US Legislators Stand up in Support of Belarusian People

US congressmen have stood up at the plate to defend the persecuted people of Belarus as it fights to free its country from Aleksander Lukashenko’s brutal regime.

Belarusians have taken to the streets across the country situated between Russia and Ukraine for a couple of months to protest the results of the fabricated elections that returned Lukashenko to office. Hundreds of thousands in numerous cities have stood eye-to-eye with Belarusian security police in a peaceful demonstration against Lukashenko’s despotism. Numerous photos have shown arbitrary arrests, notably of bloodied youth. His regime is closely aligned with the Kremlin, which is seen as its backer.

In response to Lukashenko’s violent crackdown and political repression following the fraudulent August 9 election, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX) Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (R-OH), Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), and Congressman William Keating (D-MA) introduced the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020. The Act would provide for the promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Belarus as well as support the aspirations of the Belarusian people to preserve the independence and sovereignty of their country in the face of the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

“The world is recognizing what the struggling—but courageous—people of Belarus have been saying loud and clear since August 9 with their massive rallies: the recent election was fraudulent, and has no credibility with anyone save Lukashenka, and perhaps Russia,” said Rep. Smith, who noted H.R. 8438 updates and reauthorizes his previous legislation enacted in 2004, 2006 and 2011 to advance and promote democracy and human rights in Belarus. “This bipartisan bill renews sanctions on Belarusian Government officials who have obstructed the country’s democratic transition. It gives much-needed support to the besieged Belarusian media, and to the IT sector. Some of the unlikely heroes of this struggle are Belarusian hackers, who have cracked Lukashenko’s firewall, and have been able to broadcast truthful accounts to the Belarusian people of the news of the day. This bill also commissions several much-needed fact-finding efforts to get a better picture of the situation on the ground. The Belarusian people are fighting to preserve the independence and sovereignty of their country in the face of the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s Russia.”  

Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Engel said, “Lukashenka has demonstrated time and time again that he is a brutal dictator interested only in the preservation of his own interests and maintaining his grip on power – no matter the cost. We continue to stand with the peaceful protestors in Belarus, who have turned out in historic numbers demanding a freer, more democratic nation and a free and fair election. With this legislation, the United States Congress once again sends the bipartisan message that the United States will not tolerate Lukashenka’s brutality and illegitimate claims to power. The will of the Belarusian people must be respected, and I am proud to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to send that message to Lukashenka, the people of Belarus, and the Russian dictator next door.” 

“We stand with the historic numbers of peaceful Belarusian protesters that continue to flood the streets to demand a more democratic country. Their voices must be heard and the Belarusian authorities using violence, arbitrary detentions and repression in an attempt to stifle their calls to chart their own future must be held accountable,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican Leader Rep. McCaul. “This Act sends an unmistakable message to the Belarusian dictator and his supporters in the Kremlin that the United States will neither accept Lukashenka’s illegitimate rule nor allow Belarus’ sovereignty to be handed over to Russia against the will of the Belarusian people.” 

Rep. Kaptur said, “As a longtime supporter of liberty in Central and Eastern Europe, I am pleased to co-lead this bill to demonstrate resolute bipartisan support for the Belarusian people against the tyranny of the Lukashenko regime. This measure will provide for robust sanctions against human rights offenders, and hopefully pave a path toward new elections and peaceful transitions of power. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to boost U.S. assistance for Belarusian civil society through upcoming spending bills. 

Rep. Kinzinger said, “I’m proud to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation that formally condemns the fraudulent August election in Belarus and shows strong U.S. support for the sovereignty of the Belarusian people. We stand with the freedom-loving people around the world, especially those who are oppressed. Our legislation calls for the crackdown on peaceful demonstrators to end, for all those who have been unjustly detained to be released, and for a transparent and fair electoral process. With foreign assistance parameters and coordination with our European partners, our efforts here can help ensure the voices of the Belarusian people will be heard.” 

Rep. Keating said, “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to affirm our continued support for Belarusians working tirelessly towards democracy,” said Congressman Bill Keating, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment. “Their asks are simple. Belarusians want a government that is accountable to the people, that adheres to the rule of law, that respects their human rights, and that conducts itself in accordance with not just European, but global standards and norms. We must pass this legislation to show the Belarusian people that we hear their calls for democracy and justice, and that America stands beside them.”

The captive nations isn’t an antiquated, cold-war concept that arose because of Moscow’s subjugation of nations near and far. Fortunately, the United States recognized Russia’s threat against the free world and memorialized the plight and fight of captive nations of Russian subjugation in the historic 1959 Captive Nations Week Proclamation. See the Summer 2020 edition of The Ukrainian Quarterly for an analysis of this document and idea.

