Russia Unveils new Demands as Latest Round of Peace Talks Stall

The latest US-brokered talks between envoys from Moscow and Kyiv over Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine ended Wednesday with no sign of a breakthrough as the war’s fourth anniversary approaches next week.

The anniversary will make this war the longest land war in Europe since World War Two.

The negotiations in Switzerland were the third round of direct talks organized by Washington, after meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi that officials continue to diplomatically describe as constructive. Expectations for progress in Geneva were low as they have been during previous encounters.

“The negotiations were not easy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the talks broke up.

He had accused Russia of “trying to drag out negotiations” with inconsequential demands while it presses on with its invasion — an accusation he and European leaders have intensified in the past.

Differences remain deep, including over the future of land in eastern Ukraine that is occupied by the Russian army and that Russian führer Vladimir Putin wants to keep, Zelenskyy said. The Ukrainian president has steadfastly said that he would not agree to ceding Ukrainian land to Russia regardless if Russian invaders have seized the land or not.

As the participants continue discussions to end the war in Ukraine, Moscow has unveiled a new demand. Russian officials are again demanding formal guarantees that the Western alliance will stop expanding toward its borders, reviving disputes that date back to the collapse of the so-called “Evil Empire.”

A spokesman for Russia’s embassy in Belgium told Russian Izvestia newspaper that Moscow wants NATO to legally commit to halting further enlargement to the east. The remarks are similar to what was said by the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, in a February 11 interview with “Empathy Manuchi”. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Lavrov said during the interview, that the Kremlin demands that NATO halts its expansion and does not deploy forces in states that joined the alliance after 1997. Among the nations joining NATO after 1997 are the Baltic States, Bulgaria and Romania.

The issue of NATO is part of Ukraine’s insistence that the United States and the Western European allies commit to a series of security guarantees that would ensure that Moscow will never again invade Ukraine. This demand includes a strict series of punitive actions by the free world to ensure Russia will never cross the frontier into Ukraine.

“Discussions focused on practical issues and the mechanics of possible solutions,” Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov said. “We would like to thank our American partners for constructive cooperation.”

Umerov, who heads Ukraine's delegation, added that the results of the first day will be reported to Zelenskyy today.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said diplomatically there was "meaningful progress" after the first day of talks in Geneva. “Both parties agreed to update their respective leaders and continue working towards a deal,” he wrote on X.

Ahead of the Geneva talks, Zelenskyy indicated that the most sensitive issues, including territories and control over the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, remain unresolved after the previous round of negotiations in Abu Dhabi.

Just hours before the talks began — despite Kyiv having already agreed to participate — President Donald Trump oddly urged Ukraine to “come to the table,” inserting unneeded confusion into the talks.  
“We have big talks. Ukraine better come to the table fast,” he told reporters. “That’s all I'm telling you. We are in a position where we want them to come.”

A surprise inclusion in the talks was Russian Vladimir Medinsky, chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education of Russia. An ultraconservative historian and presidential aide, Medinsky is the Kremlin official who is known for fabricating information and the man who rewrote Russia’s history textbooks to justify Moscow’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, according to the New York Post. Negotiators from the Ukrainian side have accused Medinsky in the past of using the talks to launch into long lectures unraveling his warped Russian nationalist interpretatio of his country’s historic relationship with Ukraine.

After peace talks first resumed in Istanbul last May, Medinsky was quick to cast his mind back to another war of attrition waged in the far reaches of the world.

“We don’t want war, but we are ready to fight for a year, two, three – however long it takes,” he reportedly said during the talks. “We fought Sweden for 21 years. How long are you ready to fight?”

In that article in the New York Post, President Zelenskyy was quoted as saying that Ukrainians would never forgive the United States if Ukraine were forced to cede Donbas to Russia. He called such a thought “unfair.”

Indeed. As I have written in the past, if that would happen, or if it were even being considered, it would be even worse for President Trump. Ukrainian American voters would not vote for any Republican Party candidate in 2026 and 2028.

Ukrainian Americans commemorate fourth anniversary of russia’s Genocidal War Against Ukraine

Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA) Marks the Fourth Anniversary of russia’s Genocidal War Against Ukraine

February 24 marks four years since russia launched its full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine — a catastrophic escalation of the war it began in 2014 with the illegal occupation of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine.

