Poroshenko’s Two Messages in Washington

President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine again brought his passionate message about his country to Washington, DC, last week during the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit. However, while his plea and warning about Ukraine’s war with Russia have not yet fallen on America’s deaf ears, they are sounding frayed due to Kyiv’s halfhearted battle with corruption.

In speeches to the Congress, the World Affairs Council of America and the Ukrainian American community, Poroshenko pointed out that since the Russian invasion of Ukrainian Crimea in February 2014 the country has stagnated economically while successfully defending itself from Russian aggression. He emphasized that Ukraine is embroiled in a war of survival and it has singlehandedly managed to halt the invasion of well-armed Russia. Poroshenko advised the free world to understand that Ukraine is not only fighting for its existence as an independent, sovereign and indivisible European country but also for the free world’s safety and security.

“Ukrainian patriots are losing their lives defending the same values that are dear to America and Europe. We are of one blood, one mind and one values. Democratic values,” Poroshenko observed.

“There are so many reasons not to carry (leadership): indifference, fatigue, self-doubt… And there is only one reason to carry it: you have it in your blood. In these times of doubt, I urge America to be strong and believe in itself – just like people of goodwill worldwide keep believing in America. Don’t let pragmatism make you forget about values, with freedom being at the top of them. Don’t let America become small-minded,” Poroshenko expounded in the US Congress.

“Ukraine’s fight is a fight for freedom.  And this fight continues,” Poroshenko said, urging American lawmakers to provide support for Ukraine.

And Congress and the White House have been for the most part supportive of Ukraine, perhaps due to the herculean efforts by Ukrainian American organizations and citizens. During the latest visit, Vice-President Joe Biden told Poroshenko that the US was moving forward with an additional $335 million in security assistance, the White House said in a statement.

Biden, who has been the White House’s point person in contacts with Poroshenko and Kyiv, again cautioned the Ukrainian leader that efforts by his administration to form a reform-oriented government were critical to unlocking international economic assistance, including an essential third $1 billion US loan guarantee, the statement said.

By comparison with other admonitions, Biden’s was the most constructive and palatable. Hopefully, Poroshenko will not belittle it.

Poroshenko argued that US and free world sanctions against Russia must remain intact until the restoration of peace in eastern Ukraine and Kyiv’s authority over Crimea. Indeed, sanctions must be upheld and even amplified until Russia withdraws its soldiers and terrorists from Ukraine. Anything less would signal the free world’s contempt for Ukrainian spilt blood.

“If the West lifts sanctions, the Kremlin’s wish will come true: Ukrainian blood will cost nothing. Killing Ukrainians will go without punishment,” said Poroshenko.

“Can anyone in the West accept this? I hope not. Sanctions are the only ‘line in the sand’ that the West drew after 2014. It is the only line between good and evil drawn in the context of this war,” he said.

“And if there is no line anymore – then what’s the difference between good and evil? Do we really want a world devoid of political boundaries? Do we want a world where one can grab other nation’s land, kill thousands – and stay unpunished? Therefore, without sustainable peace in Donbas – sanctions must stay in place,” Poroshenko insisted.

“Without restoring Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea – sanctions must stay in place.  Without a new Russian attitude – sanctions must stay in place. Anything less would be a compromise at the cost of values and justice,” he said, echoing sentiments expressed a couple of days earlier by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda.

The Ukrainian president – and other x-captive nations’ leaders – said the right signal to send to Russia “is that if you pursue an aggressive policy, no one will deal with you.”

Poroshenko’s message has been simple: Criminals must be held accountable for their aggression; and they must withdraw from occupied territories. Russia must be banned from the global table.

The Ukrainian president also said some 10,000 people, including more than 2,700 Ukrainian army troops, had been killed in fighting between Russian soldiers and terrorists and Ukrainian armed forces.  Russia has delivered more than 750 tanks, more than 1,500 artillery systems, stores of ammunition to a very small territory. He said nearly 1.8 million people had been forced to leave their homes in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk since the war started.

Furthermore, Ukraine’s economy shrank 9.9% in 2015 in addition to a drop of almost 7% in 2014, Ukraine’s economy has also been hurt by a trade war with Russia, formerly its largest market for exports, and a drop in the global price of its wheat and steel exports.

Since the start of the war, the World Bank Group has provided a total of more than $4.1 billion in budget support, investments and private sector financing to Ukraine.

Faced with Russian gross violations of international law and order and national pain and suffering, Poroshenko expressed surprise at the international community’s reluctance to provide Ukraine with lethal military assistance.

While the world places its hopes for peace on the so-called Minsk accords, Poroshenko indicated that the ceasefire agreement has not contributed to a lessening of death and anguish. Russia continues to press onward with impunity in its aggression against Ukraine.

“Nineteen months after we initiated the Minsk process, I still receive reports about losses and shelling of our positions in the frontline every single day. Every morning I have a report from Chief of the General Staff, General of the Ukrainian Army Muzhenko. Unfortunately, every day we have from 50 to 100 bombardments per day,” he said.

While logistic and military demands placed on Russia can be easily satisfied, Poroshenko said “changing Russia’s attitude and making it leave Ukraine alone” aren’t, revealing his understanding of Ukraine’s ongoing precarious predicament of having to share a border with belligerent Russia.

Russia’s more than 24-month occupation of Crimea have resulted in systemic and large-scale violations of human rights in Crimea, he said.

“The occupation regime targets everyone who shows dissent, especially Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars who support sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. The Russian occupation regime has launched over 130 criminal cases against Crimean Tatars, including a case to ban their main organization – Mejlis. 21 Crimean Tatars have been kidnapped, 3 found dead, 9 are still missing. More than 20,000 Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars were forced to leave the peninsula,” Poroshenko detailed.

But in the context of the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit, Russia’s most dangerous plans are its militarization of the Ukrainian peninsula and its intention to station nuclear weapons in Crimea.

“This is Russia’s understanding of security in the region,” Poroshenko summarized disparagingly.

While Poroshenko’s message about Ukraine’s war with Russia is one side of its current profile, the reverse side is fast becoming the single greatest impediment to attracting supporters. Corruption can isolate Kyiv from the international community before a global campaign can be mounted to expel Russia from Ukraine. Biden had called corruption a cancer that is eating Ukraine.