Russia, which lost its Soviet-Communist stripes but maintains its imperial-belligerent policies, continues to threaten the free world under the false illusion that its playground includes both near and far countries. Russian-inspired wars rage in nearby Ukraine and the distant Middle East. Belarus, where freedom and democracy is under siege, is closer to Moscow.

This vital legislation reaffirms for the Belarusian people, the free world as well as Putin and Lukashenko that the United States hasn’t abandoned its righteous mission for standing up in defense of the oppressed a persecuted nations.

What a Difference 66 Years Makes

Imagine the mid-1950s in Kyiv, Ukraine. Some 10 years after the end of World War II. Most of the inhabitants of the capital of Ukraine by far actually spoke the native, national language. Usage of the language of the oppressor was in the minority.

According to the publication Ukrainian People of June 2020, Kyivites demonstrated a high degree of national pride in their language of choice. The editors came across this significant fact of Ukrainian life in previously classified research prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency on September 28, 1954.

“About 80% of the inhabitants of Kyiv use Ukrainian in their conversations. The other 20% use Russian or one of the other languages common to the USSR. Political subjects are never discussed with strangers on a train or elsewhere,” the CIA concluded.

The Kremlin couldn’t tolerate this pro-Ukrainian situation in its biggest captive nation. In 66 years, Moscow saw to it that the tables were turned to overwhelming favor Russian not only in Kyiv but also across the country. Repression, arrests, imprisonment, threats, deprecation, favoritism, resettlement and even murder significantly reduced the number of people in Kyiv who spoke or dared to speak the native language.

That’s why the new law on Ukrainian language usage adopted by the Verkhovna Rada is supremely important for preserving the Ukrainian nation, which cannot exist without its national language, the embodiment of what it means to be a Ukrainian.

Prof. Larysa Masenko of the National University of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, in the current edition of The Ukrainian Quarterly, correctly observes “In Ukraine, with a population of almost 40 million, the demographic power of the Ukrainian language, which is determined by the number of native speakers, should be equal to the power of the Polish language in Poland. However, the language situation in Ukraine is significantly different from the Polish one. The reason for this is the significant level of Russification and Sovietization of the mass consciousness of the Ukrainian people, realized during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire in both its forms – autocratic/tsarist and Communist.”

All segments of Ukraine – government, churches, hierarchs and clergy, educators, industry, media, civil society and people – must take active and proactive steps to preserve the Ukrainian language as the official, national, state language of Ukraine. This law and behavior don’t forbid or denigrate other languages or cultures. Speak Polish, Russian, Yiddish/Hebrew, etc., but also speak Ukrainian because by solely focusing on Russian, you support the persecutor of all non-Russians.

How is it in the United States and Canada? English is the language of both countries but other languages are not forbidden. They are even encouraged. Ukrainians in both countries may speak the language of their heritage. Russia is not so magnanimous to encourage Ukrainian language usage in Moscow.

One major negative pro-Russian influence on the people’s choice of language is contemporary slang. Ukrainian language usage, especially among youth – even the young people who were born in independent Ukraine – is polluted by Russian slang that has no basis in the Ukrainian culture and heritage. Pro-Ukrainian creativity is needed to overcome this trend.

Masenko also suggests: “The success of the film industry was especially impressive. In five years, the film market has been filled with a variety of Ukrainian films that have brought talented directors, screenwriters, cameramen and actors out of the shadows. National film production turned out to be quite competitive, our films began to win awards at prestigious international festivals.

“The popularization of historical events, national heroes, folk traditions, the reproduction in films of modern events from their own, Ukrainian point of view contributed to increasing the prestige of the Ukrainian language and had a positive impact on the language situation. Groups of young people who speak Ukrainian to each other are already appearing in Kyiv, and more and more Russian-speaking Kyivans are willing to switch to it in communication with its speakers.”

Now the fight for the Ukrainian language continues on the streets where it must also prevail.

Poland & Estonia Add to Roster of Ukraine Comments at @UN75

The leaders of Poland and Estonia added their voices to the roster of UN member-states that raised the issue of Russian aggression against Ukraine in their addresses this week during the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.

Noting the importance of quality relations among states, Polish President Andrzej Duda, stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine shows disrespect for international law.

