Wars abroad do not become irrelevant to Americans because they are fought far from our shores. The question is not whether Ukraine matters more than our border, our debt, our military readiness, or our working families. It is whether the outcome of Russia’s war will make those challenges easier or harder for the United States.
President Donald Trump’s actions show that he believes Russia’s war against Ukraine matters profoundly to the U.S., despite recent comments that suggest otherwise. At this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, Trump agreed to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missiles at a critical time as Russian airstrikes are pummeling Kyiv.
Trump is right to resist the old Washington habit of writing blank checks, outsourcing strategy to slogans, and confusing moral sympathy with national interest. America First demands a higher standard. It asks whether a conflict changes the balance of power, strengthens our enemies, weakens our alliances, drains our arsenal, or raises the future cost of deterrence.
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