Ex-President Yushchenko calls on Trump to abandon trade with Russia, concessions to Putin

Former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko has penned an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging him to halt trade with Russia and adhere to security promises outlined in the Budapest Memorandum. In his Facebook post, Yushchenko argued that trading with Russia, in the midst of war, directly funds the Kremlin's arsenal and fuels further attacks against Ukrainian cities.

He reminded Trump that Ukraine relinquished its third-largest nuclear arsenal following the Soviet Union's dissolution, only to receive security assurances, including a signed Budapest Memorandum, which ensured Ukraine's borders would remain inviolate. Yushchenko drew historical comparisons to U.S. policies in the 1930s, where oil was supplied to Imperial Japan for stability, leading to Pearl Harbor, and the joint efforts of Americans and Ukrainians during World War II, highlighting the sacrifice of Ukrainian-American war hero, Sergeant Michael Strank.

He concluded by asserting that Ukraine will never compromise its land and will not be deterred by Russian missile threats, declaring that one does not negotiate with tyrants, but one must stop them.