“There cannot and there will not be a lasting peace in the world unless law is abided by. Our attachment to this value is mirrored by the slogan ‘peace through law,’ which we promoted inter alia during our two-year-long term as an elected member state of the Security Council. In our actions undertaken in the UN forum we are consistent in highlighting the fundamental role of international law in preserving the global security architecture. It is indispensable to ensure cooperation among states in a situation when the fundamental norms of international law are violated, for instance in case of the aggression of the Russian Federation on Georgia or Ukraine,” Duda said.

Turning to the parallel crisis in Belarus also inspired by Russia, Duda said he has appealed to the international community through the UN Human Rights Council to pay attention to the violation of humans rights in that country.

“In the name of Solidarity we should all speak with one voice and demand that fundamental human rights be respected both in Belarus and in other places across the globe. Repressions of political opponents, mass detentions of peaceful protesters or violence and torture being applied against them cannot be tolerated in any state. Belarusians, just like any other free nation, have the right to shape their political future in a sovereign way, without external interference, without domination of other capitals, with the right to freely participate in international cooperation in line with their national interests,” he said.

President of Estonia Kersti Kaljulaid, in her remarks, said “As we tackle the global pandemic, conventional and unconventional threats have not disappeared. The world around us is as unpredictable and unsecure as it was before. Take the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Syria. Or the conflict in Sahel and the recent devastating disaster in Lebanon. As well as the grave human rights violations in Belarus.

“Overall, the pandemic has even reinforced some of the consequences of conflicts, for example the health and well-being of the most vulnerable – the children, women and adolescents. The pandemic has been used as a pretext to lift sanctions or restrict humanitarian aid. New divisions have emerged. This, my friends, is unacceptable.”

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy at UN: So Long as Wound Is Bleeding, Pain will be Felt around the World

Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly for the second time in his presidency, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, denounced of the illegality of Russia’s occupation of Crimea and its aggression in Donbas and sternly warned the international community that as long as this wound in Ukraine continues to bleed, pain will be felt around the world.

In a speech today that seemed to throw down the gauntlet before world leaders, Zelenskyy challenged the United Nations to “play an important role in restoring sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, along with respect of the international law.” Furthermore, he said, “It is unacceptable when sovereignty of the independent state is violated by one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council,” implying that Russia should be brought to justice for its transgression.

“Until the wound in the center of Europe is bleeding, the pain will be felt all over the world. And the only recipe for the efficient treatment is the de-occupation of Crimea and Donbas,” Zelenskyy declared.

Zelenskyy criticized the UN member-states for becoming complacent about local, regional and global calamities. He objected that Crimea and Donbas have become “customary elements of the international landscape” where reports, conferences and protocol statements on the anniversaries of occupation have become sufficient forms international reaction.

He regretted that officials and diplomats at the UN have been hearing about Crimea and Donbas since 2014 but without results and that’s where the “biggest problem” lies. “And it is not only about the Ukrainian case; it is about all global threats to the planet, reports on which are getting longer and longer with every passing year. And what is the most terrifying is that calamities have become a new normal. The world got accustomed to horrible news. They still shock but are quickly forgotten once a new information bomb explodes on the global agenda,” Zelenskyy said.

The international order has been contaminated by “bugs” and “viruses” that have led to a new war in Europe since the end of World War II, he explained.

Referring to himself as the head of a state in which in the 21st century the Russian Federation annexed the Crimean Peninsula and head of the state, which is containing Russia’s military aggression in Donbas for the seventh year in a row, Zelenskyy seemed to be censuring other countries for their inability to contain global contaminants that have caused unrest in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Rhetorically asking what would the founding fathers of the UN say if they knew that 75 years after the establishment of this promising global organization there would be another bloody war in Europe, Zelenskyy described the pain that Ukraine is feeling: “That in Crimea human rights would be flagrantly violated, that persecutions of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars would be taking place. That militarization of the peninsula and water areas around it would be building up, which would undermine security balance of the Black Sea region. Would they change something in the UN Charter and mechanisms of the United Nations had they known that 75 years later, as a result of the war in Donbas, there would be 14,000 killed and almost 1.5 million people would lose their homes?”

Again implicitly telling UN member-states that they’re not sufficiently involved in solving problems, Zelenskyy asserted that in the past year Ukraine proved that it “really strives for peace.” He said Ukraine managed to unblock the dialogue and resume meetings of the Normandy format leaders, and made substantial progress in mutual release of the detained persons. Then, since July 27 a comprehensive ceasefire has been in place, he continued, which, “despite attempts to disrupt it, still gives hope for achieving sustainable ceasefire. And it is badly needed to keep moving towards genuine peace.”

