The Center and East: Ukraine, Poland, and Hungary

in the form of a Biden administration, the future success of the European-American relationship is far from guaranteed.

Regional Responses

Despite some similarities, the responses across Europe varied between countries and

regions. What follows is a country-by-country analysis of the media, political, public, and academic responses to the 2020 U.S. presidential election across twenty-four countries. The

history of relations with the U.S. coupled with current domestic political attitudes helped inform

these responses, resulting in the diversity and variance seen below.

The Center and East: Ukraine, Poland, and Hungary

The responses to the U.S. election from Central and Eastern European countries are

marked by a powerful opposing force: Russia. In Ukraine, Poland, and Hungary it is impossible

to discuss reactions to and expectations for the next American president without acknowledging

the Russian military presence and political influence in the region. These reactions invite questions about EU influence, or lack thereof, in promoting and securing democracy within their own borders and amongst their neighbors. If there is one key takeaway from these responses to

the 2020 election, it is that U.S. leadership remains indispensable.

UKRAINE Russia’s 2014 annexation of the region of Crimea is but one example of the precarious

situation in which Ukraine finds itself. Bipartisan U.S. support for military aid against Russianbacked separatists is vital for maintaining security within Ukraine, a country marked by deep

ethnic and cultural tensions between the East and the West.14 The country was propelled to the

forefront of U.S. electoral drama not only as a political pawn but as a stakeholder in the outcome

of the election, as the revelation of President Trump’s July 2019 phone call with Ukrainian’s President Volodymyr Zelensky seized the attention of many Americans. The phone call led to

allegations of a quid pro quo request and, ultimately, Trump’s first impeachment on charges of

abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.15 While the implications of this incident for U.S. domestic politics have been widely covered and dissected, the consequences in Ukrainian affairs

have been largely absent from the American conversation.

Ukraine’s fragile democracy and dependence on the American military aid that was

briefly withheld as a result of the July phone call, are indicative of the precarious geopolitical space Ukraine occupies. Leading up to the U.S. election, the Office of the President of Ukraine was resolute in its commitment to fostering U.S.-Ukrainian relations regardless of who was in

the White House.16 This signaled that U.S. aid was far more important than American partisan

politics, the crosshairs of which Zelensky found himself in.

Officials within the government of Ukraine responded positively to the news of Biden’s election. In a statement from the Office of the President of Ukraine on November 15, Deputy Head Ihor Zhovkva, indicated his hope that the Biden administration will take a greater role in assisting Ukraine in terms of security and ending unrest in the region. Indeed, Biden has been outspoken in his support for Ukrainian democracy and stability.17 However, Ukrainian optimism

is tempered. Shortly after the election, Kiev Post Journalist Anna Myroniuk observed that Biden is likely to impose sanctions against notorious Ukrainian oligarchs, taking a “tough love” approach to strengthening Ukrainian democracy and internal reform.18

Biden must strike a delicate balance in Ukraine, curbing the influence of oligarchs and fighting corruption while maintaining robust military aid. Ukraine’s future will serve as a test of the United States’ heavy-handed foreign policy, which may have its deficiencies revealed in areas of conflict resolution and prevention it claims to promote. The coming years will test whether democracy in a U.S.-promoted format is a sustainable path for Ukraine.

POLAND Ukraine’s western neighbors, Hungary and Poland, also find themselves in unprecedented and challenging positions with regard to the United States and Russia. Poland’s relationship with

the United States mirrors that of Ukraine’s. As Poland is an essential NATO ally in the defense

of Western Europe against Russian intervention and influence, it is critical that good relations between Poland and the United States are maintained.19 While there is a historical pattern of cooperation between the two countries, relations improved under President Trump, whose style

and personality appealed to the largely conservative country.

Acting on his commitment to Polish and European security, Trump redeployed

1,000 troops previously withdrawn from Germany to Poland, a decision warmly received in

Poland.20 The largest concern for Polish citizens and politicians alike, regardless of who is in

power in America, is the continued presence of these U.S. troops in Poland so geographically

near Russia.21

In light of President Trump’s continued support for Polish security and economic growth,

he enjoyed friendly relations with President of Poland, Andrzej Duda. Likewise, President Duda

benefited from Trump’s approval at home. Duda narrowly won his 2020 bid for reelection, thanks in part to a scheduled visit to the White House days before ballots were cast.22 Despite Trump’s

endorsement of Duda, Poland’s government was careful not to place favor on a candidate in the

U.S. election, understanding, much like Ukraine, the importance of bipartisan American support

and continued military aid.

Conversely, Duda’s conservative, nationalist party, the Law and Justice Party (PiS), have positioned themselves at the head of a moral crusade for what they consider traditional Christian

values, going as far as openly opposing “LGBT ideology.”23 Poland has been under increased

scrutiny by human rights advocates for these and other controversial policies regarding minority

and women’s rights.24 These policies have not escaped the attention of the Biden administration, nor has the EU ignored questionable legislative actions made by the PiS, but EU efforts to bolster

democracy have not yet yielded success. The tension between the PiS and the EU stems from

the former’s continual, undemocratic attempts to undermine media independence and electoral

processes.25 Biden will face a similarly difficult task in promoting liberal norms and values while maintaining a meaningful and robust security presence in the country.