Talking Points for Raising Awareness about Ukraine

Except for Russians, it is safe to say that most of the free world is concerned about the fate of Ukrainians as they withstand the latest onslaught of their country by Russian cutthroats.

To be sure, the international community is deeply supportive of all Ukrainians – civilians and military – as they endure wave after wave of Russian bombings of civilian targets, war crimes, murder and rape of innocents, destruction of their homes, hospitals, churches and cultural artifacts, and life-saving infrastructure.

The global Ukrainian community, especially Ukrainian Americans organized in the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), is pursuing an intensive campaign to raise global awareness about this latest installment of Russian bloody aggression against Ukraine that hopefully will culminate with Russia’s defeat and withdrawal from Ukraine.

For advice about points that should be included in written and oral encounters, I referred to Dr. Yuri Scherbak, former Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States, physician, environmentalist, writer and contributor of articles to THE UKRAINIAN QUARTERLY.

Scherbak pointed out that the fate of Ukraine is not limited to itself but rather it also impacts every free country in Europe as well as the United States. Anyone promoting Ukrainian sovereignty and independence must emphasize the interconnectivity between free Ukraine and the free world, he explained, notably America’s desire to lead its democratic allies to future greatness.

“Ukraine must remain a sovereign independent democratic state that is not part of Russia’s sphere of influence. The capitulation of Ukraine, fulfillment of Putin’s wishes, will mean a strategic defeat for the USA. America will cease to be a great power, because the alliance of Russia and China will dominate in Eurasia, Africa, and Latin America,” Scherbak explained.

Similarly, the loss of Ukraine as a loyal ally of America will open the door for Putin to occupy the Baltic states and Poland, Scherbak predicted, echoing scores of democratic national leaders’ belief. “A US withdrawal from Europe will lead to a war with China and the transformation of America into a regional power that will be subject to the dictatorial regimes of the global south,” he continued.

Turning to national political matters, Scherbak urged that efforts to support the statehood of Ukraine must include strengthening the internal political unity and democracy of the nation. The Ukrainian diaspora must express its undying support for the people and leadership of Ukraine in these trying times.

“Condemn all attempts of the current leadership of Ukraine to deepen the split through repression against the opposition and against part of the military leadership, which can have tragic consequences. Confirm the need to hold democratic elections after the conclusion of the armistice,” he said. “Emphasize the solidarity of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America with the Ukrainian nation that is resisting Russia’s bloody aggression, and express the hope that the American people will support Ukraine’s independence.”

Finally, the homicidal, genocidal mission of Russia can’t be underestimated. “The genocidal nature of Russian aggression attempts to destroy the Ukrainian nation, language, religion, history. It is very important for the American people to know this.”

“You, Ukrainian Americans and Americans, can’t be silent,” Scherbak declared.

Raising awareness is not difficult. All it requires is the genuine humanity and ability to speak and write.

Sad State of Affairs

There’s a Ukrainian adage that in its English translation reads:

You can’t show a blind person;

You can’t tell a deaf person;

You can’t convince a dunce.

That in essence characterizes the current White House Administration.

President Trump and his Cabinet have jumped into the deep end of the pool with their half-baked ideas about ending Russia’s war against Ukraine. Sadly, the proposals benefit Russia but not Ukraine because so far President Zelenskyy has not been invited to sit at the conference table.

A host of experts have been pointing out to Trump that his views about Russia, Russian aggression and the current Fuhrer are wrong and dangerous. But he stubbornly has not accepted them. He continues to place Russia’s aggression and Ukraine’s defense on an equal plane. Both presidents are equally guilty, he believes. Both require equal global compassion, he adds.

On the other hand, the international community, notably Europe and the former captive nations of Russian subjugation, are justifiably deathly afraid of Moscow and are convinced its tanks and cutthroats will press westwardly if they’re not stopped in Ukraine. This belief has not had the slightest impact on Trump’s policies and behaviors.

Six European countries and two regional agencies issued on February 12 a statement that assesses their point of view about regional security in the face of Russian aggression against Ukraine. The signatories, 

Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, the European External Action Service and the European Commission, declared among other points: “We are ready to enhance our support for Ukraine. We commit to its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s war of aggression. We share the goal to keep supporting Ukraine until a just, comprehensive and lasting peace is reached. A peace that guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own.”