The New York Times, in an editorial, among other sources, called Ukraine on the carpet for this glaring offense.

“But the president, the prime minister and the Parliament must be made to understand that the International Monetary Fund and donor nations, including the United States, cannot continue to shovel money into a corrupt swamp unless the government starts shaping the democratic rule that Ukrainians demanded in their protests,” wrote the New York newspaper.

“Alas, nothing is likely to change unless President Petro Poroshenko and Parliament agree to install some real corruption fighters and approve serious judicial reform.”

Ukrainian patriots from across the country have said corruption is the single greatest domestic evil that is plaguing Ukraine. Despite Poroshenko’s declarations that Ukraine is making headway in its war against graft, very little has been accomplished. Corrupt officials remain in office at all levels of government or else they are rotated to different offices to conceal their activities.

The President and the Verkhovna Rada must find the courage to weed out corrupt officials regardless of whose friend or relative they may be. This process must begin with the President himself by his divestiture of all his financial holdings rather than establish off-shore venues for his current and future sources of income. This conflict of interest cannot be tolerated in a country that seeks to establish a new credible, democratic, law-abiding image.

Ukrainians are also sick and tired of government corruption. But as they clamor for good officials to arrest the bad ones, they tolerate graft on their local levels as they seek jobs, buy goods and services, and apply to higher education. The people must also do their share to end this dishonest holdover of the Soviet era.

The nation has demonstrated with the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity that it has the true grit – like Nadiya Savchenko – to seize the day and improve its fate. Poroshenko, the government and people are winning against Russia. This Ukrainian triumvirate must now stand shoulder to shoulder and defeat corruption before it is too late.

Ukraine at War: Two Years Later

Peace and stability in Europe were suddenly shattered two years ago when Russian troops invaded Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, occupied it and ultimately annexed it in a fabricated referendum.

Soon afterward, Russian soldiers and mercenaries crossed Ukraine’s eastern border and occupied the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, setting up rogue territories akin to the confederated states of the Civil War and war-torn Nazi-occupied European countries during World War II.

Generally, the international community, including the United Nations has supported Ukraine and instituted economic sanctions against Russia, which, unfortunately, haven’t resulted in expelling Russia from Ukraine. Moscow continues to violate the Minsk truce accords, Russian heavy artillery and missiles still dot the countryside, and Ukrainian soldiers are being killed on the battlefront.

I had the privilege on Thursday, March 17, to moderate a session at the UN Trusteeship Council about Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the United Nations, the meeting commemorated the second anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s resolution on the “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine,” which was adopted in the wake of Russia’s belligerence against Ukraine.

On March 27, 2014, the General Assembly affirmed its commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, political independence, unity and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. By a vote of 100 in favor to 11 against, with 58 abstentions, the General Assembly adopted the resolution that called on member-states, international organizations and specialized agencies not to recognize any change in the status of Crimea or the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol, and to refrain from actions or dealings that might be interpreted as such.

In essence, the resolution disavowed the contrived referendum, orchestrated by Moscow.

The General Assembly also called on member-states to “desist and refrain” from actions aimed at disrupting Ukraine’s national unity and territorial integrity, including by modifying its borders through the threat or use of force.  It urged all parties immediately to pursue a peaceful resolution of the situation through direct political dialogue, to exercise restraint, and to refrain from unilateral actions and inflammatory rhetoric that could raise tensions.

The resolution stated that the sham referendum has no validity and should not be recognized. This means that countries and businesses around the world should not fall victim to Russian pressure and admit that Crimea is Russia and redraw maps to indicate that Crimea is a part of Russia.

Today, some two years since the start of the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16, Crimea remains Russian occupied territory along with the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. And the war that was sparked by Moscow has claimed some 10,000 lives and resulted in millions of refugees. The occupying Russian junta in Crimea has launched a reign of terror against the indigenous Crimean Tatar people, denying them their human, religious and cultural rights, while quietly eliminating its leaders.

Last week’s session was opened by Ambassador Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN. My remarks sandwiched powerful statements of support by some two dozen UN member-states, including Ukraine’s x-captive nation neighbors such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. It is important that today the x-captive nations unite in their common defense against Russian aggression.

The permanent representatives and deputy permanent representatives underscored that the invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory are examples of Russia’s wanton disregard for international law, the UN Charter and regional peace, stability and security. One speaker even called these illegal actions “genocide.”

Some of the presenters also raised the illegal incarceration and trial against Nadiya Savchenko, the Ukrainian aviatrix with true grit who was captured in Ukraine and abducted to Russia to stand trial on trumped up charges of killing civilian journalists. (See my blog of March 9, 2016)

Also speaking were Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Serhiy Kyslytsya and Mustafa Dzhemilev, commissioner of the President on the Affairs of Crimean Tatars and a Member of Ukrainian Parliament.

Ambassador Samantha Power, Permanent Representative of the US to the UN, one of the staunchest advocates of independent Ukraine against Russian aggression, added that day to her repository of great addresses in support of Ukraine.

The US ambassador passionately emphasized that Russia has been perpetrating crimes against Ukraine for a long time: “Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea is not a one-time violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, but rather represents an ongoing, continuous violation, one that persists for every day that Russia continues to occupy the peninsula. The passage of time does not change the facts; Crimea was, is, and must and will remain part of sovereign Ukraine – and we refuse to accept Russia’s attempt to use force and to use propaganda to alter that fact.”

As for Russian violations of Crimean Tatar rights, she said: “Ever since the little green men first began to pop up in Crimea, human rights monitors have documented abductions of Tatars and pro-Ukrainian activists, in which evidence points to the participation of occupation authorities and their security forces, suggesting these are cases of what we call enforced disappearances.”

Addressing Savchenko’s imprisonment, Power stated: “Nor is this pattern of abuse limited to Crimea. Also at this moment, Ukrainian pilot and member of parliament Nadia Savchenko – who was also detained in Ukraine and sent to the remote town of Donetsk, Russia to be tried under Russian laws for similarly preposterous charges – is awaiting her verdict. The prosecutor in her case is seeking a 23-year sentence.

“Imagine for just one moment if Oleg Sentsov or Nadia Savchenko were a citizen of any of our nations. How would we react? How would we expect our fellow UN Member States to react? We have to put ourselves in the shoes of Ukrainians more often – in the shoes of the Tatars, in the shoes of the people who live in Crimea without basic freedoms. I assure you that, if we do, we will start making a lot more noise about egregious actions like this.”

