Cheering violations of international law benefits only the evil doers

To the Ukrainians cheering Trump’s illegal attack and violent take over of Venezuela:

1. You either care about the rules-based international order or you don’t. You cannot suck and blow at the same time. You cannot applaud this violation of international law, justify it with excuses like, “International law is dead”, and at the same time defend yourselves against Russian aggression and genocide.

If international law is “dead”, then Ukraine has nothing to rely on to act in self-defence against Russia.
If international law is “dead” you have no legal entitlement to oppose Russian aggression.
If international law is “dead” you will have no legal ground to oppose Russian claims to Ukrainian territory. You will have no choice but to accept them.
If international law is “dead”, you cannot pursue justice in any court for Russian aggression, war crimes, or genocide.
If international law is “dead”, you have no legal grounds to appeal to other nations to help you in your defence.
If international law is “dead”, then the crimes Russia is committing against Ukrainians will not be recognized as crimes!

Is THIS the path you wish to tread?

2. We should not ignore that Trump is following in Putin’s footsteps:
Putin claimed that the Ukrainian government is illegitimate. He unilaterally started an illegal war of aggression against Ukraine.
Similarly, Trump declared Venezuela an illegitimate regime and carried out unilateral aggression that has not been sanctioned by the international community.

3. Recall that until recently, for months, Trump and his administration, echoed Putin’s disinformation propaganda lies that President Zelensky is a DICTATOR.

In the 20 point “peace plan” that Zelensky has signed off on, Ukraine commits to holding Presidential elections. This is indirect recognition of Russian demands to get rid of “illegitimate” Zelensky as president.

What if Trump decides, in the interest of his partnership with Russia, and in the interest of his own financial benefit, that “Dictator Zelensky” has to go because he “impedes the peace process”? What if Trump supports “regime change” in Ukraine?

4. This illegal US take over of Venezuela is not in pursuit of justice and freedom for the people of Venezuela. This is not about freeing people from oppression, but about establishing control over Venezuela for stealing natural resources and controlling geographically beneficial territory with which to increase global power and prepare for larger global war.

5. If the US cared at all about the well-being of Venezuelans, Trump would not have chosen the path of violence and illegality to gain control of the country and its oil. There was no need to violate the UN Charter. People of Venezuela can be supported by LAWFUL means, including, but not limited to targeted sanctions against the regime (without exceptions for the Russian shadow oil tankers), funding opposition groups, civil society organizations seeking freedom, as well as human rights defenders. The people of Venezuela should have been supported in getting rid of dictator Maduro without violations of international law.

6. The Trump administration consistently coerces Ukraine – sometimes even with total cruelty, aiding and abetting Russian attacks on Ukrainian citizens and infrastructure – to capitulate to Russia. Trump is not providing Ukraine with military aid or even humanitarian aid – something for which there is no justification, especially when Trump falsely claims to care about the human suffering caused by war! He has no interest in saving Ukraine or defeating Russia, only helping his partner in Moscow achieve grotesquely evil aims to destroy Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.

Trump has made the revoking of support to Ukraine the cornerstone of his entire policy. He has done so DESPITE public opinion of the American people on Ukraine’s side. Why would he do this? If he was after the popular vote, his policy should have been “Biden has not done enough, I will do more.”

If Trump cared about people being free from oppression, he would help Ukrainians enjoy freedom from Russian aggression and genocide. There are AMPLE legal means arising from legal obligations and rights (from the Genocide Convention, the Budapest Memorandum, and the collective right of self-defence under s. 51 of the UN Charter) to stop Russia.

The Trump administration chooses coercion of the victim of unprovoked aggression and genocide instead, though, because he does NOT care about Ukraine or the suffering of Ukrainian people at all. But he DOES care about power and setting up a global hegemony in a system of spheres of influence with Russia and China.

7. If international law is “dead” or “the ends justify the means” you have to accept that Trump can annex Greenland and Canada, and you will not be able to criticize either.

The violent take over of Venezuela should not give anyone any reason to expect that Trump will strengthen his position against Putin. Trump’s Russia policy was spelled out in black and white in his National Security Strategy. From Trump’s point of view, Ukraine’s refusal to give up its territories to Russia is the roadblock to US cooperation with Russia. So to clear that path, Trump is likely to exert even greater pressure on Zelensky on the issue of surrendering territories.

So I ask you, please, think hard about praising this violation of international law, as it benefits only the evil doers of this world, including dictators who detest the rule of law as much as authoritarians like Putin and Trump do.