Michigan man who fought in Ukraine: US ‘180' invigorates Russia
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Michigan man who has spent years fighting in Ukraine says it has been difficult to watch the recent change in rhetoric.
After serving with the U.S. Marines, Corey Wetherholt volunteered to fight for Ukraine just weeks after Russia's invasion in 2022.
Ukrainians in West Michigan worry about diplomatic tensions
'I've spent just under two years inside of Ukraine throughout these last three years. I started off as a recon soldier, so somebody on the front line. That's what I was doing in the beginning,' he said. 'And then I transitioned to an instructor role, and I did that for about almost a year. And the last trip was about nine months long, and that was as a drone operator, as well as a FPV drone engineer, as well as a pilot. I was doing a lot of drone stuff the last nine months.'
After a between President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, U.S. relations with Kyiv soured and . Zelenskyy on Tuesday and signaled he was ready to work with Trump.
Wetherholt told News 8 it was 'heartbreaking' to watch the interaction.
'We asked Ukraine to be strong for three years. We funded them. And then to swing 180 within a week … to switch it up like that is just really, really strange for everybody,' he said. '… You can't expect the Ukrainians to be happy about what's going on. Negotiations or not, the rhetoric has power. The Russians are invigorated by this. They're invigorated, and it's going to have actual battlefield impact.'
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He said the Ukrainians' way of life and identity are being threatened, and he praised their love of country.
'Their motivation, their absolute dedication to their country and their people is unmatched. I've never witnessed anything like it,' he said.
According to Wetherholt, the Ukrainians are not just looking for a ceasefire — they're looking for a security guarantee and 'a just peace.'
'The big thing for Ukraine right now is to get the European partners behind them, but also continue toward self-dependency, because they know that the U.S. is not going to be there forever,' he said. 'They know that now more than ever.'
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