The salient thoughts herein are “just, comprehensive and lasting peace” that “guarantees the interest of Ukraine and our own.” These countries understand that a peace that doesn’t safeguard their peace and security along with Ukraine’ is meaningless in the face of never-ending Russian aggression.

The former captive nations of Russian subjugation are also understandably stalwart supporters of Ukraine. They know what it means to be an inmate in the Russian prison of nations so they’re offering it military supplies, even jeeps, to defend itself and all of Europe against Russian invasions. Estonia, a “David” compared to Russia’s “Goliath” rises to the top of the list.

Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna, warned in a speech before the country’s parliament on February 11 that Russia remained a serious and a long-term security threat and that both NATO and the European Union needed to shape their policies for containing Russia accordingly.

“It was only recently that many European leaders said they should have listened to the Baltic States when we warned about the growing threat of aggression in the east. Today we say: listen to us now as well. Our freedom is at stake; keeping it requires victory in Ukraine, containing the aggressive Russia for a long time, strengthening our alliances and a more confident Europe.” 

Tsahkna noted in an article in Estonian World that the Russian dictator, Vladimir Putin, had not changed his goals and still wanted to subjugate all of Ukraine and fundamentally restructure European security. He emphasized that no one wanted peace more than the Ukrainians; however, peace must be just and lasting.

“In light of this, the democratic world must ask itself – will we allow the threats to grow until it is too late, as was done in the 1930s, or will we resolutely take a stand to defend our values,” Tsahkna said. “It was only recently that many European leaders said they should have listened to the Baltic States when we warned about the growing threat of aggression in the east. Today we say: listen to us now as well. Our freedom is at stake; keeping it requires victory in Ukraine, containing the aggressive Russia for a long time, strengthening our alliances and a more confident Europe.” 

The citation about who should have listened to who is quite relevant taking into account that Ukrainian freedom fighters, members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), who emerged after the end of World War Two eight decades ago, warned the United States and the free world that the war is not yet over because Russian imperialism is threatening Europe with death, destruction and captivity.

In a speech by Marta Kos, European Commissioner for enlargement, on behalf of High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas of Estonia at the European Parliament plenary spoke about the three years of Russia’s war of aggression.

“How many times, after the Second World War we said, ‘never again.’ Then, we had a war in the territory of former Yugoslavia.  

“Soon, we will mark three years since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  

“President, Honorable Members of the European Parliament, 

“This is a sombre milestone. During these three years, the Ukrainian people have endured unimaginable hardship: families have been torn apart, and many lives have forever changed. 

“Three years of children learning to read in underground schools. Three years of people worrying about their loved ones. Three years of running for shelter almost every night.  

“But through the darkness, the Ukrainian people have shown impressive bravery and resilience. Ukrainians have stood together to defend not only their land, but also their values, their freedom, and their future. A future that they see as a member of the European Union.,” Kallas stated.

The Estonian official went on to say: “Ukraine needs our continued political, economic and military support. Ukraine’s fight is also our fight – for a Europe that values justice over aggression, and unity over division. By supporting Ukraine, we are also safeguarding the very foundations of European peace and security. Together, we must remain resolute…

“The European Union has taken resolute steps to support Ukraine – and our commitment must not waver. Ukraine deserves just peace: we must put Ukraine in a position of strength, especially ahead of potential discussions to end this war of aggression…  

“Ukraine will need strong, credible, long-term security guarantees to deter future attacks…

“And the European Union is preparing further sanction packages to further hamper Russia’s ability to wage this war… 

“At the same time, we will continue supporting Ukraine implement the necessary reforms in their path towards the European Union. This is where they belong…  

“The Ukrainian people are undertaking tremendous efforts under very difficult circumstances, and the European Union should recognise this. This is the merit-based nature of the European Union enlargement policy: we should match their efforts and open the first negotiations cluster – the cluster on fundamentals – as soon as possible this year…  

“Our European message to Ukraine is clear: Ukraine is part of our European family, we will stand with you, and we will bring you in the European Union, where you belong.” 

The statements, comments, pleas and facts are out there so all you have to do, Mr. President, is open eyes, ears and heart and read them and, if you have an ounce of decency, you’ll see the errors of your ways.

Ukraine is on the Verge of a Catastrophic Betrayal

Throughout its misunderstood and despised history, Ukrainians were deprived of their own existence and nation-state by well-intentioned but naïve allies, benign foreign rulers and malevolent despots, who were propped up by homegrown supplicants.

