'No Longer A Friend': Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

'No Longer A Friend': Ukrainians Are Losing Faith In The U.S.

February 4, 2020·1:45 PM ET

Gumenyuk, who traveled to the U.S. to cover the last three presidential elections, says America has lost its sheen since Ukraine unwittingly became the focus of President Trump's impeachment process in Washington.

"There was the idea of a moral example, which is definitely no longer there," Gumenyuk says.

Revelations that President Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden are at the heart of the impeachment trial in the Senate. Trump's decision to freeze military aid to Ukraine over the summer, as well his administration's back-channel efforts to contact Zelenskiy, have shaken many Ukrainians' belief in the U.S. as a steadfast ally and role model.

Last week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was the first high-ranking administration official to visit Ukraine since the impeachment scandal broke last fall. There hasn't been a U.S. ambassador in Kyiv since May, when Trump abruptly recalled Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch. And Kurt Volker, who was the top U.S. diplomat tasked with negotiating an end to Ukraine's six-year conflict with Russia, resigned in September before giving testimony in the impeachment inquiry.

More at link:

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/802231068/no-longer-a-friend-ukrainians-are-losing-faith-in-the-u-s?utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_term=nprnews

So much for our "shining city on a hill."

On semi-related note, I found out Servant of the People--the Ukrainian TV show which starred Zelensky as a fictional, "common man" President before Zelensky was actually elected President--was on Netflix and started watching it. It's not necessarily great art but has its good share of funny moments. (What I enjoy most about it is spotting various filming landmarks that I recognize from my trip to Kyiv last year.)

Still haven't really gotten a full feel for Zelensky himself as a President, either good or bad (as an actor, his skills are more or less limited to facial expressions of shock and bewilderment, which have apparently transferred over to his presidency), but the one thing I do notice by watching the show is that Ukrainians are keenly cognizant of certain corrupt elements in their country but also have a strong desire to rise above that.

If only we as Americans were similarly aware and motivated.

[pwb]

1. Nothing great about us anymore.

The rest of the world mostly lives in Peace. It must be nice not to have endless war ?

[NCjack]

2. And, there is the matter of the $30 million not delivered to Ukraine. nt

[gibraltar72]

3. That's a very long line.

[EleanorR]

4. Chris Murphy is headed to Ukraine to try to repair the damage done by trump

Link to tweet

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