Again turning the member-states’ inattentiveness to the consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy said “Next steps on this way should become the withdrawal of unlawful military formations and armaments from the occupied territories, return of control over the state border, and, finally, restoring territorial integrity of Ukraine within the internationally recognized borders.”

With Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, being the cause of carnage and violence in Ukraine, Zelenskyy said the prestige of that UN body could be further depreciated. Replying to his own insinuation, he assured that his country “will actively participate in its reform.” He said the Security Council should become more representative, balanced, transparent and efficient. “It is in the United Nations’ vested interest to have an effective instrument if somebody is violating and abusing the veto right and the status of the permanent member,” he said.

Zelenskyy proposed the establishment of an international Crimea platform to protect the rights of Crimeans and de-occupy the peninsula and he invited participation by allies of Ukraine.

“I also call for support of the updated resolution ‘Situation with human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine’ that will be presented to the General Assembly by the end of this year,” he revealed.

Quoting his assertion of last year that “There is no more a notion of somebody else’s war. Our planet is not that big anymore,” Zelenskyy suggested that calamities such as MH17 cause environmental damage, propaganda results in the wanton dissemination of lies that slyly border on plausibility, and diseases like Covid-19 kill arbitrarily.

“Ukraine, being one of the countries that from 2014 on actively counteracts the propaganda and information attacks, stands ready to initiate the establishment in Kyiv of the headquarters of the international office to counter disinformation and propaganda,” he said.

Finding equitable solutions is a test for all countries, Zelenskyy opined. “A race for limited resources will only exacerbate the problems. What we need is sincerity in dialogue and active solidarity, because this is where the value of multilateralism lies. We have to overcome together the most serious economic crisis of the last years,” he implored world leaders.

Zelenskyy reminded the General Assembly that every year the call for actions instead of talks has been getting louder. They testify to the crisis the United Nations, the security architecture, the health of humanity, our economies and the world as a whole find themselves in, he observed.

While the 75th anniversary of the UN’s foundation should become an impetus for transforming the organization into a more dynamic and efficient body, Zelenskyy expressed the hope that his speech next year “will come down in history as an example of returning to active multilateralism and efficient international solidarity.”

Lithuania Expresses Total Support for Ukraine in UN Speech

The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, speaking this morning during the General Debate at the 75^th UN General Assembly, expressed his country’s total support for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty in the face of aggression by Russia.

Nausėda noted that ending the Russian occupation of Crimea as well as regions of Georgia means restoring justice in the region.

Nausėda continues his country’s unwavering support for Ukraine that began with his predecessor Dalia Grybauskaitė. This example of mutual support by former captive nations of Russian subjugation should reaffirm for Moscow and the global community that Russian regional threats persist but the countries of Eastern Europe are looking out for each other’s best interests.

“Furthermore, for the sixth-year Russian forces are occupying Ukrainian Crimea and continuing military actions in Eastern Ukraine. Lithuania welcomes Ukraine’s efforts to negotiate an end to the war and calls on Russia to move closer to a sustainable political resolution. Any future agreement should fully respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity – no other solution is possible,” Nausėda said.

“My country continues to support Georgian and Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders. No occupation, be it Crimea and Sevastopol, or Abkhazia and South Ossetia, will be forgotten or forgiven! Restoring justice is the only way forward.”

The Lithuanian leader urged the leaders of the world to restore international order by investigating crimes against humanity and punishing the perpetrators “by all the available means.”

“This principle should also apply to those who intentionally break the international norms. More than a decade has passed since Russia invaded Georgia. One fifth of Georgian territory remains occupied by Russian forces in an evident violation of the international law. The situation in the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is worsening due to renewed ‘borderization’ activities, restricted movement and illegal detentions of local people,” he said.

Turning to the vital topic of nuclear energy, Nausėda, said its safe and secure development is not every country’s goal, pointing to Russia’s dangerous actions. He accused Moscow of going forward with nuclear energy development without much thoughts about a clean and sustainable future.

“We see the new nuclear power plant in Belarus as a geopolitical project aimed at maintaining Russian sphere of influence. Built without proper risk assessment and necessary consultations just 40 kilometers from our capital city, it challenges regional nuclear and environmental safety, as well as the functioning of the Baltic States electricity systems and the overall security of whole Europe,” he stated.

While the Latvian president’s remarks didn’t mention the Russo-Ukraine war, the statement did criticize Moscow for its revisionist approach to World War II.

