Harris Allies Corner Trump on Ukraine

A small but vital step in the right direction

There was a small exchange during the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris that took me by surprise. Donald Trump refused, twice, when pressed by the moderators to explain his position on Ukraine. He deflected repeatedly. When the spotlight turned to Harris on the Ukraine question, she took the opportunity to challenge Trump’s pro-Putin stance.

“The reason that Donald Trump says this war would be over within 24 hours is because he would just give up,” Harris said.

But it wasn’t this passage that raised my eyebrows. It was what followed.

“And why don’t you tell the 800,000 Polish Americans right here in Pennsylvania how quickly you would give up for the sake of favor and what you think is a friendship with a dictator who would eat you for lunch?”

That was homework. She was aware that hundreds of thousands of Americans with roots in Poland and the Baltic states reside in crucial Midwestern swing states and Pennsylvania.

For months, Harris remained uncommitted to taking a clear stance on Ukraine. I had actually expected her to defer any position on Ukraine to President Biden’s team. It was a bit of a political minefield, given how Biden’s team has been…