For four years, Ukrainians have endured relentless missile and drone attacks, the deliberate destruction of critical civilian infrastructure, the kidnapping of children, mass atrocities, and the systematic targeting of their culture, language, and identity. This is not a “conflict in Ukraine.” It is russia’s war of aggression and genocide against Ukraine —aimed at erasing a sovereign nation and extinguishing its people’s right to exist.

If russia ends its invasion, the war ends. If Ukraine stops defending itself, it ceases to exist.

On this solemn anniversary, the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), representing the more than 2 million Americans of Ukrainian descent since 1940, honors the brave defenders who have given their lives for freedom and the innocent civilians whose lives have been taken by russia’s brutality. We pray for the repose of their souls and stand in solidarity with their families.

We also recognize the extraordinary resilience of the Ukrainian people — their courage, unity, and unwavering commitment to democracy in the face of terror. Ukraine’s defense is not only a fight for its own sovereignty; it is a stand in defense of the fundamental values and principles of democracy — respect for international law, human rights, human dignity, and the post–World War II security order.

The cost of appeasement is measured in human lives. The cost of hesitation is measured in destroyed cities and stolen children. The world must be resolute: peace cannot be achieved by rewarding aggression or pressuring the victim to surrender.

Thus, the UCCA calls on the United States government and the international community to:

·                  Sustain and strengthen military assistance to Ukraine;

·                  Hold russia accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity;

·                  Ensure the return of Ukraine’s forcibly stolen children;

·                  Impose and enforce robust sanctions against the aggressor state;

·                  Affirm unequivocally that Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.

 

Four years into the full-scale invasion — and more than a decade into russia’s war against Ukraine — Ukraine still stands strong. And the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America will not waver in its steadfast support of Ukraine until a just and lasting peace is secured.

Slava Ukrayini!

ЗАЯВА

Українського Конґресового Комітету Америки (УККА)
з нагоди четвертої річниці ґеноцидної війни росії проти України

24 лютого минає чотири роки відтоді, як росія розпочала повномаштабне, неспровоковане вторгнення в Україну — катастрофічну ескалацію війни, яку вона розв’язала у 2014 році з незаконної окупації Криму та частин Східної України.

Упродовж чотирьох років українці зазнають безперервних ракетних і дронових атак, навмисного знищення критичної цивільної інфраструктури, викрадення дітей, масових звірств і систематичного нищення їхньої культури, мови та ідентичности. Це не «конфлікт в Україні». Це війна аґресії та ґеноциду росії проти України — війна, спрямована на знищення суверенної держави та позбавлення її народу права на існування.

Якщо росія припинить своє вторгнення, війна закінчиться. Якщо Україна припинить захищатися, вона перестане існувати.

У цей скорботний день Український Конґресовий Комітет Америки (УККА), який від 1940 року представляє понад два мільйони американців українського походження, вшановує мужніх захисників, які віддали своє життя за свободу, та невинних цивільних, яких життя було обірване жорстокістю росії. Ми молимося за упокій їхніх душ і висловлюємо солідарність із їхніми родинами.

Ми також визнаємо надзвичайну стійкість українського народу — його мужність, єдність і непохитну відданість демократії перед обличчям терору. Оборона України — це не лише боротьба за власний суверенітет; це захист основоположних цінностей і принципів демократії — поваги до міжнародного права, прав людини, людської гідності та післявоєнного безпекового порядку, сформованого після Другої світової війни.

Ціна умиротворення вимірюється людськими життям. Ціна зволікання — зруйнованими містами та викраденими дітьми. Світ повинен бути рішучим: миру не можна досягти шляхом винагородження аґресора чи примушування жертви до капітуляції.

У зв’язку з цим УККА закликає Уряд Сполучених Штатів Америки та міжнародну спільноту:

·                  Продовжувати та посилювати військову допомогу Україні;

·                  Притягнути росію до відповідальности за воєнні злочини та злочини проти людства;

·                  Забезпечити повернення насильно викрадених українських дітей;

·                  Запровадити та неухильно дотримуватися жорстких санкцій проти держави-аґресора;

·                  Чітко підтвердити, що суверенітет і територіяльна цілісність України не підлягають жодним компромісам.

