Ukraine doesn’t care who wins in the US: both Harris and Trump are equally pro-Ukrainian – Politico
"Ukraine Can Breathe a Sigh of Relief Whether Trump or Harris Wins." The American publication Politico published an article with this headline. Its author, Matthew Kaminsky, the publication's former editor-in-chief from 2019 to 2023, concludes: "Whatever happens in November, the next president's approach to Russia's war with Ukraine will determine America's broader role in the world."
The publication states that Ukrainian President Zelenskyy's team will no longer repeat the mistakes of his predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, who placed a clear bet on Hillary Clinton and is already working closely with at least three Ukrainian supporters on Trump's team.
"Zelensky and his people see Ukraine's allies in Trump's orbit and are working to bring in three of them: former National Security Council Chairman Robert O'Brien, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton," the story said.
The publication recalls: Zelenskyy was the first foreign leader Trump called after his nomination. According to the publication's sources within the Trump campaign, the first phone call between Trump and Zelenskyy went even better than the media reported.
Informed sources claim Trump allegedly told Zelensky that reports that he would help Putin were "fake news" and promised to "pursue a just peace," Kaminsky writes.
“That phone call—Trump had the tact to avoid calling it “perfect”—was a not-so-subtle message to the Republican wing on Ukraine. Earlier this spring, after spending months criticizing Biden on Ukraine, Trump gave House Speaker Mike Johnson political cover to approve a $60 billion aid package for Ukraine.
According to the author of the publication, the views of Trump and Harris on the Ukrainian issue, and ultimately their future policies, are still in a state of uncertainty.
“Obviously, for Ukrainians this is existential. American decisions on military assistance, political signals about any settlement, and future support for Kyiv and its relationship with Putin will determine what kind of state the Ukrainians will have.
The approach to Ukraine will also be a litmus test for future US foreign policy. This will be the best signal we get about the next administration's approach to NATO, its commitments to other allies and, above all, its stance toward an increasingly assertive China. The stakes here are higher than what will happen on the ground in Ukraine in 2025,” the article says.
As with most issues, Harris hasn't had time to publicly air her world views since her sudden intervention to lead the Democratic ballot. For foreign officials and voters, it largely provides a blank canvas onto which to project hopes and anxieties.
“From the conversations I have had with Ukrainians close to President Volodymyr Zelensky, two things can be heard simultaneously: Harris inspires confidence as a member of a team they know well - and they would also like to see her break with her once at the Oval.” office,” notes the author.
According to him, the split within the Democratic Party and between the Biden administration and the pro-Ukrainian camp in Washington is stronger than is being conveyed to the public.
“In public, Ukrainians and their allies, as well as most Democrats, routinely give Biden credit for building a global coalition and organizing unprecedented military and economic support for Kyiv. In private, these assessments are less generous and, from some Ukrainian officials, caustic,” the article says.
Frustration with Biden peaked during last month's NATO summit, the author notes: After a Russian missile partially destroyed a children's hospital in Kyiv at the start of the summit, the White House rejected Ukraine's request to use US-supplied weapons to strike missile launch sites in Russia. Russia did not feel any consequences from this blow.”
This caution reflects the instincts of Biden himself and his team. Throughout his term, foreign policy has been closely monitored by a small team of longtime advisers—primarily National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, his deputy John Finer, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. None of them will remain in the Harris administration, the author notes.
As for Trump, Matthew Kaminsky continues, the battle over where Trump will direct his foreign policy has largely been under the media radar. "Like Harris, he has sent signals on Ukraine that all sides in this dispute—from Putin to the growing isolationist wing of the Republican Party to Zelenskyy himself—are projecting their hopes onto."
“If you look past the noise around Trump and look at his actual actions, the potential for a much more compassionate approach to Ukraine becomes clear. As for Harris, she almost certainly won't attract the same people or underlying assumptions as Biden in her approach to the war—which could also be a good thing for Ukraine.
Ukraine doesn't care who wins in the US: Both Harris and Trump are equally pro-Ukrainian – Politico