Let’s stand with — not against — our allies in Europe. It looks like President Trump, Defense Secretary Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Bessent and Supreme Ruler Elon Musk are about to sell Ukraine down the river and create a rift with our European allies as wide as a Russian tank.

They are:
• Conceding, in advance, that Ukraine won’t get all its territory back or a place in NATO.
• Cutting Ukraine and our NATO allies in Europe out of the negotiations, as if the fate of a sovereign country is up to Russia and the U.S. alone to decide together.
• Approaching Ukraine as if it’s colonial property by swapping aid for 50% of its rare earth minerals.
• Scolding our allies at Munich for their strong stance against letting fascism ever return on European soil.

It does seem clear that President Trump prefers Putin to America’s longstanding partners in Europe. And I would bet that many people in the House and the Senate — and not just Democrats — strongly disagree, strongly recognize that Putin is not to be trusted and that we must maintain the solid alliances that the U.S. and Europe rely on.

It’s time for a bipartisan effort from Congress to push back against Trump’s strange attraction to Putin and to insist on our commitments to Ukraine and to NATO. Congress must step up.

Jeffrey Fischer
Bowdoinham