No foreigner took the time to learn about Ukrainians, to understand them, their history and legacy, their aspirations. Ukrainians’ brief periods of self-determination were frowned upon by all because they demonstrated the Ukrainian nation’s undying will and ability to periodically stand up to a range of recognized dictators, all of which had political and commercial relations with the so-called benevolent international rulers.

In 1991 the Ukrainians proclaimed an independent and sovereign Ukraine and set out to chart its own future, separate from its subjugator, Russia. The ensuing three decades was still insufficient time for the international community to delve into the meaning of Ukrainian.

Russia, to be sure, was not wasting its time but rather planning to rebuild what it believed was only its temporarily lost empire. It believed that Ukraine would be returned to the Kremlin’s fold one way or another. That fateful moment came on February 22, 2022, when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, eight years after illegally invading and occupying Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk.

After some seventy years of expressing its support for Ukraine and the other captive nations of Russian subjugation, Ukrainians and other nations actually believed that the United States of America would eagerly stand up for Ukraine. The newly independent captive nations quickly assumed their rightful positions alongside Ukraine. They were joined even by the United States – until now. It was unthinkable that a Republican Administration in the White House would abandon Ukraine in its existential war against Russian invaders. But it’s happening now.

President Donald Trump and his Secretary of State Marco Rubio have toned down America’s support for Ukraine by disparaging Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty, openly stating that Ukraine’s return to the Russian fold is of no consequence. The current White House is willing to undertake peace negotiations with Russia without Ukraine’s participation. It has offered to sell its support for Ukraine’s freedom for the billion-dollar price tag for its natural resources.

Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense, who also doesn’t shine with intelligence about Ukraine, has categorically ruled out granting Ukraine NATO membership as a security guarantee to end Russia’s war. Some have argued that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would be the least expensive way to assure regional peace and stability.

Ukraine’s desired return to its pre-2014 borders and membership of NATO are “unrealistic” goals that should be excluded from any future peace settlement, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told allies on Wednesday, February 12, as he emphasized that Trump's intent to end Russia’s war “by diplomacy.” Hegseth’s remarks came at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. More than 40 nations were represented.

"We want, like you, a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective. Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,” Hegseth told his counterparts. “A durable peace for Ukraine must include robust security guarantees to ensure that the war will not begin again. This must not be Minsk 3.0,” he added, referring to the unsuccessful agreement that failed to end the Donbas war.

Reportedly, a few hours later, Trump said he and Russian fuhrer Vladimir Putin had agreed to begin negotiations on ending the Ukraine war. In a social media post that upended three years of US policy toward Ukraine, Trump disclosed a call between the two leaders and said they would “work together, very closely.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office said Zelenskyy and Trump also had a phone conversation. The Ukrainian president is convinced that nothing will convince Putin to end the war.

Taken together, the statements by Trump, Hegseth and other White House officials offered the clearest look yet at how the new GOP Administration might try to end Europe’s largest land war since World War Two. Ukraine will simply be betrayed. It is striving to end the war in the easiest way possible, without consideration for the fairness of the conclusion. Will it be peace with justice, with strength, for all times?

Certainly, no. And the current White House Administration doesn’t care what kind of peace it will win so long as the President can declare that he said he’d do it, and he did.

It is important to comprehend what the United States is advocating – international theft is permissible. If a malevolent country invades its neighbor and illegally occupies acres and acres of farmland, destroys cities, and kills innocent men, women and children then it is alright to surrender permanently that real estate to the invader – for the sake of peace. Any superficial student of history would quickly realize that the sought after goal of peace is ersatz. Russia would certainly press westward, seizing more and more oblasts of Ukraine until it reaches the Polish border. And then what?

The White House Administration has turned a blind eye to Russia’s ongoing bombardment, destruction and killings. President Zelenskyy called on Western partners to apply more pressure to Russia after the latest overnight ballistic missile and drone strike killed at least one person and set multiple fires in the capital Kyiv.

“Apartment buildings, office buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “All our services are working on the ground, helping people and eliminating the consequences of this terror.”

“Unfortunately, as of now, one person has died in Kyiv,” he added. “Four more were injured, including a child. My condolences to the family and friends.”

Ukraine’s air force reported downing six out of seven ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih – Zelenskyy’s hometown. The air force said Russia also launched 123 strike drones into Ukraine, of which 71 were shot down and 40 were lost in flight.

