ICSU RAISES CONCERNS OVER RECENT ENDORSEMENTS OF DONALD TRUMP
(Toronto - March 7, 2016). — The International Council in Support of Ukraine (ICSU) is deeply troubled by a string of controversial endorsements received by Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. Last week, former Ku Klux Klan leader, David Duke, endorsed Donald Trump for the US presidency. Duke’s support came on the heels of an endorsement from pro-Kremlin, xenophobic politician Jean-Marie Le Pen, the former leader of France's National Front party. Most recently, US media outlets reported that the Russian ideologue, Aleksandr Dugin, whose neo-imperialistic views inspired Putin's aggression in Ukraine, has endorsed Donald Trump. In fact, David Duke has travelled to Russia to meet with Dugin. All of this has serious national security implications. Trump has sung the praises of Russian President Vladimir Putin, proposing that the US outsource the war on ISIS to the Kremlin.
“We urge the GOP frontrunner, Donald Trump, to distance himself from ill-famed ultra-nationalists and racists, and re-assess his vision of US foreign policy vis-à-vis Russia. We are concerned that, despite Russia’s ongoing aggression, Mr. Trump has avoided publicly enunciating a clear position on the conflict in Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea. The importance of finding a solution to Putin's aggression in Ukraine must remain a key foreign policy priority for the next US President," said Yuri Shymko, former Canadian MP and MPP, current President of ICSU.
Protecting a nation’s freedom and territorial integrity and advancing international security, are principles that cross all party lines. No US presidential candidate, whether Republican or Democrat, can afford to abandon the security of Ukraine and Europe, or outsource the war on terror to Russia.
QUOTES:
“Russia seeks to rewrite the agreed rules of the international order and undermine unity in Europe. Russia poses a long-term existential threat to the United States and to our European allies and partners."
General Philip Breedlove, NATO Supreme Allied Commander ICSU Press
“We maintain the peace through our strength; weakness only invites aggression.”
Ronald Reagan, 40th President of the USA
“Putin is after Ukraine. He wants to rebuild the Soviet Union. The battle in Ukraine — that is the battle of our time. Ukraine is part of us. That is our heritage. That is our Europe. That is our Western way of life. Today Ukraine is the frontier of Western civilization.”
Wesley Clark, Former NATO Supreme Allied Commander
“Russia’s bellicose actions in Ukraine are about more than Ukraine. By bolstering Kiev, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to the most elemental rules and principles of post-Cold War Europe, particularly that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states shall not be breached and conflicts shall be resolved through negotiation not force of arms. By contrast, failing to respond adequately would very likely be an invitation to further aggression by Russia—in eastern Ukraine, and beyond.”
David Petraeus, retired U.S. Army general and former CIA Director