Чотири роки повномаштабного вторгнення — і понад десятиліття війни росії проти України — Україна стоїть незламно. І Український Конґресовий Комітет Америки не зупиняється у своїй непохитній підтримці України до досягнення справедливого й тривалого миру.

Слава Україні! 

Ukraine’s Allies also Warn against ‘Hollow’ Security Guarantees

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been consistently beating the drum of security guarantees for his country ever since the beginning of the tripartite peace negotiations.

For him and the Ukrainian nation, that has suffered the wanton brutality of Russian invaders for centuries, security guarantees that would create a lasting, impenetrable border around Ukraine is the starting point for peace negotiations. Without wholehearted American support for such a Ukrainian demand, Ukraine would face ongoing Russian danger and the nation would suffer additional bloodshed and deaths.

This demand has been echoed by European nations.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, among others, emphasized in his speech at the Munich Security Conference that future security guarantees for Ukraine must not meet the same fatal fate as the Budapest Memorandum on nuclear arms, which Russia has continuously violated. The German official noted that as the potential ceasefire approaches, it will be necessary to ensure that any peace is lasting.

“We will have to protect Ukraine from any potential future aggression by Russia. For this major task, Ukraine needs substantial and reliable security guarantees,” Pistorius said. “For this major task, Ukraine needs substantial and reliable security guarantees." the German defense minister emphasized.

“So the lesson for us, ladies and gentlemen, must be that we must not allow another ‘paper tiger’ like the Budapest Memorandum. And in order to provide credible security guarantees, all of us – all of us, both Europe and the United States – must contribute. Europe and Germany are ready to do their part,” Pistorius said.

The German official enunciated the link between security guarantees for Ukraine and Germany.

“When it comes to the future of Ukraine, three points are crucial in my view. First, we will keep looking for paths to a reliable peace because Ukraine's future is fundamental not just to European security, but to global security. We need a peace deal that safeguards both Ukraine's and our European interests,” Pistorius said.

He emphasized that the next point is the need to increase pressure on Russia, which shows no willingness to compromise.

“The ball is in Putin’s court. He is the one who is dragging out negotiations and is showing no willingness to compromise. He is shifting the cost of war to his own people. But he must not be mistaken. We will continue doing everything in our power to protect Ukraine as an independent, sovereign European nation. We will keep up the pressure politically, economically, and militarily,” Pistorius said.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys on February 14 dismissed the concept of Article 5-like security guarantees that Ukraine is negotiating with the West, urging realistic solutions instead of “hollow” promises.

"There can be nothing similar to Article 5… Because Article 5 means that if you are in trouble, I promise you that I will come and if it is needed, I will die for you,” he told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Any other approximations such as like and sort-of are mere “rhetorical expressions,” according to Lithuania’s chief diplomat.

NATO’s Article 5 states that an attack against one member is an attack against all, and that allies vow to provide assistance, including through military means.

The Trump administration has signaled its readiness to provide “almost assurances” to Ukraine as part of peace talks, sparking debate over their reliability and whether they could weaken NATO’s credibility.

“Real security guarantees mean forces that are coming to support Ukraine. If not, then there are other measures,” Budrys said, naming future EU membership or financial support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces as more realistic options.

To ensure a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, Kyiv’s partners must “invest in this process” and “avoid hollow structures and some fake agreements and guarantees,” the minister added.

As for the war, which is nearing its fourth anniversary, at least 13 people were injured in Russian attacks against Ukraine over the past day, local authorities said on February 16. Russian forces attacked Ukraine with four Zirkon anti-ship hypersonic missiles, an Iskander-M ballistic missile, a Kh-31 medium-range missile, and 62 drones, of which about 40 were Shahed-type, the Air Force said. Ukrainian forces downed two Zircon missiles and 52 drones. At least nine drones and a missile made it through, striking eight locations. The fall of debris was recorded in two locations, the report read. 

Winter Olympics 2026

In the movie Spartacus, in order to save their leader and preserve their dignity, the prisoners stood and cried “I’m Spartacus!” What if during Olympic closing ceremony Ukrainian athletes-& other brave competitors-enter venue with a sign “I’m Heraskevych”? Far fetched?

