Why America owes Ukraine a thank-you card — not the other way around

I’m still fuming over what went down in the Oval Office last Friday, Feb. 28 — and everything that followed, right down to “It’s easier dealing with Russia, which is surprising, because they have all the cards, and they’re bombing the hell out of them right now.”

“Them” — the people Russia is bombing the hell out of—are people I know and love. Many of them once looked up to America, believed in it, trusted it. Now the U.S. president acts openly thrilled about how “tough” Russia is dealing with them. It’s disgusting.

But I won’t rely here on emotion, outrage or hysteria — just cold, hard facts.

Let’s see how JD Vance’s “say thank you” game plays out: If there’s one country America should send a massive thank-you card to, it’s Ukraine. Because while Ukrainians are bleeding and dying, a hell of a lot of people in the U.S. are doing very well out of this war.

Let’s not forget that Ukraine helped Donald Trump get back into the White House as well. So really, everyone’s cashing in.

Think I’m going too far? Well, let’s rewind to December 2021. Vladimir Putin didn’t issue an ultimatum to Kyiv — he sent it to Washington. He told the U.S. to back off, roll back NATO and basically let him do whatever he wanted in Eastern and Central Europe. The U.S. didn’t comply, under that guy who was president before, and Moscow promised “military-technical measures” — which, translated from Kremlin-speak, means war. But of course Putin didn’t attack America. He invaded Ukraine.

You have to understand that in those early days Russia repeatedly claimed it was really fighting the U.S. and NATO. Russian state TV was practically foaming at the mouth, screaming about striking Washington, drowning London, and turning America into “nuclear ash.” Yet somehow not one American soldier has died. Not one American city has been bombed. Ukraine took the hit on behalf of the U.S. and the rest of the Western world. And not only did the Ukrainians  hold the line, they’ve been systematically wrecking the Russian military.

If you look at it this way, the U.S. effectively won a heavyweight title fight without stepping into the ring. Someone else took all the punches, bruises, fractures and concussions — America just held the towel and cashed the prize money.

While Ukrainian soldiers were turning Russian tanks into scrap metal, who’s been profiting back in the U.S.? Oh, where to start…

A long list of winners

The military-industrial complex (obviously): Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman — those guys have been having an absolute field day. Stock prices soaring, production lines running overtime, new contracts rolling in. The Pentagon’s “let’s clear out old stockpiles” strategy? Genius. Ship a bunch of 1980s weapons to Ukraine, then demand billions to “replenish” them with shiny new models.

The oil and gas giants: Europe finally realized that buying gas from a lunatic might not be the best long-term strategy. Enter the U.S., which suddenly became the world’s top supplier of liquefied natural gas. American energy companies made record-breaking profits, while politicians patted themselves on the back for “helping allies” (by selling them gas at quadruple the price).

Wall Street and the hedge funds: Market volatility? Perfect for investors. Surging oil prices? Huge payouts. Skyrocketing defense stocks? Ka-ching. The war has been a financial rollercoaster, and guess what? Wall Street loves a bit of chaos — as long as it’s holding the right kinds of bets. Investors betting on defense, energy and commodities have made enormous profits. U.S. banks have benefited from a wave of European companies moving assets out of risky markets.

Big Ag and the food industry: Ukraine and Russia are both among the world’s major grain suppliers. War disrupted that, prices soared, and who stepped in? U.S. agribusiness giants, for the most part. American farmers got higher global demand for wheat, corn and soybeans, while companies like Cargill and ADM counted the profits.

The cybersecurity sector: Ukraine has been a testing ground for cyber warfare, and guess who’s been raking in government contracts? U.S. cybersecurity firms. Every government agency and corporation is now throwing money at cyber defense because “we don’t want to be the next Ukraine.”

U.S. manufacturing and heavy industry: Factories making artillery shells, missiles and armored vehicles are back in business. Jobs created, production lines expanded — war is inefficient in many ways, but it’s great for the economy, as long as you’re building the right things. The war highlighted the need for on-shoring production of critical materials, leading to more U.S.-based supply chain investments.

Media and think tanks: Nonstop war coverage means ratings. For the first year of the war, at least, militarly analysts, pundits and retired generals were all getting airtime and building their brands. U.S. news consumers are a lot less interested after three years of bloody stalemate, but the initial bonanza was real.

Defense think tanks have been flooded with funding, and staffed up to pump out reports that, conveniently enough, tend to align with the interests of the arms industry.

