Risch is right on Russia. Will he set Trump right too?

From the Magic Valley Times-News Editorial Board

Dear Senator Risch,

For decades, you have served the people of Idaho and the United States with distinction and honor. You, sir, are a talented and respected leader. Your powerful and important post as the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee puts you in a unique position — perhaps as much as any other leader in the country — to understand the United States’ place in the world.

Your voice has been unwavering in supporting Ukraine in its struggle against Russia. You have access to the intelligence. You know the truth. You have been very clear that Vladimir Putin instigated this unprovoked and brutal war of aggression, that Russia bears the blame for the terrible consequences of its invasion, and that Ukraine needs and deserves our support.

In 2023, you wrote, “The sooner we give Ukraine the equipment it needs to defeat Russia, the sooner the war will end, the cheaper it will be, and the more lives will be saved. I will continue to do everything in my power to push the White House to move faster in providing critical support to the Ukrainians…

“I will also continue to push for the passage of my legislation to hold Russia accountable for its human rights abuses… The Ukrainian people have proven their resilience and determination to maintain their freedom. We must do all that we can to support them.”

You’ve been insistent that our adversaries are watching us closely for signs of weakness and you’ve warned about the catastrophic consequences of failing.

You said, “If you think (Chinese President) Xi (Jinping) isn’t watching every single thing that goes on as far as our commitment to see this thing through, you’re badly mistaken. He is watching this — and I have reason to believe that for a fact — very, very closely, and watching every utterance that comes out of the United States Congress, out of the administration, and out of the American people as to what kind of a stomach we’ve got to see this thing through.”

Your stance has stayed firm. Just a few days ago, on February 18, 2025, you and fellow members of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “urged the Trump Administration and the Group of Seven (G7) allies to unlock the full value of roughly $300 billion in Russian assets frozen in the West, and repurpose them for transfer to Ukraine.”

Your Committee’s report explained, “After speaking with (Ukraine’s) President Zelenskyy, it’s clear that America and our transatlantic allies must unlock more support for Ukraine…. Vladimir Putin must pay for his brutal invasion, and Russia’s own assets are an appropriate way to give brave Ukraine the support it needs to fend off his murderous aggression.”

We’ll say it again. Your position remains consistent and unmistakable. Ukraine and Zelenskyy need our support. Putin is the aggressor. Putin is the bad guy.

There is, however, at least one very important person in the world who disagrees with you — and that is Vladimir Putin himself.

Putin wants us to believe the exact opposite. He claims that Ukraine started this war. He claims that Zelenskyy is the bad guy.

Not that Putin’s word means anything compared to yours. Most people know that he is a former KGB agent, now a corrupt, cold-blooded dictator who — like Stalin did before him — has ruled Russia with an iron fist for decades. Truth means nothing to him. His people mean nothing to him. He is focused solely on selfishly expanding his own wealth and power.

And heaven help whoever gets in his way.

Take Russian patriots Alexei Navalny and Sergei Magnitsky, for example. These brave men dared to oppose Putin; they had the courage to expose his corruption and cruelty. Their inspiring stories are worth studying in depth. They are true heroes. For their courage, Putin rewarded them — without due process and without mercy — with torture, murder and death.

We know you understand this, Senator Risch. You’ve said it many times: Putin is a ruthless murderer. He savagely attacked Ukraine. That’s the truth.

But there is one other very important person who has made it clear he also disagrees with you. President Donald Trump.

Just one day after your Senate Foreign Relations Committee statement — scathing against Putin, and fervent in support of Ukraine — Trump took the opposite stance.

Trump claimed that Ukraine started the war.

Trump called Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy a “dictator.”

Trump castigated our allies in Ukraine and NATO.

Trump — instead of offering a hint of help or hope — demanded that a desperate Ukraine surrender half of her mineral wealth.

In sum, Trump has strong-armed Ukraine and sided with Putin.

Somewhere, in one of his posh palaces, Vladimir must be pulling out the vodka.

The tricky part, of course, is this: If you’re right about Russia, that means that Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are both wrong.

We know that puts you in a tough spot. But we also know you’re up to the task.

We are very grateful, Senator Risch, for your strong and brave leadership. You don’t let bullies shove you around or intimidate you into submission. Surely you won’t stay quiet on this. You’ve stood up and spoken truth to power in the past, and we are certain you’ll do it again. It might make people mad at you and you might lose a few votes, but it won’t land you in the gulags. After all, you’re no Navalny or Magnitsky and this isn’t Russia.

With your powerful position and your deep understanding, we are confident that you will summon the courage — and political savvy — to tell Mr. Trump (and those who adore him) that he is wrong about this. Our own emperor needs to hear from you that — on this issue at least — he has no clothes.

Thankfully, Putin’s lies — even though he is a brutal dictator — do not magically become truth.

But we do wonder what will happen if you and those who serve with you continue to stand silent. If history is any guide, it won’t be long before the lies — whether spoken by a brutal dictator or the most powerful man in the world — eventually become our new and tragic truth.

- From the Magic Valley Times-News Editorial Board

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Published with permission from the Magic Valley Times News