I especially liked the ambassador’s observation that Russia wants the free world to live in an upside-down world.

“We can’t accept that. We have to live in right-side up land, and we have to define and remind people about the norms that undergird the international system, on which all of our peace and security and human rights depend,” she declared accentuating that the free world will not succumb to Moscow’s wrongdoings.

It was encouraging to hear UN member-states express their support and solidarity for Ukraine and condemn Russia for its cruel aggression and war against Ukraine. During the session, Ambassador Yelchenko whispered to me, pointing to three occupants in the “bleacher” section of the Trusteeship Council room, saying, “They’re not supposed to be here but Russians want to know what we’re talking about.”

These and similar words of support for Ukraine have been articulated for nearly 25 months since Russia invaded Ukraine via Crimea. But the gnawing question remains: how long will the free world tolerate the military and political occupation of an independent UN member-state’s sovereign territory. Global political stagnation and inaction merely prolong the pain of this Russian crime against humanity and raise the possibility that even Ukraine’s friends may be lulled into tolerating Russia’s inverted view of events and accepting it has the new normal.

This is the question for the free world to ponder every day.

European ‘Ennui’ Threatens Ukraine and World

Europe, that pretentious group of countries with self-anointed visions of grandeur and holier-than-thou temperaments, has tired of having to deal with Ukraine. Russia’s war against Ukraine and Kyiv’s erratic escape from Moscow’s subjugation thru brambles of domestic corruption to a sovereign democratic existence have tested European leaders’ patience beyond their limited thresholds of tolerance.

But Europe’s irrepressible, gaping yawn can endanger Ukraine and pave the way to its demise at the hands of a stalking, belligerent Russia.

Geoffrey R. Pyatt, US ambassador to Ukraine, a staunch advocate of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and indivisibility, elaborated in a recent interview that Kyiv faces the threat of what he described as “Ukraine fatigue” from its fair-weather (my description) European allies.

Throughout its history, Ukrainians have demonstrated a strong desire to live freely, according to their culture and customs. When threatened by neighbors, notably Russia, they fought bravely against successive invasions, occasionally seeking help from allies, which oftentimes arrived in the form of words and sanctions rather than critically needed lethal defensive arms.

Today, a quarter of a century after declaring its independence and reestablishing an independent state, Ukraine made a courageous choice for democracy, freedom, nuclear nonproliferation and European integration and was then punished by a Russian invasion.

Ukraine’s travails have become more than the leaders in Berlin, Rome, Paris, London, Madrid and the other capitals are able to absorb and endure. Europeans, who have known foreign occupations throughout their histories, are sighing in relief that today they aren’t now victims of foreign occupation.

In an interview with EurActiv.com earlier this month, Pyatt articulated the following points about today’s Ukraine:

·         Ukraine is key to the concept of “Europe, whole, free, and at peace.”

·         Ukraine “looks to join the Europe of values” – after all that is what the Revolution of Dignity was all about.

·         Ukraine has made a choice for Europe.

·         A sanctions rollback by Europe would mean sacrificing European values for Russian money.

Pyatt, a career diplomat who took office in Kyiv in August 2013, emphasized that Ukrainians – not merely the bureaucrats in Kyiv – but the people favor integration with Europe and a decent life in a close relationship with Europeans and their standards. After all, during the recent Revolution of Dignity, the third flag carried by millions of protesters after the Ukrainian national flag and the red and black flag of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) was the star-studded EU flag.

“Kyiv is the most pro-European capital on the continent,” he said.

While European leaders yawn when discussions turn to Ukraine as they hope for a rapprochement with Russia, which really means surrender, Pyatt outlined a different stance for the US: “Our role is not to tell them [the Ukrainians] to accommodate Putin’s imperial ambitions.”

In today’s unsure political and military climates, when Russia is stoking the furnaces of its military-industrial complex and dispatching nuclear-armed jets and submarines around the world in an effort to intimidate already scared global leaders, it is good to hear an American official admit that Russia has imperial ambitions. Recognition is the first step to eliminating the problem.

European leaders have placed a great deal of hope in the so-called Minsk truce accords, which, as I have written, will not lead to regional or global peace and stability. Pyatt strongly pointed out in his interview that “Minsk is not a formula for legitimizing the Russian presence in Donbas.”

The Minsk truce, which Russia has violated every week for the past two years, must not legitimize the Russian occupation of Crimea or any region of Ukraine. It can’t be used as a post-invasion justification for annexing foreign sovereign lands.

At the latest Paris ceasefire meeting, when asked by journalists if there has been a breakthrough, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin responded by saying: “No, I don't have that impression.”

The mere question implies that reporters and parties to the talks crassly regard both sides equally culpable.

Analyst Jeff Rathke, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, also implied this when he said both Moscow-backed separatists and Kyiv need to do their parts to move on with a permanent ceasefire and political reforms to break the stalemate.

"On the one hand, decisions have to be made by the Ukrainian authorities,” he said, “but most importantly is the need for the separatists backed by Russia to do their part, and so that remains as a problem, as progress is correspondingly slow and there [have] been no breakthroughs."

The warring sides in Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16 do not share equal blame. Russia is the one and only aggressor that is also guilty of egregious violations of a wide range of human rights of citizens and foreigners.

Klimkin noted at the Paris gathering that Ukraine continues to insist that all commitments for a cease-fire and withdrawal of weapons be carried out before elections are held.

“We must be able to ensure these elections are organized safely; we need our territory to be secure. Without security we can’t deliver on anything further,” he was quoted as telling reporters.

Appropriately, Pyatt said there was “zero probability” of reviewing sanctions on Russia until the Minsk agreement is fully implemented. This means a ceasefire, the release of hostages and the organization of elections according to OSCE standards – in my view the last prerequisite is of dubious benefit. It also means the withdrawal of Russian fighters and equipment, and the restoration of Ukraine control over its border with Russia. At present, the 400-kilometer long border in the areas held by terrorists is controlled by Russia only. Also add to these demands the dissolution of the Russian imposed renegade republics and surrender of all of its leaders.

As for the future of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, which was occupied by Russia in February 2014 igniting the war, Pyatt declared Washington would not recognize this illegal act.

