Ask Dominique Arel who would be the better choice for Ukraine, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, and he will instantly give you a categorical answer.
“100% Harris!” says the holder of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa in response to my question, in a tone that leaves no room for doubt. It’s almost as if I had asked him if sport is good for your health.
“It is clear that Ukrainians are much better served by a Democratic administration than a Republican administration,” the expert adds.
According to him, the Trump problem for Ukraine can be divided into three parts.
First, the unpredictability of the former president.
Then, his affinity for authoritarian regimes.
Finally, in particular, his fascination with Putin.
A return of Trump, for Ukrainians, is very destabilizing because of this affinity towards Putin. It essentially means that Trump, without even thinking, will repeat exactly what Russian propaganda trumpets to us daily. It already happened when he was president and it will continue.
Dominique Arel, Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa
Millions of Americans fear Donald Trump’s return to power. But the former president is also frightening elsewhere on the planet.
And Ukrainians are certainly among those outside the United States who most fear his victory in November’s presidential election.
These concerns are justified. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán even said last March, after meeting Donald Trump in Florida, that the latter “will not give a penny to the war between Ukraine and Russia.” Joe Biden then replied that the Republican candidate was preparing to betray an ally of the United States.
PHOTO JULIA NIKHINSON, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance
Donald Trump has also chosen JD Vance as his running mate, the Ohio senator who has not only publicly questioned US aid to Ukraine, but has already said he “doesn’t really care” what happens to Volodymyr Zelensky’s country.
“This is another of the great lessons of the Trump era. The security interests of the United States are very poorly defended by a president like Trump, who has no knowledge, conception or even interest in geopolitics. And who gets screwed,” says the professor.