Today marks an epochal shift, with the United States shedding its moral authority as Ukraine inspires other democracies to step up.
When the history of this moment in time is written, the two images below will likely form a key part of our understanding of how the United States shed its moral authority:
The first is an image of world leaders from multiple European countries and Canada meeting in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the third anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.
The second is the United States joining with Russia in voting against a UN resolution calling for Russia to leave Ukraine. The resolution passed with the support of most European countries and Canada, along with many other nations. Even China and Cuba abstained rather than voting against it. Sadly, the United States under Donald Trump chose to align with Russia.
The United States just voted alongside Russia against a Ukrainian amendment in the United Nations General Assembly, which called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.
The United States is now actively supporting Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory. pic.twitter.com/tqweXmud07
Many people of good faith have understandably tried to avoid fully acknowledging what’s happening in the United States.
But each day makes it more and more difficult to avoid.
The evidence continues to accumulate that rather than simply heading in an isolationist direction, the United States is actively realigning itself to stand alongside Russia and other authoritarian states.
This realignment is being done by a U.S. President who won less than half of the popular vote in the 2024 election, and even though an overwhelming majority of Americans have negative views towards Russia and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Right now, however, U.S. public opinion is not being represented. Whether Donald Trump is simply disturbingly sympathetic to Russia, or whether his connection to Russia is more sinister, the reality is that he wants the United States to be an ally of Russia.
After all, Trump is threatening tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, while pushing for more U.S. trade with Russia:
It's interesting that Trump is really interested in increasing bilateral trade flows with just one specific country. pic.twitter.com/DCABhRl3Uv
Trump is also trying to extort Ukraine while conceding to nearly all of Russia’s demands regarding Ukraine BEFORE negotiations even officially begin.
Notice how Trump’s attitude toward America’s traditional allies is to threaten economic destruction/annexation, while his attitude towards Russia is to make unilateral concessions.
Trump was also given a chance to refer to Vladimir Putin – who is a dictator – as a dictator, after referring to Ukrainian President Volodymy Zelenskyy – who is not a dictator – as such. Trump refused to do so:
Q: "You called Zelenskyy a dictator. Would you use the same words regarding Putin?"
As some have noted, if Trump were a Russian asset, it’s difficult to imagine how he would be acting any differently.
The implications of this are so staggering that many are still in the process of grieving the loss of what the United States once was:
I am struggling to comprehend the dynamics, by which a nation whose people, history, and heritage has for so long been a beacon to the free world, is now so firmly aligned to so many of the pariahs of the world against the cause of freedom and liberty. https://t.co/ED9Pn9jKdj
The U.S. has fallen into the camp of the aggressor and the war criminals. Don't call it an ally. It is not anymore — just the opposite. Please have no illusion about a redemption as long as Trump is in power. Let's act accordingly. Period. https://t.co/yZv6pq73XD
America has been the premier military and economic power of the free world, and it’s difficult to imagine a world in which that isn’t the case.
When it comes to leadership of the free world, if not America, then who?
The answer to that is clear:
Ukraine, and then all of us.
Consider what Ukraine is doing.
Without any foreign troops on the ground, Ukraine is fighting alone against Russia – a Russia led by an authoritarian dictator who is a former KGB agent hell-bent on recreating the Soviet Union.
Despite being much smaller in terms of population and land size, Ukraine has managed to hold off the Russians – while paying a massive price for doing so.
Ukraine has also been making reforms to bring their country in line with European Union laws and has rapidly built a strong civil society and robust democracy even amid the immense suffering caused by having to fight an existential war against the Russian invaders.
Ukraine has also shown the power of free and determined people. En masse, Ukrainians have built a decentralized drone production industry and have become incredible wartime innovators.
Ukraine is leading by example.
And this makes Ukraine the leader of the free world.
Image vs reality
Watching the United States shift towards a purely transactional and extortionary foreign policy is especially jarring given how it contrasts with America’s self-image as the world’s bastion of freedom.
Yet, while the U.S. may allocate $900 billion a year or so on its military, that country is spending much of its time threatening allies, while conceding to dictatorships – including the dictatorship much of the U.S. military was once built to defeat – Russia.
Meanwhile, Ukraine – with a much smaller population and much smaller military budget than the U.S. – is confronting Russia, and has destroyed tens of thousands of tanks/armoured vehicles that were once the backbone of the Soviet Union’s land power.
And so, the spirit of freedom, the spirit of leadership in defence of individual liberty, human rights, and the rule of law, has departed from the United States and is now best represented by the Ukrainian People in their fight against Putin’s Russia.