“We will make the occupation of Crimea as expensive as possible,” he said referring to the economic and political cost Russia is incurring following the annexation.

Europe’s boredom with the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16 comes at a dangerous time not only for Ukraine but for Europe itself. News media report that skirmishes and battles between Ukrainian soldiers and Russian invaders occur every week. UNIAN reported on March 12 that Russian-backed separatist forces attacked Ukrainian troops 75 times the previous day. Another source reported earlier this month that Ukrainian intelligence observed six Russian trucks carrying special forces troops arriving in Donbas.

US Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna detailed on March 3 Russia’s repulsively high number of violations of the ceasefire: “The United States is concerned that the number of observed ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine is at the highest level since August 2015, exceeding 3,800 in the last week; combined-Russian separatist forces are responsible for the majority of them. Combined Russian-separatist forces have also attacked Ukrainian positions with proscribed heavy weapons, including grad rocket launchers, high caliber mortars, and heavy artillery. We regret that Russia and the separatists have chosen to again escalate the violence ahead of today’s Normandy format Foreign Ministers meeting in Paris. This violence threatens progress toward finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict and calls into question Russia’s and the separatists’ commitment to full implementation of the Minsk agreements.”

In other words, the Minsk peace process that the EU advocates while Moscow disrupts has failed because of Russia’s ongoing duplicity and Europe’s lackadaisical attitude about the guilty party. Russia has also cleverly raised the stakes against peace by joining the war in Syria on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, further confusing and scaring Europe.

Fortunately, President Barack Obama on March 2 extended a series of sanctions against Russia for one year until March 2017, citing a continuing threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States by the actions and policies of persons that undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine.
The European Union on March 10 also extended sanctions for another six months until September 2016 against individuals and entities involved in the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

To be effective, these sanctions must not have a time limit. They must be maintained and increased until Russia pulls back from Ukraine.
In its dangerous, bored condition, Europe will continue to slide down the slippery slope of accepting Russian violations for the sake of faux peace and stability. It will wrongly increase pressure on Ukraine to accept Russian occupation. It will contribute to an escalation of Russia’s war with Ukraine. And it will give in to each Russian incremental demand as its invading armies proceed west across Ukraine. Moscow is betting that European boredom will allow it to prevail against Ukraine and the other former captive nations. Europe must not break ranks with the free world and x-captive nations in looking for other accommodations with Russia than its complete withdrawal from Ukraine.

Europe must be steadfast in demanding that Russia ends its aggression against Ukraine.

Worldwide Support Grows for Nadiya Savchenko

Cyberspace has been filled with many recent examples of the growing worldwide support for Nadiya Savchenko not only from Ukrainians but also from a significant number of non-Ukrainian sources.

Savchenko, a Ukrainian military aviatrix, was kidnapped to Russia by Russian invaders and falsely accused of killing Russian non-combatants during the Russo-Ukraine War of 2014-16. Held in unjust conditions in a Russian prison, 34-year-old Savchenko launched a hunger strike to protest her unlawful imprisonment.

Often seen in court dressed in a Ukrainian embroidered blouse or a t-shirt emblazoned with a large Tryzub, the national emblem of Ukraine, Nadiya Savchenko has earned the distinction of being this generation’s most prominent Ukrainian political prisoner.

Indeed, Savchenko has demonstrated true grit throughout her military career and illegal incarceration and trial. The latest chapter of her plight shows that she hasn’t tired and continues to maintain her principled, national, patriotic position even while caged in the Russian courtroom.

On March 2, while awaiting the final verdict after the prosecutor demanded a sentence of 23 years behind bars, Savchenko, also a member of the Ukrainian parliament, offered her final statement, in which she laid the complete blame for Russia’s imperialism, invasion, killings and her capture and imprisonment at the doorstep of the Kremlin.

Some excerpts of her remarks:

“During this long and tedious six-month trial we learned that guilt was proven in the course of the judicial process. That guilt is of the Russian journalists [Savchenko was accused of involvement in the deaths of two Russian journalists]. They are guilty of lying and of providing false, distorted information regarding events in Ukraine, the world, and in Russia …

“If they had not hung around where they shouldn't have, they would have stayed alive. Russian TV channels were also found guilty …

“They wanted to boost their ratings and made a quick buck. But they absolutely do not care about their journalists. They are the ones who are above all responsible for the deaths of Korneliuk and Voloshin [the two Russian journalists whose deaths Savchenko is accused of involvement in]…

“The guilt of Russian-backed separatist forces and Russian regular military troops has also been proven. They are guilty of killing Ukrainian people on our Ukrainian land. They are to blame for occupying Ukrainian lands …

“This court also proved the FSB (Security Service) and Russia's Investigative Committee guilty. They are to blame for kidnapping people. They are guilty of torturing people …

“During the trial, the prosecutor and Russian judges were also found guilty. During two years of my imprisonment and my tribulations here, I found out that those people had neither honor nor conscience, nor do they abide by laws. They absolutely do not care about international laws or human rights, they are instructed by the Kremlin, and they are committed to fulfilling this state order …

“The trial proves the guilt of Russian authorities; they are to blame for seizing Ukrainian lands, capturing Crimea and starting a war in the Donbas region. They are to blame for trying to establish - through their foul undeclared wars all over the world - a totalitarian regime dominated by Russia …

“They creep everywhere and kill people through genocide. We could observe the same practice in Chechnya, and Abkhazia. Now we are observing this in Ukraine, Dagestan, Syria …

“I am the only person the court failed to find guilty. I am an officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I had every right to defend my land, I was fulfilling my duty …

“You do not judge your own troops - but they also killed many people while defending their country …

“That’s why I want to say - the more I meet these effeminate men, like prosecutors here, the higher grows my self-esteem as that of a woman, of a soldier and of a human being...

“And here is the most crucial thing. Let prosecutors sentence me to as many years in prison, as they wish. Not a day longer, not a day shorter. All 23 years. Do not issue a longer or shorter jail sentence for me - so they won’t make any further appeals or delay the procedure. You have proved that you are utterly impotent. You have already proved that Russia can disgrace itself, as exemplified in my case.

“You have never defeated me and will never do it! Well, let's finish it all as soon as possible, I will not wait any longer. It was not you who have given me life, so you can't own it - and you can't decide upon my fate. If the verdict takes more than two weeks, I will not wait for it. That's all I want to say.”

