The Republican front of Sen. Mitch McConnell, Rep. Brett Guthrie and Rep. James Comer expressed their thoughts on the Russian invasion of Ukraine and proffered the withdrawal from Afghanistan caused the invasion. Their meager praise for Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainians and NATO calls to mind the Bush-Cheney concept of “old” and “new” Europe. Old Europe was made up of the countries that did not fully support our own pointless invasion of Iraq. It was “with us or against us” mentality that eroded relationships with Europe and much of the world. Enter Donald Trump, NATO’s loudest critic.

Russia’s cyberattack in 2016 sought to influence the election of Trump. Why would the Russian president for life and a son of the KGB prefer Trump as U.S. president? The KGB was structured to aggressively exploit the weaknesses of adversaries. Is it plausible that Vladimir Putin wanted to deal with the stronger of two candidates to improve U.S.-Russia relations? On election night, it was vodka all around in the Kremlin.

Imagine Putin’s delight after hearing Trump’s “perfect” shake-down call to President Zelenskyy. The green light came on when he heard America declare indifference and weaken democracy in Ukraine for a favor. Not a favor for U.S. but one completely for Trump. It would have been so easy to congratulate Zelenskyy and schedule the White House meeting that he wanted to show the world that America stood with Ukraine against Russian aggression. The meeting never happened and Putin saw Trump, and his Republican defenders playing Zelenskyy for a patsy. Zelenskyy probably felt like a patsy too.

Putin’s only pre-invasion demand last week, Ukraine must never join NATO.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod should be ashamed as they cloak themselves with latter-day indifference to Ukrainians running for their lives and to their deaths. They have no shame.

Mike DeVillez

Bowling Green