Russia plans to exert long-term regional dominance by establishing its own lebensraum, a trading bloc to counter the likes of the European Union, but Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine has hampered that vision, a leaked Kremlin report alleged, according to Kyiv Post. The report also acknowledged Western sanctions have driven the Kremlin’s former allies away from its grasp.

The Financial Times (FT) said the details were outlined in a presentation “shown at a strategy session led by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin last April,” with high-level figures in attendance that included “several dozen senior government officials and top executives at some of Russia’s largest state companies,” as well as some Kremlin hardliners such as far-right philosopher Aleksandr Dugin.

The FT did not disclose how it obtained the documents, and Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of the content.

According to the FT, Russia sought to create a Moscow-led, trade-oriented Eurasian “macroregion” to restore its global influences – a bloc that would also connect the Global South by granting each side access to raw materials, as well as developing financial and transport The envisioned bloc would also have an ideological element, which would share a common “world view... where we write rule for the new world [and have] our own sanctions policy,” the report allegedly states.

The bloc, as per the Kremlin’s vision, would eventually counter other economic blocs, including those of the US, the EU, and Moscow-ally China.

It is evident that Putin hasn’t abandoned his broader goal of redrawing the balance of power in Europe three years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Estonia’s foreign intelligence service warned in a yearly report. A temporary ceasefire in Ukraine risks giving Putin a chance to “catch his breath” before resuming his war on Ukraine in pursuit of that goal, said the Estonian report, published Wednesday, February 12. His pre-invasion demand that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization roll back from eastern Europe still stands, it added.

The Baltic nations on NATO’s eastern flank are staunch supporters of Ukraine. Estonia, which borders Russia, has blamed Moscow’s intelligence services for a spate of acts of vandalism in recent years and ramped up defense spending.

“Putin likely views a resolution to this conflict as achievable only through a Yalta style agreement – that is, dividing Europe into spheres of influence,” the report said, referencing the meeting between US, UK and Soviet leaders to reorganize Europe’s borders and security architecture after World War II. 

In order to discourage military support to Ukraine, Russia will stoke “fears of a nuclear winter” in Western societies this year, the intelligence agency said. It added that Moscow is “highly unlikely to use nuclear weapons” against Ukraine, but “observing how the fear factor has restrained the West thus far,” will exploit it to the fullest. 

And all of this could happen on Donald Trump’s watch but Trump certainly has not read any of this nor does he care.

White House Dealmaker Doesn’t Care about Ukraine

On the eve of a major European conference, at which Ukraine’s existence will be discussed and perhaps decided, President Trump has lived up to his reputation of a shrewd dealmaker but, sadly, he also revealed that he doesn’t care about Ukraine.

The White House has dispatched a high-level delegation, headed by Gen. Keith Kellogg, its point man on issues pertaining to Ukraine and Russia, and Vice-President J.D. Vance, to the Munich Security Conference that will be held February 14-16 in its namesake German city.

Yesterday, February 10, Trump, who has never clearly stated his support for Ukraine but rather has tended to favor Russia, expressed his lackadaisical opinion about Ukraine’s independence. Nonetheless, regardless of Ukraine’s victory or defeat, he wants compensation for the aid America provided Ukraine to turn back Russian aggression. He’s cashing in on a money-back guarantee.

“They (Ukraine) may make a deal. They may not make a deal. They may be Russian someday, or they may not be Russian someday. But we’re going to have all this money in (Ukraine) and I say, I want it back," Trump said in an interview with Fox News host Bret Baier.

Apparently, the American president doesn’t respect America’s partners and allies and the captive nations that it pledged to support in numerous proclamations since the height of the Cold War.

Trump had pledged during the presidential election campaign to broker a swift peace deal to end the Russian war against Ukraine that is nearing its third anniversary, claiming that the conflict would have never happened if he had been in office in 2022. 

Earlier, Trump indicated that he would be interested in ensuring US support for Ukraine in exchange for its rare earth minerals in a $500 billion resource deal. Trump claimed that Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy has “essentially agreed” to the deal.

“I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth (minerals), and they’ve essentially agreed to do that,” Trump said.

Ukraine has already signaled it is open to developing a partnership in resource extraction with the US and other partners in exchange for security guarantees, but details are lacking.

In the world of high-stakes foreign politics, such haggles aren’t unusual, especially between halfhearted partners. However, in the case of Washington and Kyiv, in the past three decades surely and since the end of World War Two, there has been an explicit and implicit understanding that the United States supports Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. Since Russia’s latest invasion of Ukraine three years ago the level of this support has been greatly magnified – except in the dealmaker’s mind. If President Zelenskyy wants to see Ukraine independent and sovereign, he will then have to buy assurances on the open market.