Powerful words from a Ukrainian soldier regardless of gender.

According to the BBC, her patience evaporated in court on Wednesday, March 9. The news agency reported that at one point in her appearance, she leaped onto a bench inside the cage and showed the judges her middle finger. She mocked the judges in Ukrainian, saying they were proving that Russians were fascists.

Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry joined the chorus of world leaders who have called for Savchenko’s release.

Biden: “Nadiya has been unjustly imprisoned in Russia since 2014—detained and facing trial on trumped up charges. Nadiya was proudly serving her country as a member of the Ukrainian armed forces, fighting in the eastern part of the country when she was abducted by separatists and taken across the border against her will.

“During the past 20 months, she has become a symbol of Ukrainian national pride and strength. She was even elected to the Rada from her prison cell. Her unlawful continuing detention is a clear violation of Russia’s commitment under the Minsk agreements, and she should be freed at once. Recently, Nadiya has begun a new hunger strike to protest her detention, and her health has begun to deteriorate after five days with no food or liquids.

“Today, as we mark International Women’s Day and honor all the brave women who struggle against injustice in this world, we also stand with Nadiya and with the Ukrainian people. And we call on Russia to make the right choice—to drop all charges and release her at once. Nadiya deserves to go home to her family and friends and join her fellow Rada members to begin shaping a new Ukraine.”

Kerry: “In the 20 months since she was captured in eastern Ukraine and taken to Russia, Ms. Savchenko has reportedly endured interrogations, solitary confinement, and forced “psychiatric evaluation.” Her trial and continuing imprisonment demonstrate disregard for international standards, as well as for Russia’s commitments under the Minsk agreements.

“The United States once again calls on Russia to immediately release Ms. Savchenko and return her to Ukraine.”

Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the OSCE Permanent Council: “We must take this opportunity to remind the Russian Federation that Russia has committed, under the Minsk agreements, to the release of Nadiya Savchenko and others held on politically-motivated charges in the Russian Federation.”

Russia must not be permitted to get away with another crime against humanity. Please visit the following website and sign the open letter to European leaders to demand freedom for Nadiya Savchenko.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/free-savchenko-open-letter-to-european-leaders

Eternal Shame on Russia

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots.” – Thomas Jefferson

“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” the 2016 Oscar nominated documentary movie about Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity has been broadcast on Netflix for several months but I mustered the resolve to view it for the first time only a few days ago. The historic images of the Ukrainian nation arising against foreign and domestic tyrants two years ago and the accompanying emotions were still fresh in my mind, restraining me from watching it.

The momentous events on Maidan in Ukraine’s capital in 2013-14 that attracted more than a few million Ukrainians from around the country kept the world glued to live web streams of what was quickly evolving into the nation’s latest manifestation of its invincible will to live free, without foreign domination.

The movie instantly brought back memories of parades, speeches, rallies, fires, dedication, police depravity and barbarism, beatings, bravery, heroism, patriotism, gunshots, and blood that ultimately forced Russian flunky Viktor Yanukovych to flee from Kyiv into the arms of his benefactor and Ukraine’s oppressor Russian president Vladimir Putin.

The 1-hour and 42-minute movie that covered 93 days in the life of the Ukrainian nation will contribute to Russia’s eternal shame regardless of the outcome of Academy Awards. Subsequent generations of Russians will have to answer a host of muted questions about their country’s role in trying to quash liberty in Ukraine just like today’s Germans are attempting to cope with Nazism. Likewise, future generations will have a glimpse of one episode from a millennium of examples of Ukrainians’ unconquerable, freedom-loving spirit to live in their own independent, sovereign, democratic and indivisible Ukraine.

The film conveys the background and reasons for the Revolution of Dignity, including Ukraine’s subjugation by Russia, the nation’s desire for accession to the European Union, Yanukovych’s acquiescence, Putin’s opposition and finally Yanukovych’s last-minute turnaround. The nation couldn’t stand the government’s duplicity and subservience to Moscow. The people demanded that the accession process go forward and that ex-convicts like Yanukovych by removed from power.

Social media was the instrument for capacity building in Kyiv. It summoned Ukrainians of all walks of life to Kyiv to voice their disgust and opposition to Russia’s corrupt, anti-Ukrainian colonial administrators in Ukraine. National opposition grew from a few hundred protesters in the center of the capital to several thousand to more than a million, testifying that this was, in fact, a popular, national movement for freedom.

The nation again awakened to stop those who sought to subvert Ukraine’s fate. The marchers emphasized that Ukraine, as a European nation, is part of the European Union and the nation’s youngest generation demands that Ukraine finds its rightful place among European countries and not in the Russian prison of nations.

The protestors, whose numbers swelled from grassroots levels, were emboldened into believing that they could change the country. Fed up with Yanukovych’s corruption and submission to Moscow, their movement evolved into a revolution whose goal was to depose the government and liberate Ukraine from Russia’s bonds. Their daring and power grew from their unwavering beliefs and expanding numbers. They were determined to fight for Ukraine and that victory would be theirs.

Those who were interviewed and appeared in the movie underscored that the Revolution of Dignity was popular and national. Busloads of demonstrators from across Ukraine participated. Doctors from around the country came to Kyiv to treat the wounded and dying. Young and old helped with food and other provisions. Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian speakers, including Russian speakers, were equally vocal in their disdain for Moscow’s subjugation of Ukraine. Serhiy Nigoyan, an Armenian, was the first to shed his blood for Ukraine’s freedom. Among the Maidan Defense Units were Jewish Maidan Defense Unit and Women’s Maidan Defense Unit. All religious hierarchs, representing the broad swath of faiths of Ukraine, Ukrainian Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Jewish, Moslem, Buddhist and others prayed in unison for the nation’s salvation.

Teenagers and even younger Ukrainians were involved in the movement. One seemingly pre-teen spoke of helping with medical supplies and provisions. Another boy, a teenager, wearing a t-shirt of Stepan Bandera, leader of OUN assassinated by the Kremlin, was seen speaking with his mother on his cell phone. Not knowing what will be his destiny, he ended the call by saying “Mamtsiu, I love you.”

The documentary did not show the involvement of civic leaders except for boxer Klychko and pop singer Ruslana, which further confirmed the people’s mass dedication to the cause of Maidan.