“Concerning the wider phenomenon of disinformation, I would like to address one example. Russia’s increasingly revisionist approach, especially in the context of World War II events, is unacceptable. Russia makes continuous attempts to turn history into a disinformation tool. This goes hand in hand with continuing restrictions on democracy and free speech. We call for an independent, international investigation into the recent poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The perpetrators of this crime must be held accountable,” President of Latvia, Egils Levits, said today.

Levits also said his country is greatly concerned by events in nearby Belarus, especially the brutal repression underway in the wake of the August 9 elections.

“We call for new, democratic and transparent elections and an end to the repression of peaceful demonstrators. Latvia is currently providing medical treatment to several victims of the repressions. We also call on Russia to desist from any further interference in Belarus, so that its people can decide for themselves the future of their state,” Levits said.

“The women of Belarus especially have shown great strength and courage. Svetlana Alexievich, laureate of the 2015 Nobel Prize for literature, speaks of ‘thirst for changes, thirst for new life, thirst for honesty.’ In Latvia we still remember such thirst 30 years ago. We are always ready to share our rich experience of regaining democracy and freedom.”

Rise of the Iron Curtain and UN’s 75^th

From time to time, the United Nations, which is observing its 75^th anniversary this year, makes a noteworthy statement that properly assesses the situation in the Russian empire that also benefits Ukraine and the other former captive nations.

A few years ago the vaunted global institution located on Manhattan’s Eastside declared Russia to be an aggressor state because of its invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. (See my blogpost on December 20, 2016, https://thetorncurtain1991.blogspot.com/2016_12_18_archive.html)

The United Nations, an institution that does not readily censure a member-state as powerful as Moscow, had officially denounced Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, as an “occupier” of foreign lands just like Nazi Germany and other tyrannical empires were – my clarification.

Last week, while discussing the deplorable and dangerous situation in Belarus, Anaïs Marin, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, at the Urgent Debate on the situation of human rights in Belarus Human Rights Council 45th session, urged the global community to help the small country before an iron curtain again descends on Eastern Europe.

The reference was to the infamous iron curtain, the impenetrable barrier between East and West, between Soviet Russia and Europe, between the free world and the captive world, between good and evil, that was erected by the Kremlin at the end of World War II. It was among several visible signs of Soviet Russian oppression along with the red star and hammer & sickle.

After the war, Britain’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill coined the well-known phrase in his Fulton speech: “From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of central and Eastern Europe.”

Until 1991, when the former captive nations declared their independence from Soviet Russian subjugation, the iron curtain meant no one on the eastern side can leave the so-called workers’ paradise. Indeed, those countries’ ultimate bold move to freedom and democracy after centuries of domination was hailed by many as the destruction of the nefarious iron curtain.

I created The Torn Curtain 1991 blog in 2012 as a signal that the Kremlin’s wall has not been demolished as many regarded because Russia’s desire for aggression, belligerence, invasion, subjugation and repression has not abated. The iron curtain has merely been torn by the newly-independent states and is subject to repair by Moscow in order to perpetuate its 1,000-year-old empire.

Thus the insinuation by Anaïs Marin.

Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and other former captive nations have made their break from Russian dominance though they are regularly compelled to fight for their independence with Kyiv facing a bloody life and death battle with Moscow every day. However, the small, unfortunate captive nation of Belarus, which is administered by the Kremlin’s gauleiter Aleksandr Lukashenko, is still firmly hogtied by Russia. The Belarusian nation has been engaged is its own momentous fight for its national existence since mid-summer. Hundreds of thousands of people have faced Lukashenko’s well-armed militia with thousands of peaceful protesters beaten and arrested.

Marin said in her address that the “catastrophic human rights situation” in Belarus that continues to “deteriorate.” She charged that “the authorities have denied Belarusian citizens their legitimate right to participate in public life.”

“The whole world has seen how the repressive capacities of the law-enforcement and judicial systems are used in Belarus to harass, threaten, punish or otherwise silence any dissenting voice. Deaf to domestic and foreign calls to engage in an honest dialogue with the opposition, the Authorities cynically brought charges against members of the Presidium of the Coordination Council,” Marin stated.

She concluded by urging the free world to stand up and be counted in Belarusian nation’s corner: “I call on the authorities to shed full light on these tragic events and to guarantee the right of victims of torture to obtain redress. Given the abuse they suffered, these victims are in such a state of post-traumatic shock that they still require urgent humanitarian aid.

“Excellencies, Let’s not allow another Iron Curtain to descend on the European continent. Border closures will not stop international scrutiny. In view of the seriousness of the reported abuses, let me recall that human rights violations are not an internal affair: they are of interest to the international community. I therefore reiterate my call on the Belarusian leadership to reason, and to exercise restraint. The only possible way out of this crisis is dialogue, which must be open, honest, and inclusive, involving all stakeholders, including in particular opposition and civil society leaders.