Trump’s flippant comment about Ukraine becoming Russian or not was not lost on the Kremlin leadership. Putin et al picked up on it right away.

Kremlin’s chief public liar Dmitry Peskov said a day later that the situation in Ukraine “largely corresponds to President Trump’s words.”

On Tuesday morning, Peskov said Trump’s remarks indicated the situation on the ground in Ukraine – often referred to by Putin and other Russian officials as the “new territorial realities” of Russian military occupation.

“The fact that a significant part of Ukraine wants to become Russia, and has already, is a fact,” he lied in talking to reporters, referring to Moscow’s 2022 illegal occupation of four Ukrainian regions. “Any phenomenon can happen with a 50 percent probability – either yes or no.”

The Russian war against Ukraine is continuing. Its mission is to fulfill President Trump’s ill-fated words about Ukraine becoming Russia. That’s the way it is today and that’s the way it’s been for centuries. Russia wants Ukraine to be included in its prison of nations. As the late Zbigniew Brzezinski, foreign policy and national security adviser to US presidents, observed, “It cannot be stressed enough that without Ukraine, Russia ceases to be an empire, but with Ukraine suborned and then subordinated, Russia automatically becomes an empire.”

Trump should also stop whitewashing Putin and Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. In an article in the New York Post after speaking with the Russian fuhrer, Trump said, “He wants to see people stop dying. All those dead people. Young, young, beautiful people. They’re like your kids, two million of them – and for no reason.”

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Ask the International Criminal Court, ask the parents of murdered Ukrainian children, ask the people about their killed in action sons and daughters. Russians’ rape and killings continue.

On the night of February 11, Russian cutthroats launched 124 drones and up to 18 cruise missiles at Ukraine.

Another Naive Official Named to Resolve Russian War in Ukraine

President Trump is hard at work trying to fulfill his campaign promise to end Russia’s war against Ukraine in days, which sounds as ridiculously empty as Putin’s claim at the start of the war to seize Kyiv in a couple of days and all of Ukraine in a couple of months.

Trump on Feb. 3 officially appointed retired Gen. Keith Kellogg as a special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, Voice of America and other news media reported. “We made a lot of progress on Russia-Ukraine,” Trump was quoted as saying after signing the decree without providing further details. Truthfully, there are no further dertails.

Kellogg joins a fraternity of White House officials that don’t know Ukraine, its people and history, and the extent of Russia’s hatred for Ukrainians that has led it to invade again its peaceful neighbor the last time three years ago. But they were nonetheless given this important post.

Earlier, when Kellogg’s name was first bandied about in the news media, a headline for an RFE/RL article read: “Trump Able to End Ukraine War In ‘Months, Not Years,’ Aide Keith Kellogg Says.”

US officials would be making another fatal mistake if they were working against a timeline to end the war. If haste is their goal, then all Trump, Rubio and Kellogg have to do is convince President Zelenskyy to drop his guns and the war would be over in the next minute.

However, if the White House is interested in fairness and justice, then the Administration will have to apply itself toward that higher goal.

Beyond working for previous White House officials, there is no evidence that Kellogg knows anything about Ukraine, its history or the reason for this or any other war from the Kremlin’s point of view.

Word Inside the Beltway indicates that the American President intends to meet with Putin to pave the way for negotiations. This would be another obnoxious or naïve step in the race to bring the war to an end.

In an interview published on February 1 by the Associated Press, Zelenskyy said that direct talks between Washington and Moscow without including Ukraine could be “very dangerous.” The fifth president of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko, had succinctly and rightly observed: “Nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine.”

Zelenskyy said Trump and Putin “may have their own relations, but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone.” Zelenskyy also said his team has been in contact with the Trump administration at a “general level,” but he said he hopes face-to-face meetings will take place soon.

Kellogg opined that the war can be resolved within the “near term,” which he defines as 100 days out from the inauguration, and said it was his personal and professional goal to help Trump broker a solution by that point.

In addition to a slew of errors in thinking about this war, the biggest of all is that the United States believes both Ukraine and Russia are equally culpable, that the perceived transgressions are equal, that there are no criminal actions, that there is parity.

