Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) signaled a shift in his stance on Ukraine with a Tuesday Substack post, calling for an election and ceasefire and suggesting further military aid may just lead to more Ukrainian deaths and prolong the war.
“America must make good on our commitments to allies. At a certain point, though, we must confront the possibility that continuing to arm the Ukrainians isn’t saving their country. It’s just prolonging a conflict at the cost of Ukrainian lives,” said Rep. Golden.
He stated, citing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s repeated assertions, that the Ukrainian people are prepared to keep fighting, but he advocated for President Zelenskyy to make peace a top priority.
“Ukraine has a right to defend itself, and President Zelenskyy has made clear that his people are willing to keep fighting. He’s also said that his country is open to peace with reasonable terms. If peace is an option, Zelenskyy should make it his first priority — even if it means swallowing his pride,” said Golden.
He even said that Zelenskyy should call an election, suggesting that a victory could legitimize him to negotiate peace with Russia, although it is far from certain that Zelenskyy would actually win in a democratic election. Zelenskyy would have been up for re-election in 2024, but he has suspended elections under martial law because the country is at war.
According to former President Donald Trump, Zelenskyy currently rules as a “dictator.” A report published by Politico Europe on Thursday claimed that four officials from the Trump administration have been talking with prospective candidates in Ukraine about whether holding an election in the current environment is feasible.
“He could call a new election to win a clear mandate from his people to pursue peace on honorable terms that they could accept,” said Golden.
It is not clear whether Zelenskyy would win re-election, though one poll cited in the Politico report pegged his support at 44 percent which would make him the leading candidate going into a run-off assuming multiple candidates run. The former comedian was elected in 2018 on a promise to negotiate for peace.
Golden emphasized that the Ukrainian people have a right to defend themselves and that peace should be made with their support. He also urged the U.S. to help make peace, whether or not Zelenskyy holds an election.
“But if the Trump administration is going to play peacemaker, it should do so with full understanding that Russia is a threat to our country, not a friend. We should steer the ship toward a peace in our interest — not Putin’s,” said Golden.
He specified that peace should be made on “honorable terms” acceptable to the Ukrainians, though he did not indicate what those terms might be and did not say what, if any, concessions Zelenskyy should be willing to make to secure peace.
Golden has, in the past, advocated for escalating military aid, including sending long-range weapons capable of striking targets deep into Russia, something Russia repeatedly warned could prompt a nuclear response.
The congressman addressed his past support for military aid in the Substack post, quoting a previous statement in which he suggested that sending military aid to Ukraine would prevent American troops from needing to fight Russia if President Vladimir Putin decided to invade NATO nations, something Russia has repeatedly claimed it will not do.
“Aid for Ukraine today reduces the risk that a future Congress will have to send American troops to fight on European battlefields tomorrow,” said Golden.
He defended his past support for military aid, arguing that it made sense at the time because the U.S. and Ukraine share a common enemy: Russia.
“There is truth to the political maxim that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Providing the Ukrainians with weapons and ammunition supported American industry and jobs and helped check a global adversary,” said Golden.
He has since realized, as the war ground on past its third anniversary in February, that the current war of attrition, with Russia slowly gaining ground, will only lead to a worse outcome for Ukraine the longer it continues.
“A stark reality is beginning to set in. The Russian government is willing to suffer heavy losses to the Ukrainians, such that a protracted war of attrition is likely to make the ultimate outcome for Ukraine worse, not better,” said Golden.
Golden’s comments came after a highly publicized Oval Office meeting between President Donald Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Zelenskyy, in which the leaders argued and talked over each other, and President Trump accused Zelenskyy of disrespecting the U.S.
[RELATED: Oval Office Smack-down Re-Ignites Ukraine Debate…]
Following the meeting, Trump accused Zelenskyy of not truly being ready for peace and said that the U.S. will only continue talks on a potential deal with the embattled nation after they are ready for a ceasefire deal with Russia.
Golden’s nuanced response to the meeting differed drastically from that of Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), long one of Congress’s greatest advocates for U.S. involvement in Ukraine.
“I always try to think of, you know, what’s the argument on both sides? I cannot think of a rational argument for pulling our support for Ukraine,” said Sen. King during an interview with 60-Minutes.
He also called the cessation of military aid for Ukraine “the greatest geopolitical mistake that this country has made since World War Two.”
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="36340 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=36340">13 Comments
Headline: Golden “I was against the war before I was for the war” A Lindsey Graham school of scoundrels graduate.
Golden’s a political hack. Thanks to rank choice cheating we got stuck with flip flopper.
Once again, Golden sticks his finger into the wind hoping that just one of his positions will be right. His many guesses about the cause and effect of war in Ukraine makes me believe he really doesn’t know what this war is about.
Then there is Anguish King, the back bencher extraordinaire, who can’t think of any reason to end support for the war other than it would hurt his campaign cash flow from defense contractors. Well Anguish, here are a few reasons for you.
1) Ukraine cannot win a prolonged war of attrition.
2) Ukrainians and Russians continue to suffer and die, for nothing.
3) $37 trillion of US debt. We cannot continue to borrow/print cash to keep your money laundering scam going.
He must be getting splinters from straddling that fence. He cannot be trusted.
I would not trust Golden on anything!! He is a total hypocrite and communist. The only reason he is even there is because of RCV.
Hard to believe, but our Bright Bulbs are walking up. They failed to walk up when bidden was stuffing the mattress with our tax dollars. Too late for me you are still all losers. The quicker we get you out the better. Our tax dollars are gone in the China wed scam, The green New Deal and Biden’s deffic reduction game. You got enough of my money. I will never vote for you again.
did he also call for Ranked Choice Voting to be sure to get the “correct” result?
Jarod Golden’s best selling book…”How To Play Both Sides Of The Fence To Win Over The Dumb and Ignorant”
Would Mr. Golden’s election strategy for Ukraine include “Rank Choice Voting” ???
Starting sound like Trump, red wave starting
We don’t need any more of these fork tongued dirt bags in congress. Golden is a phony.
A useless individual with no convictions, stands for nothing. Epitomises the term “puke.”
Watching a fifteen tear old snatched off the street by the military leaving his dog sitting there was enough to convince me this war should end, So many Ukrainians have died they are enlisting their children to fight and die. For what?