“To conclude: Belarusian society has changed considerably over the past years, and in recent months it developed a capacity for civil resilience, and inventive ways to demand respect for human rights. Belarusians showed how eager they are to see, and take part in, democratic changes, in order to build a better country for themselves and their children.”

Marin’s statement on September 18 received a lot of media attention all over the world. Sadly, though, since then her words have evaporated amid the noise of other global issues. But they are remarkable and must be remembered along with Churchill’s prophetic homily. They are also extraordinary because they were uttered in the United Nations headquarters by a UN official. They should be remembered because they warn of another Russian-built iron curtain that can rise in Europe and enslave peoples for generations to come.

For the record, the 71st General Assembly adopted on Monday, December 19, 2016, a resolution on human rights in Crimea, titled “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine),” which was initiated by Ukraine and supported by the UNGA Third Committee. Seventy-three UN member-states, including Ukraine, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and others backed the document, 76 abstained, and Russia plus 22 others voted against it. The resolution cited four times the word “occupier” in relation to Russia’s enslavement of Crimea. Most importantly, the resolution condemned “the temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine —the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (hereinafter “Crimea”) — by the Russian Federation.” It also notably reaffirmed its “non-recognition” of Russia’s unlawful annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea after a fabricated and rigged referendum. It’s on the record for future generations to read.

Hopefully, the member-states speaking at the General Debate of the 75^th UN General Assembly that is currently underway will remember to promote the permanent freedom and independence of the former captive nations by taking a sledge hammer to Moscow’s rising iron curtain.

Do the Candidates & the White House have Ukraine’s Sixes?

Voting is not only a right, it’s an obligation. Every four years Americans participate in what has been called a peaceful revolution. Voters base their decision on many issues, depending on their personal or group likes or dislikes, some of which are clear cut and others muddled.

If you are a Ukrainian American voter or a constituent who is sensitive to the issues of the former captive nations, then your decision this November regarding your candidate of choice in the 2020 Presidential Elections is not well defined. Indeed, your congressman or senators of any political affiliation may be staunch supporters of Ukraine in its life or death war with Russia and they sponsor or co-sponsor of suitable resolutions. The candidates for political office may also often voice favorable words and phrases about Ukraine and attend local events. However, the political parties themselves, the foundations of America’s vibrant, outspoken bipartisan democracy, are not ready to formally and strongly support Ukraine and all of the adjacent issues that are important to Ukrainian Americans.

I remember when years ago, the community and its leaders would jockey for positions to have one or another plank about then captive Ukraine included in the foreign policy platforms. The late Lev Dobriansky was active in the aisles with Republicans while the late Joseph Lesawyer advocated among Democrats. Their passionate efforts were bolstered by community leaders on the local level. All in all, a political slam dunk for the community and Ukraine. Since the days of Ukraine’s subjugation in Russia’s prison of nations through its Declaration of Independence in 1991 and beyond, Ukraine saw the political light of day at least in the United States thanks to that type of well-oiled community machine. And support for Ukraine by the candidates decided their presidential fates. Remember President Gerald Ford’s lapsus linguae about the captive nations and the uproar it created?

But in the 2020 elections, the wave has not resulted in the same political inundation for the good of Ukraine as in the past.

Secretary of State Pompeo’s recent statement on Ukraine’s independence anniversary merely restated Washington’s unwavering support for a “free, resilient, and democratic Ukraine” and hopes for a diplomatic end to Russia’s ongoing aggression in eastern Ukraine. He also said the United States rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea and pledges to maintain this policy until Russia returns full control of all Ukrainian territory to Ukraine. Pompeo emphasized that friendship between Ukraine and the USA “has never been stronger.” Old hackneyed clichés that do not offer any fresh hope. While there are implied warnings to Russia, they weren’t backed up with the word “sanctions” or stronger threats and would push Moscow into submission.

Then there is the 2020 Captive Nations Week Proclamation that the President has been mandated to issue every year in July since 1959. This presidential document is meant to pay tribute to those peoples who were or are subjugated by Russian communism. This officially recognized policy greatly angered the Kremlin’s leaders who demanded that it be scratched from the record.

This year’s iteration did not mention Russia, Soviet or Communist/ism but only repressive regimes and China without any designation which one. President Trump did sign and authorize it as he should have but it lacks teeth. The last time this happened was during the heyday of President Richard Nixon’s peaceful coexistence policy.