У фільмі «Спартак», щоб врятувати свого лідера та зберегти гідність, в'язні встали та вигукнули «Я — Спартак!». Що, якби під час церемонії закриття Олімпіади українські спортсмени та інші хоробрі учасники змагань увійшли на місце проведення з табличкою «Я — Гераскевич»? Навряд чи це можливо?

#I’mHeraskevych

#StandWithUkraine

Why even Consider Terrorist Russia’s Point of View?

Not only is Russian führer Vladimir Putin a slave to war, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy befittingly labeled his arch nemesis last week, but he is also a bloody murderer who shamelessly and cold-heartedly kills his opponents.

World leaders should take note of that when next they shake hands – with the latter day Hitler. Do criminal terrorists deserve any consideration?

On the other side of the fence, supposedly the righteous free world’s side, US President Donald J. Trump continues to persecute and belittle Ukraine for pursuing the outlandish idea that the Ukrainian president has the God-given right to defend his country against Russian invaders. Ironically, Trump and Putin are opposed to Zelenskyy’s resolve that the aggressor Russia does not have the right to claim as its own the Ukrainian lands that it has seized. Consequently, the American and Russian leaders are loudly claiming in unison that the Ukrainian president is blindly stubborn as he forsakes peace.

Addressing the Munich Security Conference last week, Zelenskyy introduced his concept of Putin as a slave of war. In other words, the Russian leader’s life and policies are dictated by war. Putin is enslaved by the notion of war. Issues are resolved by violence, death and mayhem. According to Zelenskyy, the Russian despot is not interested in anything else.

“Putin does not live like ordinary people. He does not walk the streets. You will not see him in a café. His grandchildren do not go to a normal kindergarten in their hometown. He cannot imagine life without power or after power. Normal things do not interest him. Putin ‘consults’ more with Tsar Peter and Empress Catherine about territorial gains than with any living person about real life. Can you imagine Putin without war? Be honest.

“Right now, his focus is on Ukraine. And no one in Ukraine believes he will ever let our people go. But he will not let other European nations go either – because he cannot let go of the very idea of war. He may see himself as a tsar, but in reality, he is a slave to war. If he lives another 10 years – we understand, it can be – war can return. Or expand.”

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, among others, emphasized in his speech at the Munich Security Conference that future security guarantees for Ukraine must not meet the same fate as the Budapest Memorandum on nuclear arms, which Russia has continuously violated. The German official noted that as the potential ceasefire approaches, it will be necessary to ensure that any peace is lasting.

“We will have to protect Ukraine from any potential future aggression by Russia. For this major task, Ukraine needs substantial and reliable security guarantees,” Pistorius said.

He recalled that Marco Rubio pointed out in the US Senate in 2014 that the 1994 Budapest Memorandum had failed to fulfil its purpose and did not protect Ukraine, as Russia invaded and annexed Crimea.

“So the lesson for us, ladies and gentlemen, must be that we must not allow another ‘paper tiger’ like the Budapest Memorandum. And in order to provide credible security guarantees, all of us – all of us, both Europe and the United States – must contribute. Europe and Germany are ready to do their part,” Pistorius said.

Strangely, contrary to his fellow national leaders across Europe, President Trump is caught in a deadly web of believing that Putin can be reasoned with and mutual, binding decisions can be reached. Realistic security concerns expressed by Zelenskyy are beyond the scope of reason, he has said. Actually, Trump is oblivious to Ukraine’s genuine fear that invading Russian hordes would return to Ukraine in the future if they’re not dealt with conclusively now.

White House officials naively believe that Kremlin leaders can be trusted on the basis of a handshake. Security guarantees and deterrence are needless and wasteful. Putin can be trusted, Trump insists, because he has personally spoken with him at length.

Can he? How can you have confidence is a dictator who resorts to killing his opponents.

“That is why we say – there must be real security guarantees. For Ukraine and for Europe. Strong security guarantees. We know clearly what those guarantees must include. And we have strong agreements ready to sign with the U.S. and with Europe. We think that the agreement on security guarantees should come before any agreement to end the war. Those guarantees answer the main question – how long there will be no war again. We hope President Trump hears us. We hope the Congress hears us. We hope American people hear us. And we are grateful for all the real help,” Zelenskyy said.

