law is maintained, strongmen will back down.

When the American people apply pressure—publicly and through the media—we too can urge Donald Trump to protect the people of Ukraine and never surrender.