Politicians: For lawmakers in defense-heavy states, this war has been a gift. Billions flowing into their districts, thousands of new jobs — it’s perfect for re-election campaigns. Even as the debate over Ukraine aid has become more fractious, it’s still politically is useful. One side gets to look tough on Russia, the other gets to rail against “wasteful spending” while secretly knowing that much of that money stays in the U.S.

Starlink’s free ad campaign: While traditional defense contractors made billions, tech companies like Peter Thiel’s Palantir (which develops AI-driven battlefield analytics) and Elon Musk’s SpaceX gained major government contracts. The war accelerated demand for military AI, autonomous drones and satellite technology, benefiting firms specializing in these fields.

One tech company didn’t just make a difference but also got the best PR boost imaginable: Starlink, which is owned by … well, you know this already. Before the war, Starlink was a niche product for tech nerds, rural internet users and Tesla fanboys. Then came Ukraine, and suddenly, Starlink wasn’t just a fancy satellite system — it was the backbone of battlefield communication.

Ukrainian soldiers, drone operators and commanders have relied on Starlink to coordinate strikes, navigate the battlefield and keep the war effort running. And let’s be real: No Madison Avenue agency could create better advertising than real-time footage of soldiers in a trench, dodging Russian artillery and using Starlink to call in reinforcements.

The best part? The U.S. didn’t even have to run the ad campaign — Russia did it for them. Moscow’s repeated attempts to jam, hack and complain about Starlink only proved how crucial it was. In short: Ukraine got the tech, Elon got the headlines and Starlink became a household name.

Frontline gratitude: Here’s something that factories, tech nerds, consultants and media talking heads can’t manufacture: the sheer, raw gratitude Ukrainians have for America. Not so much for the government or the competing politicians — for the American people.

You can’t fake what’s happening on the frontlines. Ukrainian soldiers, civilians, medics — they all know who’s keeping them in the fight. I’ve seen it myself: U.S.-supplied weapons are saving lives, American volunteers are risking everything alongside Ukrainian soldiers. And you know what? Any owner of a U.S. passport — whether they’re a combat medic, a journalist or just a random person passing through — gets cheered in Ukraine and greeted like a best friend. There’s no side-eye, no resentment, no “Yankee go home” — just genuine, wholehearted gratitude.

In a world where “America the bad guy” has been a dominant narrative for decades, Ukraine flipped the script. For once, the U.S. isn’t the invading empire that’s enforcing an ill-fated regime change or botching an intervention — it’s the good guy. Nobody’s burning American flags in Kyiv. They’re waving them.

America’s PR bonanza

Ukrainians — who, let’s be clear, are the ones actually dying in this war — still came up with better marketing for American weapons than the Pentagon ever could have. And not in some soulless, focus-grouped, “defending democracy” kind of way — they did it with humor, grit and the kind of battlefield sarcasm that comes from knowing your country’s survival is hanging by a thread.

Take “Saint Javelin,” for example. The U.S. sent over some Javelin missile  launchers, and what did Ukrainians do? Turned them into an icon. A Madonna holding an anti-tank weapon, like a Slavic Joan of Arc ready to baptize Russian invaders in holy fire. American defense contractors spend millions on branding, but it was Ukrainians sitting in trenches and dodging artillery fire who turned a missile launcher into a saint.

Then there’s “HIMARS O’Clock.” After the U.S. finally sent Ukraine the long-range rocket systems known as HIMARS, nightly fireworks started in Russian ammunition depots, on a regular schedule. Night after night, like clockwork: Boom, entire stockpiles gone. Russian generals were waking up to the sound of their supplies going up in smoke. Ukrainians treated it like the best prime-time TV show of the year.

This war should have been America’s PR dream. The U.S. is sending the weapons at considerable expense, yes. But Ukrainians are doing all the fighting. Winning a war without spilling a drop of American blood? Washington should be shouting this from the rooftops. Instead, we get whining: “Oh, but the cost? Oh, shouldn’t we focus on America first?”

It’s incredible, from the outside, to see America debating whether it should keep supporting the one country that’s actively working to demolish its biggest geopolitical rival.

The war that forced America to grow up 

Let’s be honest: Before this war started, the U.S. was not exactly in peak global leadership form. The ugly withdrawal from Afghanistan had made Washington look weak. China was openly considering a confrontation over Taiwan. The Russians, not unreasonably, thought they could waltz into Kyiv without consequences.

Then came 2022. Suddenly America had to step up, and it did. The Biden administration, for all its faults, managed to pull off something remarkable: uniting NATO, corralling a group of uncertain allies, weaponizing the dollar against Russia and proving that the U.S. still sets the rules.

