As an issue, the war between Ukraine and Russia is a very complex, complicated situation. I hear both left and right criticizing the Trump administration on its handling of the war. When you listen carefully, you hear something about support for Ukraine. What in fact is support for Ukraine?
Support for Ukraine?
People often use “support” in a very loose manner. I find that the word “support” lacks significant commitment. Support means a small percentage of a nations gross domestic product (GDP) toward financial aid. Approximately 0.67% of the combined GDP of major European nations has been given in support of Ukraine. If Russia began dominating Ukraine in the war, indicating that Russia would defeat and gain control of Ukraine, would any European nation send ground troops to join Ukraine for the purpose of stopping this?
Instead of future ground troops, European nations could support Ukraine with a present commitment of ground troops, literally joining Ukraine in its war. Not one nation committed to sending ground troops to join Ukraine against Russia. No nation has committed to sending their own soldiers to fight on the ground against Russia.
The issue of the war between Ukraine and Russia reminds me of the commitment to the rise of oceans due to climate change. Those who express future certain dire circumstances in coastal areas refuse to sell their own coastal properties. This signals the truth of their own adherence to their own ideas about the climate change. They do not commit to act upon their own theories even if they expect more financial aid devoted to this cause. Financial aid encourages war in Ukraine and a cataclysmic large number of death and destruction for Ukraine.
Ethnic Russians
The ethnic Russian population in Ukraine constitutes approximately 17.3% of the total population, based on the 2001 census, which recorded about 8.3 million individuals identifying as ethnic Russians. This figure includes both those born in Russia and those born in Ukraine who identify as ethnically Russian. Ethnic Russians are predominantly located in specific regions of Ukraine, particularly in the eastern and southern parts of the country.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea has a significant Russian majority, with approximately 71.7% of its population identifying as ethnic Russian. Ethnic Russians make up about 48.2% of the population of Donetsk Oblast, 58.7% of Luhansk Oblast, and 52.9% of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. 13.1% of Kyiv itself are ethnic Russians. 60 plus percentage of the previously mentioned regions are ethnic Russian, making up a Russian bloc of Ukraine.
Russian Language Laws
Ukraine has implemented a series of legislative measures and policies that have significantly curtailed the use of the Russian language, particularly in areas with substantial ethnic Russian populations. These actions are part of a broader effort to promote the Ukrainian language and reinforce national identity. The Constitution of Ukraine, adopted in 1996, establishes Ukrainian as the sole state language while guaranteeing the free development and protection of minority languages, including Russian.
A 2019 language law in Ukraine explicitly excluded Russian from exemptions granted to other minority languages that are also official languages within the European Union (EU). As such, while some minority languages received protections under specific conditions (e.g., Hungarian or Romanian), Russian did not enjoy similar privileges. A large majority of ethnic Russians opposed the law.
Justification for War
I write about the domination of ethnic Russians in a bloc of Ukrainian regions and this 2019 language law to highlight the complexity of the situation in Ukraine. A multiplicity of significant international issues behind the Ukraine and Russia war also exist. The war is not as simple democratic and not democratic. The actual meaning of democracy according to various factions also further complicates the motivations for the war.
Western democracy fails in its moral standing to judge and then criticize others. Do those advocating for Ukraine in war against Russia have suitable moral basis for justification of the war, when weighing all the factors? I don’t hear very good arguments. The biggest argument I hear, and almost exclusively, is that anyone who does not want Ukraine war against Russia supports Vladimir Putin and everything bad about him.
Biblical Prophecy?
I have not heard much on the subject of Russia in biblical prophecy in recent days, especially since the fall of the Soviet Union. In the 1970s a lot of men preached prophetic passages such as Ezekiel 38 and 39 to defend an attack on Israel by Russia as part of the Great Tribulation period. In their system of interpretation at the time, Russia would battle Red China in the final Battle of Armageddon. Related to current events, that doesn’t look as viable now.
Even though I am a premillennialist by conviction, men might and do differ on some of the fine details. Biblical prophecy, I believe, can and should affect American foreign policy. What scripture says is true. However, men make right decisions to conduct the best activities by relying on the plain meaning of scripture. That becomes increasingly more difficult in a world and its leaders not guided by what God says. Everything is better everywhere with a right application of scripture.