On August 12, I posted a blog about Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential hopeful, saying that she favors Ukraine but distrusts Russia’s President Putin. It was a noteworthy remark but from 2019.

Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential candidate, soon after the Democratic Party Convention concluded, issued a statement, in which he pledged that if elected “I will make it clear to the Kremlin that it must end its aggression toward and occupation of Ukraine. A Biden-Harris administration will ensure that Ukraine gets the economic and military support that it needs, including lethal weapons, while urging Ukraine to pursue the essential reforms that are vital to its success. Together, we will work toward the celebration of Ukraine’s Independence Day as a peaceful, whole, sovereign, democratic, and prosperous country.”

As strong as Biden’s statement reads, local congressional aspirants have issued stronger comments.

But the expected political language about Russia and Ukraine has sadly been missing from a public discussion among the partisan presidential contenders and their handlers.

For the record, the Democratic Party’s official foreign policy platform did include planks about Russia and Ukraine. For example:

• President Trump has undermined our alliances in ways that our adversaries could have only dreamed of—sowing doubts about our commitments to diplomatic agreements, mutual defense, democratic values, and strategic purpose. As a result, our alliance system today faces its biggest test since the end of the Cold War. He has pushed to bring Russia back into the G7 while lambasting our NATO partners and ignoring intelligence about Russian bounties for killing American troops and other coalition forces in Afghanistan. He has undermined confidence in America’s commitment to the alliance’s Article 5 mutual defense provision, and threatened to pull troops out of Germany without consultation. In the midst of a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula, he tried to extort our South Korean allies to dramatically increase their share of alliance costs.

• Democrats commit to strengthening the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, maintaining the moratorium on explosive nuclear weapons testing, pushing for the ratification of the UN Arms Trade Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and extending New START. Just as was the case during the height of the Cold War, it’s in our interest to work with Russia to verifiably limit and reduce our nuclear stockpiles. We will build on this foundation to negotiate arms control agreements that reflect the emergence of new players like China, capture new technologies, and move the world back from the nuclear precipice.

• In the 30 years since the fall of the Berlin wall, the United States and Europe have strived to build a transatlantic community of free and democratic societies that works together to bring peace, prosperity, and dignity to all our citizens. The Trump Administration has put that dream in grave danger. Donald Trump either does not know or has forgotten who America’s friends are. He sees Europe as a foe—not a friend—of the United States. He sees Vladimir Putin’s Russia as a strategic partner—not a strategic rival. He sees anti-European Union, far-right nationalists as political allies—not destructive antagonists.

• Democrats will join our European partners in standing up to a revanchist Russia. We will not allow Moscow to interfere in our democracies or chip away at our resolve. We will reaffirm America’s commitment to NATO and defending our allies. We will maintain transatlantic support for Ukraine’s reform efforts and its territorial integrity. Democrats will lower regional—and global—threats by reinforcing nuclear arms control.

For the record on the other side of the aisle, the Republicans, probably because of President Trump’s dislike for foreign affairs, voted ahead of their national convention to abandon constructing a formal platform, opting instead to shake the cobwebs off their 2016 statement with the global issues of that day:

• In the international arena, a weak Administration has invited aggression. The results of the Administration’s unilateral approach to disarmament are already clear: An emboldened China in the South China Sea, a resurgent Russia occupying parts of Ukraine and threatening neighbors from the Baltic to the Caucasus, and an aggressive Islamist terror network in the Middle East. We support maintaining and, if warranted, increasing sanctions, together with our allies, against Russia unless and until Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are fully restored. We also support providing appropriate assistance to the armed forces of Ukraine and greater coordination with NATO defense planning. All our adversaries heard the message in the Administration’s cutbacks: America is weaker and retreating. Concomitantly, we honor, support, and thank all law enforcement, first responders, and emergency personnel for their service.

• For the people of Russia, we affirm our respect and our determination to maintain a friendship beyond the reach of those who wish to divide us. We have common imperatives: Ending terrorism, combating nuclear proliferation, promoting trade, and more. We also have a common problem: The continuing erosion of personal liberty and fundamental rights under the current officials in the Kremlin. Repressive at home and reckless abroad, their policies imperil the nations which regained their self-determination upon the collapse of the Soviet Union. We will meet the return of Russian belligerence with the same resolve that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union. We will not accept any territorial change in Eastern Europe imposed by force, in Ukraine, Georgia, or elsewhere, and will use all appropriate constitutional measures to bring to justice the practitioners of aggression and assassination.

