What would Ronald Reagan say today (according to AI)

Address to the Nation from the Oval Office

February 20, 2025  

My fellow Americans,  

Tonight, I speak to you about a struggle unfolding half a world away, but one that reaches right into the heart of who we are as a people. In Ukraine, a free nation stands under siege. Its cities burn, its people fight, and its spirit endures against the shadow of tyranny cast by the Kremlin. This is not just their war—it is a test of our resolve, a challenge to the cause of liberty we’ve carried as a beacon for over two centuries.  

When I look at Ukraine, I see a people who refuse to bend. I see farmers turned soldiers, mothers shielding their children, and leaders who choose defiance over surrender. And I am reminded of what I said long ago about another empire that sought to crush freedom: evil prospers when good men do nothing. Well, we will not do nothing.  

The Russian regime—under Vladimir Putin—has chosen aggression over peace, conquest over coexistence. They’ve torn through borders, silenced dissent, and waged a war not just on Ukraine, but on the very idea that nations can chart their own course. This is not a new story. We faced it before, in the long twilight struggle against the Soviet Union. And we know how it ends—when free people stand together, tyranny falters.  

As your president, I’ve ordered a surge of support to Ukraine—advanced weapons, missile defenses, and the tools they need to defend their homes. We’re not there to fight their war, but to ensure they can. I’ve told our NATO allies: this is no time for half-measures. We’ve bolstered our forces in Poland, in the Baltics, along freedom’s frontier—because strength, not weakness, keeps the peace. And we’ve tightened the vise of sanctions on Moscow, targeting their oil and gas, the lifeblood of their war machine. Let there be no mistake: we will make them feel the cost of their choices.  

To those who say this isn’t our fight, I say this: if we let Ukraine fall, we embolden every dictator watching. If we turn away, we invite the next war to our doorstep. The price of standing up today is steep—but the cost of bowing tomorrow is beyond measure. History teaches us that appeasement is a down payment on regret.  

I’ve spoken with leaders across the free world, from London to Tokyo, and the message is clear: we’re in this together. We don’t seek war, but we won’t shrink from it if freedom’s at stake. And to the people of Russia, I say: this is not your fight either. Your sons are sent to die for a cause that offers you nothing but chains. Truth has a way of breaking through, even in the darkest places.  

Now, I know times are tough here at home. Gas prices sting, groceries bite. But Americans have never shied from sacrifice when the stakes are this high. I believe in you—in us. We’re the nation that turned back kings, that lit the way through a great depression, that faced down a cold war and won. We’ve got grit, we’ve got heart, and we’ve got a vision of a world where free people thrive.  

So let us stand with Ukraine, not out of charity, but out of conviction. Let us show the world that the flame of liberty burns brighter than ever. As I said years ago, we have a rendezvous with destiny. And we’ll meet it—together—with courage, with resolve, and with faith in the God who made us free.  

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.