How Trump Kept Putin From Invading Ukraine

Truthfully, Trump effectively deterred a lot of bad behavior across the planet...

from The Federalist [archive]

A recent Harvard-Harris poll [archive] found that 62 percent of Americans believe that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if Donald Trump were still in the Oval Office.

As former senior intelligence officials under President Trump, we agree with that view.

Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 when George W. Bush was president.

Russia took Crimea in 2014 when Barack Obama was president (our note: Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and go with Russia in a 2014 election).

Russia has now invaded Ukraine with Joe Biden as president.

However, when Donald Trump was president, Russia did not seize territory from any of its neighbors.

During his 4 years in office, Trump not only successfully deterred Russia from acting against Ukraine, but he effectively deterred a lot of bad behavior across the planet.

He focused on ending America’s foreign wars rather than launching new ones.

At the same time, he brokered the Abraham Accords to expand peace in the Middle East.

The exercise of American power to deter adversaries is a complicated business. It involves…

img source: White House photo by Shealah Craighead