Zelenskyy picks the wrong side

OPINION:

Descending the steps of a U.S. Air Force C-17 recently, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stepped into Pennsylvania and battleground state presidential politics. The comedian-turned-wartime icon picked the wrong side in what seemed an odd foray into the tight 2024 campaign for an American leader.

His tour of an ammunition plant with Gov. Josh Shapiro and two other Democratic leaders up for reelection in tow had all the markings of a campaign event. Pennsylvania is home to more than 150,000 Ukrainians and Ukrainian Americans, the second-largest number of any state.

It’s all part of a major sales pitch for continued support in Ukraine’s war against Russia. On Thursday, he also had a photo-op and meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris surrounded by the imagery and trappings of the White House.

Mr. Zelenskyy’s presentation, even the appearance of favoring Ms. Harris, is akin to Charles de Gaulle backing Neville Chamberlain for prime minister over Winston Churchill. It’s not that former President Donald Trump is a Churchillian figure as much as President Biden and other Democrats are responsible for the destruction of Ukraine.

Mr. Zelenskyy’s coziness with Democrats in these waning days of the campaign puts him increasingly at the mercy of the people who have allowed his country to be blasted to pieces. The war in Ukraine, while waged by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, is, at its core, Mr. Biden’s war.

A lack of effective deterrence from the U.S. administration against the Russian threat along the border with Ukraine all but ensured the invasion and the war, which has seen more than 1 million casualties. Since then, Mr. Biden has slow-rolled the deployment of weapons that could have shortened the conflict and saved lives.

Mr. Zelenskyy is either desperate or naive to be manipulated like this, seemingly ignoring the optics and political implications of his coziness with the very people who allowed such suffering. It’s not an isolated behavior, either.

In an interview with The New Yorker this week, the Ukrainian leader said that Sen. J.D. Vance’s stance on Ukraine was “too radical.” He told the BBC in July that dealing with Mr. Trump would be “hard work.”

Mr. Trump and Mr. Vance, his running mate, can deliver their America First messages to voters, who are rightly concerned about expensive and expansive foreign entanglements. But in office, they won’t be able to walk away from Ukraine as Mr. Zelenskyy fears, allow a victory for Mr. Putin or encourage an imperial Russia.

China, Iran and Russia have all been emboldened by the Biden-Harris foreign policy, and Mr. Trump will have a global mess to contend with should he regain the White House. Mr. Zelenskyy should appreciate that and not take the bait by confusing campaign rhetoric with policy.

The world has a way of making things gray for American presidents after campaigns frequently brimming with bold colors. President Richard Nixon was a staunch anti-communist but ushered in a period of detente with the Soviets. President George W. Bush famously ran against U.S. nation-building overseas but did an about-face after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Mr. Trump likely won’t be a shrinking violet on foreign policy, but he won’t allow himself to be played by our enemies or allies. His record demonstrated that. He should consider being more realistic in his promises about global engagement.

Unlike Mr. Biden, as president, Mr. Trump was willing to use military power to effectively deter aggressors. It’s not bloviating when the former president says that Mr. Putin wouldn’t have invaded Ukraine if he had still been president or that Iran would have thought twice about greenlighting a war against Israel.

Effective strategic deterrence using our military and economic muscle is our most powerful weapon. Mr. Biden and, by extension, Ms. Harris are responsible for the death and destruction of Ukraine. They failed Mr. Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine.

Despite Mr. Zelenskyy’s being forced to grovel repeatedly to the Biden-Harris administration, the hapless White House is still assenting only to a piecemeal strategy to counter Russia, with no end in sight. We should scarcely be surprised. Eleven months into a proxy war with Iran, Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris are still talking about the same failed strategy of diplomacy and equivocation that has led to a widening war in the Middle East.

Ukraine must continue to receive global support, and Russia must pay a heavy price for its war. Unfortunately for Mr. Zelenskyy, the Democrats he’s appearing to help seem willing only to play him like a fiddle.

• Tom Basile is the host of “America Right Now” on Newsmax TV and a columnist with The Washington Times.