• The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk. Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has launched a campaign, both at home and internationally, to subjugate it to agents of government. The President ordered the chair of the supposedly independent Federal Communications Commission to impose upon the internet rules devised in the 1930s for the telephone monopoly. He has unilaterally announced America’s abandonment of the international internet by surrendering U.S. control of the root zone of web names and addresses. He threw the internet to the wolves, and they — Russia, China, Iran, and others — are ready to devour it.

• Also neglected are our strategic forces, especially the development and deployment of ballistic missile defenses. The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system has been delayed and underfunded. To curry favor with Russia, defense installations in Poland and the Czech Republic have been neutralized and the number of planned interceptors in Alaska has been reduced. A New START agreement (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), so weak in verification and definitions that it is virtually impossible to prove a violation, has allowed Russia to build up its nuclear arsenal while reducing ours. Meanwhile Moscow has repeatedly violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty (a treaty agreeing to the elimination of land-based mid-range nuclear missiles) with impunity, covertly testing missiles banned under that agreement.

• The United States needs a radical rethinking of our human rights diplomacy. A Republican administration will adopt a “whole of government” approach to protect fundamental freedoms globally, one where pressing human rights and rule of law issues are integrated at every appropriate level of our bilateral relationships and strategic decision-making. Republican policy will reflect the fact that the health of the U.S. economy and environment, the safety of our food and drug supplies, the security of our investments and personal information in cyberspace, and the stability and security of the oceans will increasingly depend on allowing the free flow of news and information and developing an independent judiciary and civil society in countries with repressive governments such as China, Russia, and many nations in the Middle East and Africa.

• Cyber attacks against our businesses, insti­tutions, and the government itself have become almost routine. They will continue until the world un­derstands that an attack will not be tolerated — that we are prepared to respond in kind and in greater magnitude. Despite their promises to the contrary, Russia and China see cyber operations as a part of a warfare strategy during peacetime. Our response should be to cause diplomatic, financial, and legal pain, curtailing visas for guilty parties, freezing their assets, and pursuing criminal actions against them. We should seek to weaken control over the internet by regimes that engage in cyber crimes. We must stop playing defense and go on offense to avoid the cyber-equivalent of Pearl Harbor.

• A single nuclear weapon detonated at high alti­tude over this country would collapse our electrical grid and other critical infrastructures and endanger the lives of millions. With North Korea in possession of nuclear missiles and Iran close to having them, an EMP is no longer a theoretical concern — it is a real threat. Moreover, China and Russia include sabo­tage as part of their warfare planning. Nonetheless, hundreds of electrical utilities in the United States have not acted to protect themselves from EMP, and they cannot be expected to do so voluntarily since homeland security is a government responsibility. The President, the Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the States, the utilities, and the private sector should work together on an urgent basis to enact Re­publican legislation, pending in both chambers, to protect the national grid and encourage states to take the initiative to protect their own grids expedi­tiously.

Is it safe to say that Ukraine and the other former captive nations will be safe and secure as they continue to evolve under the watchful eyes of the Kremlin that’s ready to pounce, as it has, on any one of them? Ukraine does not occupy enough of a solid place inside the beltway’s mentality to allow me to say “yes.” It could, but it’s not obvious. There are those lawmakers that are prepared to fight the good fight for Ukraine and those that are lukewarm on Ukraine, choosing to side with Russia. Ukrainian American voters will have to ride roughshod over this issue.

The absence of such a necessary discussion at this year’s national political venues was also the target of concern for Samantha Vinograd, a CNN national security analyst and a senior adviser at the University of Delaware’s Biden Institute, which is not affiliated with the Biden campaign.

In her commentary titled “Pompeo's dangerous foreign policy messages,” Vinograd wrote, in part: “But you know what we didn’t hear much about? Russia. You’d think that someone would have spent serious time talking about the threat from Russia, which is still trying to interfere in US elections. The fact that Russia didn’t get much of a mention isn’t surprising and probably wasn't an accident – Trump probably doesn’t want to risk upsetting Vladimir Putin this close to the November election. This egregious omission speaks volumes about how this administration views foreign policy – it focuses on what’s politically expedient.”

Considering what is happening in the United States – race riots, coronavirus, unemployment, economic hardships – and around the world, Ukraine is not top of mind for politicians. However, without a nudge or two from Ukrainian American voters, Ukraine will remain at the bottom of this election year’s issues. In other words, with insufficient, credible evidence to the contrary, Ukrainian Americans’ decision on whether to vote for Biden or Trump won’t be influenced by either candidate’s support for Ukraine.

But there are 65 days remaining to Election Day.