No matter what happens in the world previous to the return of Christ, that won’t change what God foretells after it. For premillennialists, whatever occurs right now is not necessarily a prelude for what will occur after the rapture of the saints before the Tribulation period on earth. The United States does not appear at anything at all prophetic in the Bible. The best approach is a broader one that still does take Israel into strong consideration in U.S. foreign policy.
Israel, Wales, and Complexity of the Issue
Israel supports ending the war between Ukraine and Russia, primarily through mediation and humanitarian aid rather than military involvement or outright condemnation of Russia. At no time did Israel send weapons to Ukraine. Through the Ukraine and Russia war, Israel maintained relations with Russia. Over 100,000 Israeli citizens live in Russia and 80,000 in Moscow. 1.5 million Israelis or 17.5% of the Israeli population speak Russian. Over 400,000 pilgrims from Russia visited Israel in 2015-2016.
To understand the complexity of regional foreign wars, one might consider that England forced Wales into the United Kingdom. This occurred in 1283 but by law in the Wales Acts by Henry VIII in 1535 and 1542. England forced Wales into its kingdom by means of military conquest. Wales had and still has its own language. The United Kingdom by law allows Wales to have its own language.
I support diplomatic efforts by the United States to end the Ukraine-Russia War. The other side does not offer any viable or reasonable solutions. Left and right who oppose the diplomatic efforts, including the media, should support the efforts toward peace by not sabotaging the actions of diplomacy with Ukraine and Russia. They should stop hindering this peace process.
I chose not to publish Greg’s comment, because of how insulting it was, but I think the concept of what he wrote was worth addressing. He said that in tone I sounded like I was blaming the war on Ukraine.
I’ve never blamed the war on Ukraine and I don’t generally do that, even though I believe Ukraine is part responsible for it happening. If I insulted a rough, tough, stronger bully on the street, and I was much weaker than the bully, I might expect some violence in return. I put it at that level. Is it still the fault of the bully for violence? Yes, but the one doing the insulting does bear some responsibility. I wouldn’t go around insulting people I knew could beat me up. I wouldn’t expect everyone else to support me and defend me when I did that.
Mainly, however, I would want people to think through what happened and the necessity of some kind of diplomatic solution from the United States, rather than a military one. Almost all of the most adamant supporters of Ukraine will still not advocate for sending of troops. Do I say to them, “Your tone sounds like you think it is Ukraine’s fault, and do you not know how stupid that seems?” No, I don’t say that. If I took their view, I would send ground troops and all of Europe will not do that. Not a peep, not a squeak out of them. What should someone say about that? Lots of things are possible for someone who would want to insult.
As a Christian you should not support any wars according to the Bible. All physical wars God was involved with used Israel “as the good guy”, until they failed to uphold their end of the bargain, then God used other nations to get them to repent (Joshua- Malachi).
Today, Israel and Jerusalem is Sodom and Gomorrah! Keep your distance. I would neither support them or go against them. Let God handle the Gentile nations (Daniel). He is now against them base on NT Doctrinal truth concerning the church and their continued hatred for the Lord Jesus Christ, their Messiah whom they rejected.
Wars are a complex form of sin and hypocrisy on all sides.
That is why you only defend those that are within “your borders” (love your neighbor). The closer “the border” (i.e., you home), the more evidence there is of you being right and the other being wrong.
Tom
Tom,
There are things to which we’re closer than others on this issue. The Republican Party historically tried to keep the U. S. out of wars until it became a kind of war party at a certain juncture. I’m not on the same page as you on Israel, but I’ve explained it enough that I don’t want to address it again.
I know you are not on the same page, but you should move toward my understanding of wars!
None of us has any clue as how severe God judges Israel and Judah. They are all gone out of the way, scattered and peeled (Isa 18:2) because of their whoredoms (all prophets).
Who says God brought them back as a nation of Zionists? He allowed it, but I believe the devil set it up for the continuous wars of destruction fought by many nations since 1948.
Why would you take their side if God is against them when they despise Jesus Christ as they do at this time? It is a nation of whoredoms!
I believe the Christian church needs to readjust their position on a perverted nation who hates the God of the scriptures.
Tom