That line of thinking will not bring peace to the region. It will not unveil a sustainable peace in the words of Secretary of State Rubio. Indeed, he seems to be rather aware of the repetitious wars against Ukraine that have been launched by Moscow for centuries.

The late Bishop Desmond Tutu was correct in stating that if you are neutral – even when endeavoring to resolve a conflict – you choose the oppressor. The White House is playing the ill-fated neutral hand which will only benefit Russia just like meddling in Ukraine’s elections. Only Ukrainian laws, lawmakers and electorate can decide that question.

Sadly, Russia’s war against Ukraine will likely continue even after a ceasefire, turning the region into a hotbed of bloodshed like the Middle East. The free world tried to hogtie Germany into submission as punishment for World War One only to spur it to commence World War Two. Israel can’t once and for all rid itself of its historical enemies.

Russia also has an insatiable appetite for aggression and imperialism and a deep, ancient hatred for Ukraine and Ukrainians. To achieve even a semblance of peace in Ukraine and neighboring x-captive nations, the United States must continue supplying weapons to the region so that the threatened can demonstrate their genuine prowess against Russia. Washington must also sit on Ukraine’s side of the table when and if negotiations with Russia begin and strongly support only Kyiv’s position. Russian cutthroats must evacuate to Russia, its war criminals must be apprehended reparations must be paid. Even if Russia enjoys the support of Iran and North Korea, Ukraine has on its side old Europe and Eastern Europe, Canada and the United States, which should be enough to immobilize Russia and its bloodthirsty plans.

Such a militarized, polarized world may unfortunately be the only workable solution to Russia’s desire to invade Ukraine every decade. The other would be to annihilate Russia.

United Nations Takes Note of Russian ‘Alarming’ Murders of Ukrainian POWs; Ukrainian Officials Identify Severed Head of Murdered Ukrainian Soldier

I’ve been writing about the latest Russian war against Ukraine since Moscow’s cutthroats invaded Ukraine in 2014 and occupied Crimea, Luhansk and Donetsk. War is hell but Russia’s behavior in Ukraine during the past decade at least is appalling and inhuman.

Two categories of premeditated Russian crimes against humanity, specifically the Ukrainian part of it, stand out as especially heartless and merciless. One is its rape, theft and killing of children. The other one, which I’m addressing in this blog, is its execution of captured Ukrainian soldiers, in other words prisoners of war who are granted internationally recognized protection. International humanitarian law prohibits the killing of prisoners of war and the wounded and regards it as a war crime.

The United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission has taken note of these particularly heinous crimes.

It recorded an “alarming rise” in reported executions of Ukrainian soldiers captured by the Russian cutthroats during the war in recent months, it said on Monday, February 3.

The mission in Ukraine said it had received reports of 79 executions in 24 separate incidents since the end of August 2024 – a half a year.

“Many Ukrainian soldiers who surrendered or were in physical custody of the Russian armed forces were shot dead on the spot. Witness accounts also described the killings of unarmed and injured Ukrainian soldiers,” the UN mission said in a statement.

Commenting on the report, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the Russian atrocities demand urgent international action and condemnation.

“Russia’s horrific executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war demonstrate that Ukraine confronts true beasts,” he said on X. “We need new and effective international legal tools, and concrete steps to hold the perpetrators accountable.”

The Russian defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the UN admitted naively.

The UN body obtained and analyzed video and photographic material published by Ukrainian and Russian sources showing executions or dead bodies and conducted detailed interviews with witnesses. It said the reported executions took place in areas where Russian offensive operations were underway. Some Russian cutthroats have been seen taking selfies of themselves killing Ukrainian POWs.

Danielle Bell, head of the mission, said some Russian officials “have explicitly called for inhumane treatment, and even execution” of captured Ukrainian soldiers.

The Ukrainian prosecutor’s office earlier said it was investigating dozens of cases of executions of Ukrainian military personnel by Russian forces. Earlier, Russians were recording beheading and castrating Ukrainian soldiers, the latter crime was perpetrated to reduce the Ukrainian birthrate.

How can the Ukrainian government sit across a negotiating table and talk with them about a cessation of hostilities? How can President Trump and Secretary of State Rubio pay the Russians any respect. They wouldn’t show any deference to Nazis in World War Two, would they?

FOLLOW UP: The Kyiv Independent reported that Ukrainian officials identified the body of a beheaded Ukrainian soldier. A photograph, circulated on the Internet by Russians shows the severed head of a Ukrainian soldier being held, presumably, by a Russian soldier.

