Trump is the American leader Ukrainians need

Every day in my homeland of Ukraine, people die from Russian bombs and bullets, and more of our territory is lost. The West, under the leadership of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, has talked endlessly of support, but they have given us just enough to ensure Russia does not achieve total victory.

Biden’s language has been about not humiliating Russia — “de-escalation” and “off-ramps,” even as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s brutal authoritarian regime advanced on Severodonetsk, then Bakhmut, then Vuhledar, and now Pokrovsk. Next year it will be Kharkiv, and eventually Kyiv. 

But the other candidate in the U.S. election is a different kind of man from Biden and Harris: A man of action and business, and who understands the value of strength. I believe Donald Trump will be the catalyst for change that Ukraine needs, and for that matter, for Europe and the whole world. Trump would not let Russia swallow Ukraine. 

Trump is a man of action and quick deals, who does not tolerate objections and delays after a decision has been made, but accepts active discussion before. He is a man who is quick-tempered and sometimes aggressive, but understands what results he needs. He has his own effective vision of the world, through the prism of his place in history. Trump has said he will achieve peace in Ukraine on his first day; I believe him. And Vladimir Putin should believe him.

Trump’s actions speak louder than his words; and his capacity to act as the leader of the free world is mighty. 

We have now in Ukraine a government without the clear mandate of the people, because it has postponed elections until after the war. President Volodymyr Zelensky is lawful in his execution of his directives, but his term of office has expired and he must be reelected. It is past time for the reelection of the Parliament, although unlike the president, the powers of the Parliament are extended during wartime.

In both cases, there is a crisis of trust and legitimacy — that the government pursues its policy without the clear mandate of the people. Simultaneously, we face severe corruption; as the war grinds on, much support that we get from the West disappears into the wrong pockets, and never arrives to the front where people need it most. 

This is an abominable situation, and meanwhile Russia seeks to cause Ukraine’s collapse. If it succeeds, it will not stop there: It will swallow Moldova too — not to mention Belarus, already part of the empire in all but name. With the combined territory, resources, peoples and military capacity of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova, all of Europe will be in mortal danger. 

But there is hope: Trump will force Ukraine and Russia into a ceasefire — which Ukraine needs. First, it is clear that if Ukraine agrees to a Trump peace plan, it will receive real and powerful security guarantees from the U.S. Moreover, the people of Ukraine must have a ceasefire to rebuild and re-arm, and to choose our course democratically: Ukraine needs new elections and a popular mandate.

After elections, Ukraine must rebuild its army, its reserve, restock its ammunition, house and treat its soldiers, shore up its defenses and its energy grid. It must train and educate its citizens and stop the mass exodus — and the mass death in the East. And it needs to begin the ruthless eradication of corruption that has hobbled our military and our economy. There is no way to do this without a ceasefire and legitimate elections; this would give a clear mandate to the new government, without which there cannot be any real foreign investment or effective reconstruction. 

A Ukraine rebuilt and restored will be formidable indeed: The backbone of a combined European defence strategy against Russia, with Europe’s largest land army. Europe needs its own teeth, its own fist, to defend itself from Putin; this is what Trump has been saying all along. He does not intend to pull out of NATO — he intends to push Europe to be responsible for itself. Of course, the United States will still aid Europe, but Europe must take charge of its own security, and not let its muscle stagnate. 

Trump’s policies of responsibility, strength and peace extend beyond Europe. He wants peace in the Middle East, as well — a responsible Palestine, partnered with the Arab world and with Israel alike, having removed the thugs and terrorists of Hamas. He wants to end Iran’s ability to kill and terrorize Ukrainians and Israelis. 

Why does Trump want peace? Because he is a true businessman, and wants America, Europe and the rest of the world to pursue global trade and prosperity, and to fix our own broken systems: Trump understands the struggle with the deep state and bureaucracy based on his first term. 

His global goal is trade, always the key point for Trump: Trade free of the influence of actors like China who seek to devaluate the dollar and the euro and shackle Africa and Latin America through protectionism and economic intimidation. He knows that we must have a coordinated global currency policy between the U.S., the United Kingdom, European Union and other major free economies like India; business is the lifeblood of prosperity, competition and efficiency.  

Even in the West, we struggle against protectionism: Banks have transformed from financial institutions into police authorities, concerned about internal barriers like “Know Your Customer,” which ignore the interests of clients, instead of supporting business and growth. Banks and bureaucracies have turned into barriers for businesses and citizens. Trump’s calls to “drain the swamp” are aimed at these stagnant institutions, as he seeks — like all businessmen — to return the financial system to the previous condition of prosperity and development.  

If Trump can drain the swamp in America — with 20,000 new administrators to replace the old bureaucrats — Britain can too. The war in Ukraine has shown that Britain is not afraid of Russia, or of being strong, and wants to be an influential world power. Perhaps Britain needs an ambitious American leader to awaken its own ambitions. 

All of this begins with the peace Trump intends to bring in the first days after his election. For my native Ukraine, I believe that it will allow us and the entire Ramstein Group to return the temporarily lost territories and our compatriots to Ukraine, after a change of the political paradigm in Russia. This can and will happen in this generation’s lifetime — but only if Ukraine can become a militarily strong and Western-oriented state, capable of restoring itself after Russian occupation and devastation. 

For the sake of Ukraine, Europe, the rest of the world and the United States itself — I hope he succeeds in his mission — peace through strength.

Alexander Temerko is a Ukrainian-British businessman and political activist, energy investor and council member of the Institute of Economic Affairs.