Ukraine is a nation between gangsters by Mary Long

As the world watches, Ukraine is being crushed between two forces that have more in common than they would ever publicly admit: Trump’s America and Putin’s Russia. Two men who understand power not as responsibility, but as a personal empire, where loyalty is currency and laws are flexible suggestions, used or ignored depending on convenience. The problem? Ukraine is not just a chess piece in their game; it is a nation fighting for its survival in an era where global politics increasingly resemble a gangster film, only without the Hollywood happy ending.

Donald Trump, the man who prides himself on making deals, never really understood Ukraine beyond its usefulness in his personal and political maneuverings. His first impeachment revolved around his attempt to strong-arm President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into producing dirt on Joe Biden, holding back military aid as leverage. It was an act so blatantly transactional that it felt like a scene from a mob drama: "Nice country you’ve got there. Shame if something happened to it."

The return of Trump to the political forefront sends shivers down Ukraine’s spine, and rightly so. His past admiration for Putin, his disinterest in NATO, and his "America First" mantra suggest that a second Trump presidency could mean a complete abandonment of Ukraine. For Trump, everything is a deal, and if Ukraine is the price to pay for better relations with Putin or simply a personal vendetta against Biden, it’s a deal he would gladly make.

On the other side stands Vladimir Putin, a man who has turned Russia into the closest thing to a modern mafia state. His grip on power is absolute, reinforced through a combination of fear, propaganda, and violence. His war in Ukraine is not just about geopolitics, it is about survival. A free, democratic Ukraine is an existential threat to his rule because it represents an alternative to his brand of authoritarianism. If Ukraine succeeds, Russians might start to wonder why they are still living under a system of corruption and repression.

Putin has already shown that there is no line he will not cross. War crimes, mass deportations, targeted assassinations, his playbook is ripped straight from the worst chapters of 20th-century history. He does not seek peace; he seeks submission. And in true gangster fashion, his vision of peace is Ukraine on its knees, offering tribute to Moscow.

While Ukraine fights and bleeds, much of the West remains caught in a cycle of hesitant support and bureaucratic delays. The European Union talks a big game but moves at a snail’s pace. The United States, despite its current support, remains at the mercy of political shifts that could turn aid into a bargaining chip overnight.

Ukraine is left in an impossible position, forced to navigate between unreliable allies and outright enemies. It cannot fully trust the West to stand by it indefinitely, yet it knows that any sign of weakness against Russia will be exploited mercilessly.

The harsh truth is that Ukraine is not just battling Russian aggression; it is also fighting against the cold calculations of power politics. In a world where principles are negotiable and morality is a luxury, Ukraine’s struggle is a reminder that realpolitik often comes at the expense of those who dare to resist.

The question is not just whether Ukraine can win against Russia, but whether the world is willing to stand against the rise of gangster diplomacy. Because if Ukraine falls, it will not be the last victim. It will simply be the latest warning that, in the end, brute force and corruption still reign supreme.