As a result of Trump’s dangerously misguided beliefs, the US President pressures President Zelenskyy, the victim rather than the perpetrator, to change his ways to reach a peace deal. Zelenskyy expressed hope on the weekend that US-brokered peace talks next week in Geneva will be serious and substantive, but he expressed concern that Ukraine was being asked “too often” to make concessions.

“We truly hope that the trilateral meetings next week will be serious, substantive, helpful for all us but honestly sometimes it feels like the sides are talking about completely different things,” Zelenskyy said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference. “The Americans often return to the topic of concessions and too often those concessions are discussed only in the context of Ukraine, not Russia.”

As for the US-brokered talks this week, Zelenskyy said Kyiv was doing “everything” to end the war.

Speaking with journalists, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio poured cold water on Ukraine’s hopes for a decisive conclusion to the war. He pointed that he does not expect the war to conclude in what many would consider a “traditional loss” for either side, arguing that Russia is unlikely to achieve its original, sweeping objectives. Crossing a foreign border without retribution and holding on to what it has seized is a good objective, in Russia’s mind, for the time being. But for how long?

Instead, Rubio guilelessly suggested, Moscow’s ambitions have narrowed to consolidating the roughly 20% of the Donetsk region that it does not yet control – a goal he acknowledged would require “hard” concessions from Kyiv, both tactically and politically. Why should Ukraine concede anything to Russia? Is that justice or has Washington decided to abandon justice for a greater goal? Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize? However, finding a formula acceptable to Ukraine and tolerable to Russia, he said, remains the primary challenge. “It may not work out,” Rubio cautioned, though he maintained that the United States would continue pressing for a deal.

Rubio, obviously, is perpetuating Trump’s depraved policy of parity with no victims and perpetrators, while placating the criminal. In the White House’s faulted view, both countries are guiltless, even though the allies and former captive nations witnessed Russia’s cruel, bloody invasion of Ukraine four years ago.

Rubio deceptively noted that the USA wants to help Ukraine end the war. It’s a dangerous conclusion to the four-year war that Russia started. Ukrainians the world over want the war to end but if not with a clear victory for Ukraine then at least with a clear defeat for Russia. The terms of Moscow’s defeat and evacuation must not to allow it to attack Ukraine in the future. The occasion of another Russian invasion of Ukraine in the near or distant future is unacceptable to all Ukrainians in Ukraine and beyond. Surrendering Ukrainian land to Russia is also a non-starter.

That is the conclusion and peace that Washington must support. No parity. One victim and one criminal invader. If not, then Trump and all Republican candidates in 2026 and 2028 should rest assured that Ukrainian American voters will not cast their ballots for GOP candidates. 

Navalny wasn’t the First nor Last Russian Murder Victim

The United Kingdom and other European nations have accused Russia of killing Russian imprisoned oppositionist Alexei Navalny with a rare and lethal toxin found in the skin of poison dart frogs.

The international community should bear in mind that Navalny wasn’t the first and he won’t be the last. Russia has repeatedly flouting international bans on chemical and biological weapons and conducted murders of important anti-Kremlin leaders on both sides of the Iron Curtain.

European nations have accused the Kremlin of also carrying out a 2018 attack in the English city of Salisbury that targeted a former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, with the nerve agent Novichok. Skripal and his daughter became seriously ill, and a British woman, Dawn Sturgess, died after she came across a discarded bottle with traces of the nerve agent.

A British inquiry concluded that the attack “must have been authorized at the highest level, by President Putin.”

The Kremlin has unsurprisingly denied involvement. Russia also denied poisoning Alexander Litvinenko, a former Russian agent turned Kremlin critic who died in London in 2006, after ingesting the radioactive isotope polonium-210. A British inquiry concluded that two Russian agents killed Litvinenko, and Putin had “probably approved” the operation.

History knows the truth.

On the Ukrainian side, in the past century Moscow – communist or putinist – has assassinated “Shchedryk” (“Carol of the Bells”) composer Mykola Leontovych, and revolutionary leaders Symon Petliura, Yevhen Konovalets, Lev Rebet, Stepan Bandera, and recently Andriy Parubiy and others.