This war reminded everyone — Europe, China and even the skeptics at home — who exactly is the world’s leading power. Not just because the U.S. is the richest country and the greatest military power in history, but because it’s the one nation that can rally others, supply the weapons and dictate the terms.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

America went from a whole bunch of “declining empire” rhetoric to a demonstration of what global leadership actually looks like. The result is tough to argue with: For a while there, NATO looked stronger than ever, China was second-guessing its Taiwan ambitions and Russia’s imperial delusions were shattered on Ukrainian soil.

Ukraine has paid a high price for this, no doubt — very nearly an intolerable price. The soldiers, the civilians, the many families who have buried loved ones. But in terms of the geopolitical chess game, America is getting a hell of a deal.

Russia is bleeding out. China is watching nervously. Europe is more dependent on the U.S. than ever. Back in Washington, the defense industry, Wall Street, tech moguls, and most of the media and political classes all have their reasons to nod along.

The war in Ukraine has done more for American power, influence and global reputation than anything in decades. Maybe it’s time Washington stopped debating whether the investment is “worth it” and started realizing that Ukraine has been America’s biggest geopolitical win of the 21st century. (If not the only one.)

This war reminded the world, and America itself, of the enormous importance of U.S. soft power as well as hard power. America can still outmaneuver a nuclear-armed dictatorship without sending a single U.S. soldier into combat. It can project strength without some hypocritical and destructive occupation or invasion, or a half-baked “nation-building” disaster.

In short, America got dragged back to the top. It was forced to act like a real leader again. And now, just as the U.S. is actually winning — not just militarily, but diplomatically, strategically and economically — Trump and his fan club want to throw it all away.

The same people who scream about “making America great again” want to roll back the biggest strategic win the U.S. has had in decades.

This is more than stupidity: It’s self-sabotage.

Trumpism: Revived by war 

Oh, and let’s not forget the other deeply ironic unexpected beneficiary of this war: Trumpism. As I see it, before Russia invaded, MAGA world was floundering. Jan. 6 was still fresh in public memory, Trump was drowning in lawsuits and indictments, and the pathetic lies about the “stolen” 2020 election were getting stale. 

Then along came Ukraine, and suddenly Trumpism found a new narrative: America First, stop funding endless wars, NATO freeloaders and — wait for it — maybe Putin has a point?

They pulled the entire controversial heritage of the America First Society out of some dusty old trunk deep in history’s closet, glazed it with John Birch paranoia and sprinkled it with Pat Buchanan’s isolationist “stay out of Europe” takes. What if NATO is the real problem? What if Putin is just protecting his interests and, just maybe, is one of us? They gave that reactionary sludge a fresh coat of populist paint and found that it resonated with a large chunk of the American public.

It was a godsend: A war far away, a complex global crisis and a simple, populist message tailor-made for Trump rallies: “Why are we helping Ukraine when we have problems here?” Never mind that Ukraine was actually fighting America’s biggest enemy on America’s behalf — Trump’s team spun the war into an endless trove of talking points.

According to upside-down MAGA-world logic, this war has dubious benefits for the U.S. But one group that has definitely profited from it is Trump and his inner circle, who owe Ukraine a huge thanks for reviving their political brand.

Without the Ukraine issue, would Trump even have won the last election? We can’t know that — but now he’s back, louder and dumber than before, and claiming that support for a democracy invaded by a tyrant is somehow controversial or wrong.

So now what?

But if Trumpism got a new lease on life from this war — new talking points, new enemies, new ways to rile up the base — we have to ask what the endgame is. To sow chaos, wreck alliances, and break things for the sake of breaking themt? How is it putting “America First” to take the biggest geopolitical win the U.S. has had in decades and set it on fire?

America managed to gut Russia’s military, strengthen NATO, cripple Putin’s economy, and reassert itself as the undisputed leader of the free world, all without firing a single shot. That’s the kind of victory presidents dream of.

But as we know, Trump wants to pull the plug on the whole thing, abandon Ukraine and let Putin stick the broken pieces of the Soviet empire back together. Why? To prove a point? To own the libs? To shake things up for the sake of it?

This isn’t strategy. It’s self-sabotage. It’s wrecking something that actually worked just because you don’t like who gets the credit. The worst part is,

it won’t only be America that pays the price. Pull the plug on Ukraine, and the message to every dictator, every authoritarian, every would-be invader around the world is clear: America can’t be trusted. Stick it out long enough, and they’ll turn on their own allies, start fighting among themselves, turn tail and run away.

That’s not making America great again. That’s making America irrelevant.