Ukraine caught in the middle

WASHINGTON—While Democrats and Republicans are locked in a partisan impeachment battle in the nation’s capital, the country at the center of the debate, Ukraine, is locked in a decadeslong fight for its survival and its future. The politicization of U.S. foreign policy toward Ukraine as a result of impeachment could make matters worse for an already struggling country.

Ukraine declared independence from the crumbling Soviet Union in 1991 and made faltering steps toward a pro-democracy, pro-Western government. But internal dissent and outside pressure have held it back. As the country shook off communist rule, it lurched into crony capitalism: Government officials sold off state-owned industries to wealthy oligarchs who were their friends or family members. Ukraine has struggled ever since with corruption and entrenched poverty.

But in many ways, Ukraine’s greatest threat lies outside: an embittered Russian government that has never stopped viewing Ukraine as a necessary part of its empire. In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula in eastern Ukraine, in what would be the most direct conflict between East and West since the Cold War. The Obama administration and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia but did not offer military support or lethal weapons to Ukraine.

Despite international backlash, Russia kept meddling in Ukrainian affairs. It continues to support, politically and with weapons, an effort in 2014 by Russian separatists to form a semi-autonomous region in the eastern part of the country. The ongoing conflict has claimed more than 10,000 lives and led to the displacement of more than 1.5 million people.

Over the summer, the Trump administration blocked nearly $400 million in aid earmarked to reinforce the Ukrainian military. Congress had approved the aid in its 2019 federal budget to reinforce Ukrainian forces with weapons and U.S. training and advice.

On Sept. 11, the White House reversed course and began to release the money. In between, an anonymous administration official filed a whistleblower complaint against President Donald Trump, and Congress began an impeachment inquiry.

The question became whether the president withheld the aid to pressure Ukraine’s new president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to undertake investigations into the business dealings of Hunter Biden, the son of one of Trump’s most formidable rivals for the presidency in 2020, former Vice President Joe Biden. Soon, Democrats and Republicans were tossing accusations across the aisle, with Ukraine as the political football. Democrats accused the president of leveraging the aid to advance his own domestic political interests. Republicans argued that Trump released the aid eventually and that he was rightly concerned about Ukrainian corruption.

A variety of experts say the battle in Congress oversimplifies or even misses the mark on the dire foreign policy situation in Ukraine.

Eric Fleury, an assistant professor of government and international relations at Connecticut College, said Ukraine is “in a crippled state right now. They have the troops of a far larger foreign power and their historical oppressor knocking on their door. … So this idea of military aid, especially, is for them a question of national survival.”

He added that Ukraine symbolizes the struggle between Western and Eastern civilizations.

“[The question] is whether Ukraine falls into the Russian orbit of authoritarian governance, ethnonationalism, of ethnicity being the determination of legitimacy rather than the rule of law,” Fleury said. “Russia wants to make absolutely sure [Ukraine] does not move in a more liberal, democratic, Western direction because in [Russin President Vladimir] Putin’s mind, that would be pointing a dagger straight into the heart of his regime.”

He noted that for Ukraine to become a model of Western values “right on Russia’s doorstep” would be a disaster for Putin.

Michael McKoy, an assistant professor of politics and international relations at Wheaton College, pointed out the problems associated with partisan politics infiltrating U.S. foreign policy.

“No country wants their security with the United States to be a partisan issue,” he said. “And now the Ukraine issue has become a partisan one. And what’s bad for Ukraine is good for Russia.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s president has found himself between an anvil and a hammer. Zelensky has sought to highlight his country’s need while avoiding alienating either the White House or Democrats.

“We’re at war,” he said. “If you’re our strategic partner, then you can’t go blocking anything for us. I think that’s just about fairness. It’s not about quid pro quo.”

Pete Buttigieg at a campaign rally on Thursday in Henniker, N.H. Associated Press/Photo by Cheryl Senter

2020 update

With the Iowa caucuses just two months away, the field of Democratic presidential primary candidates is beginning to winnow itself. Sen. Kamala Harris of California abandoned her campaign this week, along with Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak of Maryland. Former Vice President Joe Biden received the most support in this week’s national polls, leading the rest of the pack by double digits in some cases, according to RealClearPolitics. But in Iowa, where candidates will face their first test with voters, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in the lead.

Buttigieg made headlines this week with an ad that began airing in South Carolina in which he quotes Matthew 25:35. “Whatever happened to I was hungry, and you fed me, I was a stranger and you welcomed me?” he asks, indicating his support for the poor and immigrants. Buttigieg also raised the anger of LGBT activists when a photo surfaced showing him volunteering as a Salvation Army bell ringer two years ago. Some liberals have labeled the charity “homophobic” because it adopts a Biblical view of marriage and sexuality, though it serves all people regardless of their sexual orientation. Buttigieg, who is gay, married to a man, and a member of an Episcopalian church, had not yet responded to the criticism as of Thursday afternoon. —Lynde Langdon

Pete Buttigieg at a campaign rally on Thursday in Henniker, N.H. Associated Press/Photo by Cheryl Senter

Georgia gets a new senator

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, on Wednesday picked a businesswoman and political newcomer for an upcoming U.S. Senate opening. Kelly Loeffler co-owns the Atlanta Dream WNBA franchise and is CEO of a financial services company. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said she was “a terrific appointment.” She will succeed Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson when he steps down at the end of the month due to health issues.

Loeffler will become Georgia’s first female senator in 100 years, and only the second ever. President Donald Trump pushed for U.S. Rep. Doug Collins, R-Ga., to get the seat. But he will still find a political ally in Loeffler.

“What people will learn about me is that I’m a proud patriot, a devoted wife, & a devout Christian,” she tweeted on Wednesday. “A life-long Republican who is unapologetically pro-2nd Amendment, pro-military, pro-wall, & pro-Trump. I am strongly pro-life & make no apologies for my conservative values.” —Rachel Lynn Aldrich

Nunes sues CNN

U.S. Rep. Devin G. Nunes, R-Calif., filed a defamation lawsuit against CNN in federal court in Virginia on Tuesday. He is seeking more than $435 million in damages from the news outlet, which he called the “mother of fake news.”

“CNN is eroding the fabric of America, proselytizing, sowing distrust and disharmony,” he said.

CNN reported that Nunes traveled to Vienna and met with former Ukrainian Prosecutor-General Viktor Shokin to talk about former Vice President Joe Biden. Nunes said that’s not true, and neither is the claim that he communicated in December 2018 with Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, who was arrested in October on charges of money laundering. —R.L.A.

Hunter accepts plea

U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., faces up to five years in prison after pleading guilty on Tuesday to misusing campaign money. The congressman denied wrongdoing for more than a year before changing his plea in federal court in San Diego.

“No figure, regardless of what office they occupy, should be allowed in this country to cry witch hunt or fake news and attempt to deflect their criminal wrongdoings,” prosecutor Phil Halpern said.

Prosecutors accuse Hunter and his wife, Margaret, of misusing $250,000. His wife pleaded guilty earlier this year. Hunter declined to say whether he would resign. —R.L.A.