“You don’t negotiate with tyrants”: Yushchenko wrote an open letter to Trump

Ukraine’s third president, Viktor Yushchenko, has written an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump, urging Washington not to make concessions to Russia or facilitate the trade in Russian diesel fuel. He also reminded the American leader of the commitments the United States made after Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons.

Yushchenko wrote about this in his Facebook address.

The former head of state drew attention to the fact that Russia continues to attack Ukrainian cities. Among them, he mentioned Kyiv, Zaporizhia, Odessa, Dnipro, and settlements in the Kharkiv region.

Yushchenko noted that the very possibility of discussing concessions to Moscow is accompanied by new Russian strikes on Ukraine.

“You only had to talk about the possibility of some ‘concessions’ or agreements with Putin, and the Kremlin immediately ‘thanked’ you with another bloody blow to our families,” the third president noted.

Separately, Yushchenko criticized calls for Ukraine to stop the resistance, as well as decisions that open the way to trade in Russian diesel fuel. In his opinion, the revenues from the sale of fuel help Russia finance the war, and therefore contribute to the continuation of attacks on Ukrainians.

“And against this background, it looks wild and painful when there are calls for Ukraine to “stop”, a lesson on who we should choose and how to live, or when the green light is given to trade in Russian diesel. Every dollar from this diesel is a purchased missile that will fly to our houses tomorrow. Trading with the aggressor during such a massacre is fueling his war machine,” Yushchenko emphasized.

In the letter, he also mentioned the Budapest Memorandum, signed in 1994 by Ukraine, the United States, and other states in connection with Kyiv’s renunciation of its nuclear arsenal. Yushchenko called on Washington to remember the obligations stipulated in this document.

“America has taken on a moral and legal obligation to be our shield and protector. So how can we, today, when a vile enemy has attacked us, forget about Great America’s signature on this document?!” the letter states.

Arguing his position, the third president of Ukraine also turned to the history of the United States. He recalled that in the 1930s, Washington continued to sell oil to Japan, hoping to maintain stability in relations. However, this did not prevent the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, during which Japanese aircraft attacked the American fleet.

Yushchenko also recalled Ukrainians who fought on the side of the Allies during World War II. In particular, he mentioned Sergeant Mykhailo Strenko, a native of Lemko, who participated in raising the American flag over the island of Iwo Jima. The soldier died during the war.

Another example was Oleksandr Silvashko, who was born in Cherkasy Oblast. According to Yushchenko, on April 25, 1945, during a meeting of American and Soviet soldiers on the Elbe in the German city of Torgau, it was Silvashko who hugged American Lieutenant William Robertson on the destroyed bridge.

At the end of the letter, Yushchenko emphasized that Russia would not be able to force Ukrainians to give up their land or capitulate under the pressure of missile strikes.

“Ukrainian identity is invincibility. We are a people with deep roots, tied to our land with love, labor, and the spirit of freedom. We will never, you hear, never give up our land to anyone. This is our home, given to us by God under this high sun. We were here, we are here, and we will always be here! We cannot be intimidated with missiles and we cannot be forced to surrender, because the blood of free people flows in our veins. You don’t negotiate with tyrants – you stop them,” the third president of Ukraine concluded.

Earlier, it was reported that US President Donald Trump announced an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to supply Russian diesel fuel to the US and other markets. According to him, Russia should immediately supply more than 300,000 tons of fuel, and later – several million tons more.

In addition, US President Donald Trump’s special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner demanded that Ukraine stop attacks on Russian oil refineries. According to media reports, they threatened to deprive Kyiv of American intelligence if the attacks continued.

Also follow “Pryamim” on Facebook , X , Telegram , and Instagram.