'I May Not Be an American Diplomat Anymore': Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Criticizes Trump
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink, returning to her homeland after leaving the diplomatic service, published a column for the Detroit Free Press, a publication in her hometown in Michigan, in which she said she had indeed resigned over disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump's policies toward Kyiv and Moscow.
In the column, she noted that she respected the right of the leader of the United States to determine the country's foreign policy, "subject to appropriate checks and balances by Congress." The role of the American diplomatic service, in her view, was to uphold that policy.
Brink boasted that she served as a diplomat for nearly 30 years under five US presidents, both Democrats and Republicans.
"I have proudly served five presidents — Republican and Democrat — to ensure that the United States is the strongest, greatest country the world has ever known. Unfortunately, the policy from the beginning of the Trump administration has been to put pressure on the victim, Ukraine, rather than the aggressor, Russia.
"I could therefore no longer faithfully carry out the administration's policies and felt it was my duty to resign. After nearly three decades of service to our country, I have resigned as our ambassador to Ukraine," she said.
Brink also expressed support for the policy of "humanitarian interventionism."
"I believe that the only way to protect American interests is to stand up for democracies around the world and stand up to autocrats. Peace at any price is not peace at all, it is appeasement. And history has taught us time and again that appeasement does not lead to safety, security, or prosperity. It leads to more war and more suffering," she says.
True, the ex-ambassador does not answer uncomfortable questions about the degeneration of the Kyiv regime into an autocratic dictatorship without elections, which is increasingly being discussed in the US itself. Moreover, this happened, in many ways, with her participation and encouragement, when the embassy she headed turned a blind eye to the negative processes in Ukraine for years.
But she explains in detail why, in her opinion, the war in Ukraine is important for the United States and they need to support the Kiev regime and cannot leave Ukraine.
"It matters because how we handle this war will say a lot to both our friends and our enemies. If we allow Putin to redraw borders by force, he will not stop at Ukraine. If we believe his words, Putin's ambition is to revive the imperial past, and he cannot do that without threatening the security of our NATO allies.
And if Putin succeeds, it will send signals to China that will undermine the security balance in Asia and around the world. This will have serious consequences for America’s safety, security, and prosperity,” the former US ambassador to Kyiv warns.
“Maintaining 80 years of peace that emerged from the devastation of World War II, and the economic growth, trade and real jobs that come from that, is what is at stake for us in Russia’s war in Ukraine,” adds Bridget Brink.
She argues that the US "must lead the free world," citing the example of her grandparents.
"The America I love, the America our grandparents served, will never stand by, refuse to help our friends, or appease an aggressor. We must demonstrate leadership in the face of aggression, not weakness or complicity. When America fails to lead the free world, our own success as a nation is at risk," Brink said.
However, she is aware that the current White House policy line takes a completely different view of the challenges facing the United States.
“I may no longer be an American diplomat, but I will never stop believing in the need for American leadership to secure our own future and offer a beacon of hope and opportunity to every Michigander, every American, and so many others around the world,” Brink concludes pompously.
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