Ambassador: Ukraine War threatens peace in Europe, American stability at home

United States Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana speaks at a presentation on the campus of Montana State University-Billings on April 10, 2024 (Photo by Darrell Ehrlick of the Daily Montanan).

Ambassador Gautam Rana has a front-row seat to devastating war in Ukraine.

As the sitting U.S. ambassador to Slovakia, Rana understands Russian President Vladimir Putin, and what war in that part of the world may mean for the United States.

“Putin is a bully, and he won’t stop with just the Ukraine,” he told an audience at Montana State University-Billings on Thursday night.

Rana is in Billings for part of this week as a part of a weeklong series of lectures, concerts, presentations and conversations focusing on “Neighbors and Neighborhoods.” On Thursday night, Rana will join with Rocky Mountain College President Bob Wilmouth, Billings Mayor Bill Cole, MSUB’s Chancellor Stefani Hicswa and Billings Public Schools Superintendent Erwin Garcia for a conversation about skills, knowledge and know-how that it will take to compete in a global economy. That takes place at 6 p.m. in the Great Room at Rocky Mountain College in Billings.

Rana said that Americans need to see how Ukraine and central Europe fit into U.S. stability: Europe is the largest American trading partner collectively, and anything that will destabilize the region will have direct and possibly devastating impacts on the American economy. He said that working with American allies through NATO and the United Nations will help send a unified message.

“We are the remaining world superpower. China is not one yet,” Rana said. “That means there’s a need for global leadership like never before.”

Rana has been an official with the State Department under four different presidents, starting with George W. Bush in 2002 in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. His posts have included some of the most dangerous assignments, including Pakistan and Afghanistan.

He said that Russia has been telegraphing its intention to rebuild the old Russian empire since it invaded Crimea more than a decade ago, and it seeks to destabilize America by robust cyberterrorism and disinformation campaigns.

He said that the Putin regime has become an isolated pariah, and that current war crimes, including kidnapping thousands of Ukrainian children, have demonstrated how brutal the conflict in Ukraine has become.

“We must see Putin as an immediate and persistent threat to world peace,” Rana said. “How Russia will respond is up to the Russian people.”

He also said the threat of terrorism on the global stage continues to threaten not just the U.S., but the world.

“We have to acknowledge that terrorists are ideologically more diverse and diffuse geographically speaking,” Rana said.

He said one of the ways for the United States to fight the extremism is through its long-time policy of aid of generosity. He said that while other countries fear Russia or China, America works hard to have allies.

“We have to balance our competition with cooperation,” Rana said.

However, he said the U.S. must stand up to the more aggressive part of Russia’s and China’s foreign policy, including the situation in Taiwan.

“Do you think Xi Jinping will be satisfied with Taiwan?” Rana asked.

The post Ambassador: Ukraine War threatens peace in Europe, American stability at home appeared first on Daily Montanan.