It was pointed out by many that the participants maintained the highest level of moral behavior during the revolution. Drugs and alcohol were not seen in their encampments. The participants were peaceful and unarmed as they faced the depraved barbarism of the Berkut security officers, whose brutality was clearly visible throughout the documentary. They repeatedly charged into the nonviolent protesters wildly swinging their truncheons without regard for life or limb. Our 9-year-old son was shocked when he saw the attackers beat and kick defenseless, cowering protesters on the ground. Army veterans observed that the Berkut officers “didn’t act like human beings” even destroying makeshift red cross stations. For the first time since 1240, the bells of the St. Michael Sobor tolled anxiously, summoning more and more people to join the protests on Maidan.

Despite repeated waves of baton-wielding officers, none of the protesters broke rank and fled. They were committed to their mission, realistically noting that even if they abandon their cause now, eventually they would be hunted down and eliminated. In a comical, futile effort to protect themselves against the police, protestors covered their heads with kitchen utensils, pots, pans and colanders.

The documentary offered many insights about the Ukrainian nation for all viewers but one, in particular, was clearly, warmly perceptible by Ukrainians. Repeatedly throughout the documentary individuals or mass throngs chanted “Glory to Ukraine,” and “Glory to the Heroes,” an old Ukrainian mantra that was adopted by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and was banned by Soviet Ukraine and Russia and ridiculed by some others. Goose bumps ran up and down my arm while listening to the refrain as flames rose in the night sky.

In time, truncheons were exchanged for rubber bullets and then for live ammunition and Putin/Yanukovych’s organized killers began shooting unarmed demonstrators from rooftops like fish in a barrel. The Revolution of Dignity lasted 93 days during which 125 innocent, peaceful citizens of Ukraine were murdered on the orders of officials in the Kremlin and Kyiv. They indisputably earned the moniker “Heavenly Hundred.”

Push came to shove after the timid members of the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law outlawing demonstrations and Klychko’s ineffective attempt to convince the lawmakers to rescind the vote. I recalled watching this live two years ago. His effort was rejected by the crowd on Maidan. Infuriated by the slow evolution of events, Volodymyr Parasiuk, a young defense unit commander, seized a historic moment, jumped on the stage and grabbed the microphone from the Ukrainian boxer. He declared that Yanukovych must present himself to the crowd on Maidan and resign by 10 am the next day or else he would lead the nation in storming his multi-million dollar estate and removing him by force.

Yanukovych secretly fled to Russia the next day, February 22, and almost simultaneously the Russian army invaded the Crimean peninsula of Ukraine and then regions in eastern Ukraine. The fight for Ukraine’s freedom continues.

“Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom” fulfilled its mission of telling the world of Ukrainians’ indomitable spirit to fight for their freedom and that the generation that stood on Maidan for three months and faced the enemy without weapons is the latest generation of Ukrainian patriots to refresh the tree of liberty with their blood.

The Elephant in the Room is Finally Recognized

The elephant in the room has finally been recognized. The words Ukraine, Russia, Putin, aggression and NATO were raised during the latest round of debates among six Republic presidential hopefuls in Ashville, SC, on Saturday, February 13.

Not that their conclusions and remarks will lead to significant changes in America’s policies towards Ukraine, but, at least, the villain and victim received a hearing.

The first to bring up this topic that is dear to the hearts of many American voters was Sen. Marco Rubio. He said the third major topic that he would tackle if elected President of the USA would be “rebuilding and reinvigorating NATO in the European theater, particularly in Central Europe and in Eastern Europe, where Vladimir Putin is now threatening the territory of multiple countries, already controls 20% of Georgia and a significant percentage of Ukraine.”

Rubio, whose website www.marcorubio.com elaborates on his plan to “Defend and Restore Ukrainian Sovereignty” and “Protect Europe from Further Russian Aggression,” states he would bolster NATO as a major bulwark against Putin’s belligerent adventurism. He also reminded voters that Putin occupies “significant” portions of Ukraine.

Gov. John Kasich of Ohio then picked up the baton by replying to CBS’ John Dickerson’s question about his wanting to punch Russia in the nose for moving into Crimea and eastern Ukraine, saying: “Yes. First of all, look, we have to make it clear to Russia what we expect. We don’t have to declare an enemy, rattle a sword or threaten, but we need to make it clear what we expect. Number one is we will arm the folks in Ukraine who are fighting for their freedom. They deserve it. There will be no ifs, ands or buts about it.

“Secondly, an attack on NATO, trumped up on any excuse of Russian-speaking people, either in the NATO countries or in Finland or Sweden is going to be an attack on us. And look, I think we have an opportunity as America to put something really great together again.”

Arming Ukraine is a great first step because it will help Kyiv repel Russian invaders from Ukraine. The Republican presidential candidates and the free world should understand that Ukraine is the first country in recent memory to stand up to invading armies from Russia and – as Kasich said – Ukrainians “deserve it.”

Ukrainians deserve a lot more than military aid from the western democracies. They serve economic and commercial support, civic consultation and understanding that two dozen years after proclaiming its independence and sovereignty from Russian captivity it is again fighting the same powerful external foe that bred the internal enemy of corruption.

Kasich’s observation contains a detraction in his assurance that America doesn’t “have to declare an enemy.” On the contrary, Washington must declare Moscow an enemy for its aggression and violations of human rights of its citizens. Without the admission that it is an enemy, some will regard Russia as such while others will shake its hand and seek to do business with it. That would certainly be the wrong message to the Kremlin.

Jeb Bush, whose father, President George H. Bush, was leader of the free world when Ukraine declared its independence prompting him to observe that he would not recognize countries making such declarations in the basement, castigated Vladimir Putin by emphasizing “The very basic fact is that Vladimir Putin is not going to be an ally of the United States. The whole world knows this. It’s a simple basic fact.”

Bush also took a jab at Donald Trump for wanting to accommodate Russia – “It is absolutely ludicrous to suggest that Russia could be a positive partner in this.” Trump reaffirmed his easy-going attitude toward Putin by nonchalantly stating “I like him so far, I have to tell you.” Trump is already known for making similar positive remarks about Putin a few times during this election season.

Do these meager but to be sure welcome comments by presidential aspirants bode well for the plight of the x-captive nations in the face of consistent Russian aggression? Unfortunately not. They have not reach a political critical mass that would resonate among friends and foes alike and force Moscow to take note that the next leader of the free world – regardless of who he or she will be – will not be as tolerant of its warlike designs as the current one is.