Ukraine now sets the example for what it means to fight for freedom.
And it’s an example Canada and our allies must follow.
Consider this:
Canada’s population is roughly 40 million, while Ukraine’s population is about 37 million (many people have left the country and millions of Ukrainians live under Russian occupation).
Canada’s per capita GDP is about $54K USD, while Ukraine’s per capita GDP is about $5K USD.
Canada’s overall GDP exceeds $2 trillion USD, while Ukraine’s overall GDP is about $200 billion USD.
While Ukraine has received significant military and financial aid, that aid still falls far short of the GDP gap between Canada and Ukraine.
In short, if Ukraine can hold off Russia (at great cost of course), Canada – and our other wealthy allies – could easily become a powerful military force in defence of freedom.
Ukraine shows us what free people can accomplish when they are determined to resist tyranny.
And that is what it means to be the leader of the free world: Inspiring other free nations and giving free people the confidence to stand up for our common values even in the face of fear and danger.
Ukraine sends a clear message: If Ukrainians can resist authoritarianism against all the odds, we have no excuse to be passive or helpless in the face of growing global threats.
It’s time for Canada, the European Union, and all free nations to join Ukraine as the leaders of the free world. We need to build up our militaries, stand up to tyrants, and demonstrate courage.
Perhaps the United States will one day return to a position of leadership. But we can’t count on it. Nor should we sit around waiting for it to happen.
The United States has chosen to stand with authoritarian states and has chosen to alienate and threaten its traditional allies. Thus, the U.S. has no right to expect others to see it as a leader, nor to follow its dictates.
Instead, Canada should be standing with those countries that still embody our values – countries like Ukraine, and our European allies who are – belatedly – realizing the importance of military strength and economic resilience.
There are growing indications Canadians across the political spectrum are realizing this. For example, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre issued a statement today on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in which he expresses strong Conservative support for Ukraine, and makes clear that no peace negotiations should take place without Ukraine:
“Three years ago our world changed forever. In the early hours of the morning, as Ukrainian families slept peacefully in their homes, Kremlin forces began a horrific full-scale attack on their nation.
The months and years that followed have seen countless thousands of Ukrainians killed and injured – not only on the front lines, but in once-safe cities like Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv and Mariupol. Yet more innocent civilians have been forced to leave their communities or have found themselves under a brutal occupation.
It is often noted that Moscow’s war against Ukraine began not in 2022, but nearly eight years prior. At that time, the Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper took a clear and principled stand. While many other countries dithered, Canada sent troops to Ukraine under Operation UNIFIER and played a leading role in removing the Russian Federation from the G8. What was right in 2014 remains right today, Vladmir Putin should not be allowed back into this forum.
Just hours after the full-scale war began, I told a rally of Ottawa’s Ukrainian community that ‘Canadians stand in total solidarity with you, and we will be by your side throughout’. Three years later, our dedication has not wavered. Canada’s Common Sense Conservatives remain committed to getting Ukraine the weapons they need – and to promoting Canadian oil and gas as an alternative to Putin’s energy blackmail. And I want to be completely clear – Conservatives believe that no process for peace negotiations should happen without Ukraine being part of these discussions. Ukrainians have the right to determine their own future.
As we reflect on the incredible sacrifices that Ukrainians have made in defence of their homeland, we are reminded that – despite everything they have faced in the last eleven years – “Ukraine has not yet perished, nor her glory, nor her freedom.””
Three years ago our world changed forever. In the early hours of the morning, as Ukrainian families slept peacefully in their homes, Kremlin forces began a horrific full-scale attack on their nation.
The months and years that followed have seen countless thousands of Ukrainians…
Ukraine’s courage is a truth that extends beyond national boundaries and political divides. We are seeing the power of human freedom in action.
As I noted on Twitter, the fact that Canadians across the political spectrum support Ukraine indicates the deep truth that Ukraine’s cause is just:
While my disagreements with the Prime Minister on domestic policy are significant, he has gotten it right when it comes to Ukraine. The fact that support for Ukraine transcends Canada’s political divides isn’t an example of ‘the uniparty,’ rather it’s an example that some things… https://t.co/5qpY6Wvgoh
And so, while it’s deeply tragic to see the United States turn away from leadership of the free world, we can gain solace from the fact that new leaders like Ukraine have stepped up, and we can gain confidence from our sense of agency – our ability to become a powerful nation that is capable of defending our values, defending our people, and standing against the tyrannical forces that want to wipe out our way of life.
The defenders of freedom may change, but the power of freedom as an idea, and the human desire to make the idea manifest, will always endure.
Spencer Fernando
Photo – Twitter
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