In past generations, America would have supported such a nation. It would have stood up for the children who have essentially become cannon fodder.
PARIS, France — Indiana has about 3,800 schools — 1,915 public and 1,952 private. I tell you this for scale because more than 3,500 schools in Ukraine have been assaulted by Russian drones, missiles and cluster munitions since the war began in February 2022.
According to UNICEF, hundreds of Ukrainian children have been killed and thousands have been injured since February 2022. The numbers vary from about 500 killed to more than 2,000 injured. Another 2,193 children are missing. UNICEF has estimated that about 16 Ukrainian schoolchildren are killed or wounded every week. Classes are often interrupted by air raid sirens.
UNICEF added that the verified number of children killed or injured in Ukraine between this past March and May increased by more than 200% over the previous quarter, according to data from the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
“There is no respite from the war for children across Ukraine,” UNICEF’s regional director for Europe and Central Asia, Regina De Dominicis, stated in July. “The situation for children is at a critical juncture, as intense attacks continue to not only destroy lives but disrupt every aspect of childhood.”
Then there are the Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russians. According to the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, more than 19,000 children from Ukraine have been deported to Russia since the war began. Only 1,236 children have been returned to Ukraine. The actual number of children remaining in Russia is likely significantly higher.
President Donald J. Trump rolled out the red carpet for Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska in August. Trump invited the smirking Putin to join him in “the Beast,” the presidential limousine.
Standing under a banner titled “Pursuing Peace” after the summit, Trump said, “I will say that I believe we had a very productive meeting. There were many, many points that we agreed on, most of them, I would say, a couple of big ones that we haven’t quite gotten there, but we’ve made some headway. So there’s no deal until there’s a deal.”
Putin said at the press conference, “As I’ve said, the situation in Ukraine has to do with fundamental threats to our security. I would like to hope that the agreement that we’ve reached together will help us bring closer that goal and will pave the path towards peace in Ukraine.”
Before Trump hosted Putin, First Lady Melania Trump penned a personal letter to the Russian tyrant. “Every child shares the same quiet dreams in their heart,” she wrote. “They dream of love, possibility, and safety from danger. Mr. Putin, you can singlehandedly restore their melodic laughter. In protecting the innocence of these children, you will do more than serve Russia alone — you serve humanity itself.”
Since the summit, Trump has issued a series of so-called deadlines, and after each time has passed, he has failed to act.
How has Putin responded? With massive drone and missile assaults. In the days following the summit, Russia targeted residential buildings and a central Kyiv kindergarten, killing 23 people, including four children.
In the past week, Russia has pounded cities across Ukraine with missile and drone assaults, one lasting 12 hours. The Kremlin has targeted government buildings in Kyiv and an American-owned factory in western Ukraine. Now, Putin is testing NATO with drone and military aircraft incursions in Estonia, Romania and Poland.
Former NATO Supreme Commander James G. Stavridis wrote in a Sept. 23 column published by Bloomberg, “In the James Bond novel Goldfinger, Ian Fleming wrote this about being shot at: ‘Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, the third time it’s enemy action.’ Russia has now sent military drones or manned aircraft across North Atlantic Treaty Organization boundaries three times this month, into Polish, Romanian and Estonian airspace. This is enemy action, no denying it.
Trump is now realizing that he has been played by Putin.
In a recent social media post, Trump stated that “Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years a War that should have taken a Real Military Power less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like ‘a paper tiger.’”
Trump closed his post by saying, “In any event, I wish both Countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to NATO for NATO to do what they want with them. Good luck to all!”
Wish both countries well? Good luck to all? What such rhetoric is conveying to Putin is that the United States no longer has the backbone to compel a change in course.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has sponsored a bill with more than 80 Senate co-sponsors, including Indiana’s Sen. Todd Young, to place more economic sanctions on Russia. This should be part of America’s response.
Putin will continue on his murderous course until Trump and NATO bring the kind of force that will drive the Russian tyrant to the negotiating table.
What is mystifying is that U.S. support for Ukraine has been inconsistent and underwhelming. Ukraine is a democracy. It wants to join the West. In past generations, America would have supported such a nation. It would have stood up for the children who have essentially become cannon fodder.
Brian A. Howey is a senior writer and columnist for Howey Politics Indiana/State Affairs. Follow him on X @hwypol and Blue Sky @hwypol.bsky.social.