The x-captive nations community of American voters must press the case on behalf of their besieged ancestral homelands.

During the days of the evil empire, Eastern European Americans and their supporters, organized groups such as the American Friends of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations, National Captive Nations Committee, World Anti-Communist League and their national affiliations and would lobby both sides of the political aisle with a strong, straightforward message: Free the captive nations! And Washington listened.

In the Ukrainian American community, civic leaders such as the late Joseph Lesawyer on the Democratic side and the late Lev Dobriansky on the Republican side mobilized partisan advocates to force inclusion of appropriate pro-captive nations and anti-Soviet planks in the parties’ platforms.

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and its Ukrainian National Information Service have detected this current dangerous state of affairs and are urging Ukrainian Americans – and by association all Eastern European American voters – to convince elected officials and candidates as well as news media to place Russia’s war against Ukraine and the occupation of Ukrainian territories on the political agenda.

“Now six months into the debate process, while some candidates have formulated substantive policy positions regarding Putin’s criminal regime, and others have quietly chosen to defer making any such decisions, we call on debate moderators and journalists covering the US presidential campaigns to question the remaining candidates on their positions regarding this rogue nation which US military commanders have gone on record to describe as ‘the greatest threat to our national security.’ It is unacceptable that throughout twelve presidential primary debates thus far, the number of questions asked relating to Putin, Russia or Ukraine can be counted on one hand,” the UCCA statement said.

“The US Presidential candidate selection process has now begun in earnest, with the first votes having been cast in Iowa. Today, there are more Ukrainians living amid the ruin of war than there are people living in the entire state of Iowa. And we, Ukrainians, Americans and allies united in seeking safer future for all mankind, ask for your assistance in getting this issue included in the upcoming debate schedule. Candidates should be asked to lay out their foreign policy agenda as it relates to Putin’s kleptocratic regime in Russia, and to address the first military annexation in Europe since World War II. Will any candidates for the position of “Leader of the Free World” call out Putin for his numerous political assassinations, or mention the name of Iraq War veteran Lieutenant Nadiya Savchenko and others illegally held by Russia, and call for their immediate release?”

At a time of war against Ukraine and potentially all x-captive nations, Eastern European American civic organizations should form alliances for the purpose of awakening Democratic and Republic presidential hopefuls against policies that would accommodate Russia or warm up to Moscow and Putin. This is not the time for pragmatism and responsibility, which are synonymous with placating Russia.

For the sake of the x-captive nations and the free world, the platforms of the Democratic Party and Republican Party must contain planks that proclaim unwavering support for their independence and territorial inviolability and condemn Russia for its current belligerence.

Mr. Secretary, Don’t Blink First

“We’re eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked” – observed memorably Secretary of State Dean Rusk.

In October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave in to US pressure and ordered the removal of Soviet missiles from its Caribbean colony, signaling a major Cold War victory for Washington.

Today, if recent news about lifting or softening sanctions against Russia is any signal of future relations, then Washington may have just blinked and betrayed war-torn Ukraine and the other x-captive nations.

But it’s unfortunate for the US to have blinked while eye to eye with a country like Russia that is standing at the edge of a precipice, perhaps deep in its death throes but still mustering its last ounce of strength to invade and occupy Ukraine and bomb Syria.

Recent weeks have been red letter days for Russia watchers, as the country and its leader, Vladimir Putin, sink deeper into a cesspool of shame:

·                     Russia is still reviled for invading and occupying regions of Ukraine
·                     Russia’s economy is tanking, causing the people excessive pain
·                     British investigators have accused Putin of ordering the murder of Aleksandr Litvinenko
·                     Human Rights Watch again chastised Russia for continuing to violate human rights
·                     The US Treasury described Putin as being corrupt

With a report card such as that, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for any world leader to shake hands with the likes of Vladimir Putin?

Apparently not. The free world is willing to forgive and forget. Secretary of State John Kerry’s remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos seem completely out of place as they serve to presage his fellow statesmen’s utterances about similar, tragic policy changes. “And earlier this week here at Davos, Vice President Biden and I met with Ukrainian President Poroshenko to help ensure full implementation of the Minsk agreements. And I believe that with effort and with bona fide, legitimate intent to solve the problem on both sides, it is possible in these next months to find those Minsk agreements implemented and to get to a place where sanctions can be appropriate, because of the full implementation, removed,” he said.

Free world leaders bullying Ukraine to surrender its positions because Russia certainly won’t budge.

Kerry also said in his address: “In Ukraine, under the previous regime, official venality and greed triggered an international crisis.” This incredible comment completely absolves Russia of a thousand years of aggression and Russification. It pardons Russia for crimes against humanity in Ukraine and for bringing Yanukovych to power. The “international crisis, that he cited, was caused by domestic crooks. Kerry’s remarks resemble President Obama’s statement during the State of the Union: “Russia is pouring resources to prop up Ukraine.”

Kerry’s misguided assessments lead pundits to observe that a series of recent misinterpreted “encouraging” meetings with senior Russian officials have raised hopes in Washington, Paris and Berlin that Putin is serious about settling the dispute over eastern Ukraine. They believe that Russia’s false positives could then pave the way for sanctions to be eased before the year is out. None of Kerry’s expectations and Putin’s actions are borne out by reality. Russia’s troops and terrorists are still pouring into Ukraine with military hardware and occupying regions in the east and Crimea. There the Kremlin’s gauleiters have deprived local residents of their human, civil, cultural and religious rights and turned them into vassals of Russia. Moscow has not lived up to any of the conditions of the Minsk Accords and minor steps don’t count.

Kerry and other free world leaders quickly cautioned that progress toward lifting sanctions have to be substantiated by the warring sides’ implementation of the Minks Accords, maintenance of ceasefire, and holding of local elections. These sanctimonious politicians continue to obnoxiously place Ukraine in the same kettle as Russia without differentiating between victim and aggressor. The free world believes culpability is equal. It refuses to acknowledge that Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2014 and occupied at least three regions of sovereign Ukraine for the sole purpose of restoring the iron curtain. Even with its strength waning, Russia continues to evoke fear in the free world.

Ukrainian officials suggested Moscow is portraying itself as a “good cop,” and presents Kyiv as the party that is not delivering on its Minsk commitments.

