American linguist Noam Chomsky, 93, an icon of the global left, surprised in an interview by citing former US President Donald Trump as the only Western political figure to advocate a diplomatic way out of the Ukraine War, rather than escalating the conflict. .
In the video posted on the EduKitchen YouTube channel last Wednesday (27), Chomsky talks about different subjects, including the conflict in the European country. It was after a question about American spending to help Kiev that the linguist spoke of the Republican.
“There is, fortunately, a statesman in the US and Europe, a high-ranking public figure, who has made a very sensitive statement about how to resolve the crisis by facilitating negotiations rather than undermining them,” he said. “His name is Donald J. Trump.”
For the linguist, the former president is the only Western statesman who suggested a solution similar to the one proposed by George HW Bush in the early 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. When Germany was reunified at that time, Western diplomats promised the Russians that NATO (Western military alliance) would not expand eastward beyond the new country in central Europe. The Russians still demand that commitment, which was never put on paper.
While noting that Trump did not mention this example specifically, Chomsky said it was similar to what has been called the Partnership for Peace. “It would not eliminate NATO, but it would fulfill the promise that NATO would not expand to the East.”
“He didn’t mention all that, but he suggested something similar: moving towards negotiations and diplomacy rather than escalating the war,” continued the American, who highlighted that Trump is not his favorite person. “I think he’s maybe the most dangerous person in history, but let’s be honest. He’s the only person who spoke and it’s the right way to get out. [da crise]. Others spoke too, but not in such important positions.”
Chomsky did not specify when or what exactly the former president spoke. In a statement on the 18th, the Republican said it made “no sense that Russia and Ukraine are not sitting down and working on some sort of agreement”. “This war should never have happened, but it did. The solution will never be as good as it would have been before the shooting started, but there is a solution, and it should be arranged now—not later—when everyone is DEAD!”
Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were several diplomatic meetings, held with the aim of defusing tensions. Just in February, for example, Russian President Vladimir Putin received French President Emmanuel Macron, German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz, and spoke on the phone with American leader Joe Biden.
With the conflict started, Western countries did not enter the battlefield, but they have been sending weapons to the Ukrainians, in addition to applying harsh sanctions against Russia. The US also moves to provide billion-dollar aid.
Biden last Thursday asked Congress for US$33 billion (about R$166.6 billion) in aid to Ukraine, which includes more than US$20 billion (R$100.7 billion) for weapons, ammunition and other types of military assistance and US$8.5 billion (R$42.8 billion) in direct economic assistance to the government in Kiev, in addition to US$3 billion (R$15.1 billion) for humanitarian and food aid.
The $20 billion set aside by Biden for the military flank represents five times the 2021 Ukrainian defense budget, including spending on pensions and military salaries.
The Russians have been reacting to increasing American aid in the conflict. Last Monday (25), through a note and an interview with its ambassador in Washington, Moscow criticized the shipment of weapons. “What the Americans are doing is pouring gasoline on the fire,” said diplomat Anatoli Antonov. “We emphasize that it is unacceptable for the US to dump weapons in Ukraine.”
