Effective Advocacy for Ukraine
I am republishing a recent article from Steven Moore, head of the Ukraine Freedom Project and experienced DC insider, which outlines how to advocate for Ukraine under the Trump Administration.
Steven has been a tireless advocate for Ukraine since the launch of the full-scale invasion. He insight is worth reading.
Original piece is here: https://stevenmoore.substack.com/p/trump-is-the-only-game-in-town
Trump is the Only Game in Town
The last week has been tough. But Trump is fully in charge until at least January 2027. Saying unkind things about him is not going to help get Ukraine what it wants. Use smart messaging.
This is today’s reminder that obsessing over everything Trump says will make you develop a dependency on anti-anxiety meds and whiskey. Watching American news outlets is a gateway to harder drugs.
Repeat after me: Nothing has been signed yet. Nothing is etched in stone.
The next US election is in November of 2026 for Congress. Likely all the decisions about Ukraine will be made by the end of 2025. There is no mechanism through which we can change the fact that Trump will make these decisions. Saying unkind things about him will not get a better result for Ukraine.
Getting good information to his voters may yield a better result.
First some good news. Senator Roger Wicker, the Republican chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, continues to push back on the Administration for their rhetoric on Ukraine. Yesterday he called Putin a war criminal who should be executed.
He has been joined by Senator John Kennedy who had a great Louisiana take on things.
A lot of members of Congress and Republican influencers are working behind the scenes on Ukraine’s behalf. Frequently what you don’t hear is more powerful and effective than what you do hear.
You should be making six calls a day. One to your US Representative’s DC office, one to your Representative’s district office and one each to both of your Senator’s offices in DC and in your state. Go here to find out who your US Representative is and how to contact them. Use this page to contact your Senators. Be polite, respectful and have good information.
These calls work. When I was a chief of staff in the US House of Representatives, we data-mined our constituent calls and letters to find out who was calling and what was important to them. It guided our policies.
The real key is to get Republican voters on board with Ukraine. The Ukraine Freedom Project has been working to build Republican support for Ukraine since day 5 of the war. Our work helped sway Speaker Johnson to put the Ukraine aid bill up for a vote last year. UFP has messages that work.
Every time someone associated with Ukraine makes a post or gets on TV trashing Trump or the Republicans, it reinforces the idea that Ukraine is associated with the Democrats. That makes Sen. Wicker’s job, Sen. Kennedy’s job and ours a little more difficult.
The cumulative effect of thousands of Ukraine advocates implicitly reinforcing that Ukraine is associated with the Democrats is crushing to our cause.
In contrast, Putin is flattering Trump and having a really good week.
Ukraine advocates will be most effective if they focus on getting good information into the Republican ecosphere, or out in the world more broadly and hope for the best. Being critical is good - but providing Trump and his supporters good information so they can make smarter decisions is better.
They may not make smarter decisions. They may make decisions we don’t like. But if the final deal in, say, July is bad for Ukraine, we don’t get extra points for guessing right in February. Every day until a deal is signed, our best option as Ukraine advocates is to work to get good messaging to Republican voters and elected officials.
Americans, particularly Republicans, need education, and Ukraine advocates will be successful by couching that in terms they understand. You are unlikely to reach Trump or his staff. You are likely to reach American voters. Give them good information. Calling Trump a Russian agent will make anyone who needs to hear your message tune out.
I had dinner with a good friend recently who is smart, well-educated, votes and keeps up with political affairs. Like most Americans, she is more interested in her family and her community than Ukraine. She said “Oh my God, I had no idea the Russians are targeting civilians.”
I talked to a senior congressional staffer who did not know Russia relies on Iranian drones to kill civilians. Giving him that information made him think.
For instance, showing that Russia is tied at the hip to Hamas and Iran is very good messaging. Republicans have a longer and deeper relationship with Israel than they do with Ukraine. Making sure that Trump’s supporters know that Ukraine’s enemies are Israel’s enemies is very important. The more his supporters know it, the more likely it is that Trump gets the message.
Calling Trump a Russian agent or a fascist won’t help Ukraine get what it needs. Letting the world that the first place Hamas leadership went after October 7 was Russia? That’s a great path forward.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s messaging to Trump is perfect. Echo him.
Here is an example of one of the dumbest posts I have seen. This post flies in the face of a top rule of Ukraine advocacy - don’t get involved in US domestic politics. Trump and his supporters already think that Ukraine is allied with the Democrats. What is the advantage to reinforcing that? This is not a conversation about whether January 6 was right or wrong - why bring it up in the context of Ukraine? It doesn’t help. If someone tells you this is a good idea, then you know their primary motivation is to help Democrats, not to help Ukraine.
The poster works for a Ukraine advocacy organization and has a long history in Democratic politics. I asked her what she was trying to accomplish with the post and she defended it. Then she called me an extremist. With friends like these…
Just to recap, Trump will make all the important decisions about Ukraine. We are only in the beginning stages of this thing. The most important thing that Ukraine advocates can do is get good information to Republican voters. Saying unkind things about Trump is going to turn off anyone who needs to receive your message.
Be smart. Be patient. Be disciplined. Don’t freak out.