The global community, at least that portion that in the past has opposed Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, seems to have become bored with this state of affairs and is hankering to turn back the clock 24 months, return Russia to its pedestal and resume trading with it. Free world leaders are suffering from Kerry-like myopia, and see specters of Russian transformation. Sadly, they are wrong.

“There have been clear signs of a ‘pacification’ process recently,” opined Simon Quijano-Evans, chief emerging markets strategist at Commerzbank AG, on Bloomberg News. “It does look as though all sides are starting to push more markedly for resolutions to the current geopolitical mess.”

All sides? Including Ukraine, the victim of a Russian invasion and occupation. What kind of resolution can the world expect from Kyiv, which is struggling to save its freedom and build a democratic country in the middle of a war without outside help?

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble similarly wrote in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper Monday, January 25, that the EU should build closer ties with Russia to help resolve the civil war in Syria and reduce tensions in the Middle East between Sunni and Shia Muslims. That remark came on the heels of French Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron telling his country’s businessmen in Moscow that France would like to see sanctions lifted by the summer.

Should the world urge Paris to suspend martial law in the wake of the ISIS terrorist attacks?

Mark Katz, a professor of government and politics at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., observed that “Kerry is holding the possibility of lifting the sanctions but Russia has to do certain things, like cooperate on Ukraine and Syria and then the US would reverse some sanctions.”

Katz, a Soviet expert, added that the top US diplomat was also seeking to “appease those European allies who are not happy with sanctions.” Thus Russia, with all of its ignominious crimes against humanity, moves to center stage in the eyes of the self-righteous free world and is viewed as a savior of Syria.

Timid Europe has a long-standing reliance on Russia’s gas supply and is struggling to cope with the throngs of migrants seeping through its borders from Syria. With Syrian peace talks planned to start January 29 – and Russia a key player at that negotiating table – the fate of Ukraine caught in a war with the largest country on earth is no longer the only consideration for policymakers. X-captive nations leaders, quoted in my previous blogs, have warned against accepting Russia’s Syria for Ukraine switch ploy.

Calls for better relations with Russia show Putin’s uncanny ability to convince the free world that he’s interested in conflict resolution, even when he’s lying, according to James Nixey, head of the Russia and Eurasia program at the UK’s Chatham House think tank.

“The West’s priority is Syria, Russia’s priority is Ukraine; their interests are substantially different from ours,” Nixey said in an interview. “Putin can say, ‘If you do me a deal on Ukraine and give me a Syria influence, then I’ll turn around the direction of my bombers and I’ll do more to come onside,’ which is attractive for the West whose primary problem is not Russia but Islamic fundamentalism.”

Kerry and his European counterparts might heed the sobering words of newly elected President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pedro Agramunt. He said during his first speech as PACE president at the Winter Session in Strasburg that Russia should stop backing separatists in Donbas, return control over the occupied territories to Ukraine and release Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko.

“Russia is still supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine. It should do everything possible to return these territories to Ukraine’s control. It is necessary to release [Nadiya] Savchenko,” the PACE president said. According to him, the situation in Ukraine still raises concerns and is dangerous.

“Separatist-controlled territories are remaining the place where mass human rights violations are taking place,” Agramunt said.

Finally, if skepticism persists, the free world shouldn’t discount statements by Russian officials.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov boastfully admitted that Russia would not comply with any of the free world’s expectations. He was quoted by The New York Times as saying on Tuesday, January 16, that Moscow wouldn’t budge on any of the issues that put it at odds with the world.

Speaking at an annual news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said Russia was ready to cooperate with the West, but only on what it sees as equal terms. It other words, Russia will not give into US pressure, it won’t blink first.

“There will be no ‘business as usual’ anymore, when the US and the European Union tried to impose agreements on us that were most of all in their interest, and tried to persuade us that it will not damage our interests,” Lavrov said. “This story is over.”

As for occupied Crimea, Lavrov said Russia would not negotiate the status of Crimea. “We have nothing to return,” he said. “Crimea is a Russian territory.”

The sanctions were originally designed to force Russia into withdrawing from Crimea and ensuring the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Kerry and others want to lift them prematurely. And, in view of Lavrov’s admission, will Russia be inclined to withdraw from the eastern oblasts of Ukraine? It doesn’t look like it.

Compare these statements about Ukraine with Vice-President Joe Biden’s recent observations about the escalating war in Syria: He held a meeting with the Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, according to Politico. “It is there he made known the possible new direction for US policy towards Syria. Biden said the US is ‘neither optimistic or pessimistic,’ but are ‘determined’ to reach a political solution. However, Biden also suggested the US is willing to use military force if necessary. ‘We do know that it would be better if we can reach a political solution, but we are prepared — we are prepared if that’s not possible to make — to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh.’”
Syria deserves a solution via US military intervention but not Ukraine.

Fortunately for Ukraine and the other x-captive nations, they understand their own needs. Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski, during the 9th Europe-Ukraine Forum in the central Polish city of Łódź, said Ukraine is an important ally of Poland, and will continue receiving assistance from Warsaw. “Ukraine is a sovereign nation and has the right to choose its own path of economic development and international cooperation. Poland will support it on this path,” he declared.

With little hope for genuine US or NATO political or military support for Ukraine and the x-captive nations, they are forced to be their own best guardians. The joint brigade that Lithuania, Poland in Ukraine announced they will launch in 2017 is a step in the right direction.

The three countries said last week they would mobilize 4,000 troops that would be operational next year, as the x-captive nations maintain a wary eye on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine.

“The multinational brigade is a sign, symbol and very clear signal to anyone who would want to undermine peace in Europe,” Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said in a ministry statement.

Macierewicz spoke after meeting with his counterparts from Lithuania and Ukraine, Juozas Olekas and Stepan Poltorak, respectively, in the eastern Polish city of Lublin. 

“We see this brigade as a driving force that will improve our army,” Poltorak was quoted as saying by the Polish news agency PAP. Additionally, Poland plans to establish 46,000-strong national guard in the face of war in eastern Ukraine.

Thus, Ukraine and other x-captive nations may again become the victims of a sellout of the free world that hopes that Putin will be pacified with promises of greater gains at least until he launches another invasion.

I’ve suggested this before: X-captive nations’ sinn fein.