IOC: Eyes Wide Shut while Ukrainian Olympians Show True Grit

Ukrainian luger Olena Smaha displays her comment on her glove: Remembrance is not a violation!

Olympians at this year’s Winter Games in Milan are experiencing the International Olympic Committee’s duplicitous approach to Russian athletes while Ukrainian Olympians show that they can’t be held back from paying tribute to their fallen comrades.

While Russian and Belarussian athletes have been officially banned from the Games due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Belarusia’s support, a total 13 Russian and 7 Belarusian athletes are participating in the 2026 Winter Olympics, competing under the banner of "Individual Neutral Athletes" (AIN) – which means that they not really in Milan (wink, wink). That does not include those athletes with Russian-sounding names who emigrated to the West and adopted their new homeland’s citizenship.Ukrainian athletes had their own grievance against officials.

Snowboarder Roland Fischnaller has a Russian flag (to the right of center) on his helmet.

Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych said on February 10 that he has been barred from using his custom helmet at the 2026 Winter Olympics because it honors Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Heraskevych said the International Olympic Committee prohibited him from wearing the helmet during official training sessions and competitions after it was shown in initial runs on the Olympic track.

“A decision that simply breaks my heart,” Heraskevych wrote on Instagram. “The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honored on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again.”

The helmet features portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia’s murderous full-scale invasion. In an earlier post, Heraskevych said the design was meant to honor only a small portion of the many athletes who have died since the war began.

“It is unfair, and these people should not have left us at such a young age,” he wrote. “With this I want to pay tribute to these individuals and to their families. The world needs to know the true price of Ukrainian freedom.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to social media to praise Heraskevych for wearing the helmet, thanking him “for reminding the world of the price of our struggle.”

“This truth cannot be inconvenient, inappropriate, or called a ‘political demonstration at a sporting event.’ It is a reminder to the whole world of what modern Russia is,” Zelenskyy wrote.

“And this is what reminds every one of the global role of sports and the historic mission of the Olympic movement itself – it is all about peace and for the sake of life. Ukraine remains faithful to this. Russia proves otherwise.”

Heraskevych told CNN he will defy the IOC and wear his helmet featuring images of athletes killed during the war in Ukraine.

The IOC earlier expressed understanding for Heraskevych’s situation but said that the helmet “contravenes” the governing body’s guidelines on political statements, offering to allow him to wear a black armband in commemoration instead.

In response, Heraskevych said at a press conference that he would wear the helmet regardless of the guidelines.

“Yes,” the slider said in reply to a question asking if he would defy the IOC’s decision. “If the IOC betrays these athletes, I will not betray them.”

“I wear this helmet two days ago, yesterday, today. I will wear it tomorrow and I will wear it for the race day,” Heraskevych told CNN’s Amanda Davies.

“These people sacrificed their lives and because of that, I am able to be here today. I’m able to be at the Olympics, and I will not betray them.”

The athletes featured on the helmet are: weightlifter Alina Perehudova, boxer Pavlo Ischenko, ice hockey player Oleksiy Loginov, actor and athlete Ivan Kononenko, diver and coach Mykyta Kozubenko, shooter Oleksiy Habarov and dancer Daria Kurdel.

“Some things are more important than sports,” he told CNN. “To pay tribute to them, to people who sacrificed their lives because of this sacrifice, I’m able today to be here, and for me it’s important to pay tribute to them and pay honor to their families.”

In a video posted on social media following his training session, Heraskevych — who carried his country’s flag at the opening ceremony — said Toshio Tsurunaga, the IOC representative in charge of communications between athletes, national Olympic committees and the IOC, had gone to the Athletes’ Village to inform him of the decision.

“A decision that simply breaks my heart. The feeling that the IOC is betraying those athletes who were part of the Olympic movement, not allowing them to be honored on the sports arena where these athletes will never be able to step again,” he said in the video.

“Despite precedents in modern times and in the past when the IOC allowed such tributes, this time they decided to set special rules just for Ukraine.”

And let’s not forget Ukrainian luger Anton Dukach who after his run, sat up on his sled, looked into the WNBC-TV camera and declared in Ukrainian Слава Україні; Героям Слава! Glory to Ukraine; Glory to the Heroes! Thank God the IOC didn’t hear him. What a patriot!

Three cheers for the Ukrainian Olympians!