Opinion: Save Ukraine, Save Ourselves

The following column appeared originally in “Eben Shapiro’s Substack” on Nov. 5, 2026 and is reposted here with permission.

When someone, through their own hard work, skill, life experiences and accomplishments, gets a lofty new assignment, there is a tendency for the human race to tell them what course they should embark upon. “Here’s the first thing you should do,” the chorus says. I’ve done it many times myself. And I’m about to do it again.

Being an expert in politics, military affairs, geopolitics and diplomacy, I submit the following proposal to the victorious Democrats. The first thing they should do is form a high-power bipartisan working group to fully restore the U.S.’s support of Ukraine. And then they should restore and tighten the sanctions on Russia.

For many people, one particular outrage, among the countless vile actions undertaken by the 47th president, stands out. There are too many choices to enumerate, so I won’t romp through them. Choose your own adventure, as a young person said to me describing the variety of drug options at a raucous wedding. (My adventure was early to bed.)

The policy that continues to shock and outrage me above all others is Trump’s treatment of Ukraine and its courageous president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his corresponding adulation for the evil Putin. I have never felt so ashamed of this country as the day Trump and Vance ambushed Zelenskyy in the Oval Office. After a stooge in the press mocked the wartime leader for his wardrobe choices, our Gangster in Chief made his notorious “You don’t have the cards right now” threat to Zelenskyy.

There are many sound reasons to make the restoration of support for Ukraine a priority. It’s the right thing to do. It is the best way to push back against an increasingly aggressive Russia. I am certainly not the best source on what steps to take (I do have a subscription to Foreign Affairs and The Economist), but a good start providing Ukraine with enough weapons and intelligence so that it can win, not just hang on. Make the sanctions tougher, not weaker. And here’s an easy one. Don’t buy Russian oil.

But an equally important reason to step up is that it would show this country and the world that the U.S.’s elected officials could work together to accomplish something constructive. Who knows? They might like the feeling and go on to jointly tackle other pressing issues, like the cost of healthcare or education. Again, choose your own adventure.

Eben Shapiro is a veteran reporter and editor (NYT, WSJ, TIME) specializing in culture and business and an occasional contributor to the Amherst Indy.