The National Police will conduct investigations to clarify the circumstances of the incident, locate the body, and gather further details, Artur Dobroserdov, the commissioner for Persons Missing in Special Circumstances, said on Feb. 3.

“We urge you to refrain from spreading unverified information and trust only official sources of information,” he added.

Ukrainian authorities have documented widespread violations of the Geneva Conventions by Russia, including the execution of 177 captured Ukrainian soldiers as of mid-December 2024. Cases of Russian forces decapitating Ukrainian troops have also surfaced in June and August 2024.

No Negotiations with Russia; NATO Membership is a Must

Ukraine is not a nation or a country whose sole place in the 21st century is on a stage impressively performing folk and classical music and songs or dancing world-famous choreography. Ukraine has been wrongly and dangerously deprived of its rightful place under the sun for far longer than other righteous and unrighteous peoples which has created a lopsided global political constellation of independent nation-states. To be sure, independent Ukraine has a great deal to offer the international community.

The malicious gatekeepers that have traditionally been the historical enemies of the Ukrainian nation, which for their own national selfish reasons kept immensely naturally rich Ukraine shackled in a dungeon, are tsarist, communist and Putin’s Russia, Austro-Hungarian empire, Nazi Germany, Poland, Hungary and a few others. On the benign side we find countries that support Ukraine but not wholeheartedly due ignorance or confusion about Ukraine such as the United States, and the other NATO member-states.

Today the Ukrainian nation is again embroiled in a war for its existence, which is fast turning into the biggest war on the European continent since the Allies defeat Nazi Germany. The unfortunate but well-known external scenario is repeating itself: the usual allies are more or less advocating for Ukraine with the exception of its Eastern European allies that have experienced Russian aggression and subjugation while the enemy, Russia and its confederates, Belarus, North Korea and Iran, are brazenly seeking Ukraine’s defeat, re-subjugation and eradication. 

And herein lies the quandary about Ukraine’s future. What can the free world do to preserve Ukrainian independence, sovereignty and indivisibility without too much collateral damage? As for Russia, the Kremlin doesn’t care about its image so long as the geographic territory and people known as Ukraine and Ukrainians are its captives regardless of the collateral damage.

Does the free world want to see Ukraine free and mighty, allied with its side regardless of the consequences or not? Russia certainly doesn’t care about the consequences so long as its goals are reached. Thus, it is regularly bombing civilian residences, hospitals and infrastructures and killing unarmed Ukrainian men, women and children not to mention prisoners or war.

Since the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, the Kremlin hasn’t diminished its deadly air attacks against civilian targets in Ukraine. Among its recent targets has been historic Odesa, the Ukrainian city on the Black Sea. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said the center of Odesa, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was among the areas hit during the assault.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Odesa’s grand historic opera house and the five-star Hotel Bristol, a landmark constructed 19th century, were damaged during the shelling. Zelenskyy added that Norwegian diplomatic representatives were in the epicenter of the attack but avoided harm.

Later this month, the latest Russian war against Ukraine will have lasted three years. By anecdotal accounts, the war, which early on attracted the attention of the mainstream media, now has fallen off their front pages and evening telecasts. Ukraine may be restocking its arsenals due to the good will of allies, but Russia continues to be unrelenting in fulfilling its coldhearted mission. Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine’s permanent representative and ambassador to the United Nations, testified in the Security Council that Russians believe that Ukrainian soldiers and civilians do not deserve to live and must be killed.

The non-combatant bloodshed and unrestrained destruction of cities and farmlands have prompted many outsiders to raise the clarion call for an end to the war, a ceasefire and even surrender of temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory to Russia. For them it matters not how the war ends. They just want the shooting and bombing to end. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are part of that ignorant, naïve and dangerous fraternity. Surely, Washington would not agree to surrender an acre of American land to Hamas or another Islamist terrorist group.

For Ukrainians and its strongest advocates, regional peace is not a cheap commodity. As was demanded by some during the Vietnam War, Ukrainians also today insist on peace with victory, peace with honor.

President Zelenskyy, who talks about peace more than Putin and some other leaders, understands that a cessation of hostilities between Ukraine and Russia, a ceasefire, cannot be merely a declared intention but a realistic and moral conclusion. And the onus of fulfillment is not Ukraine but rather Russia. Since Moscow invaded Ukraine and has been waging war on its fertile black soil for nearly 36 months, it first and foremost must stop shooting, pack up its weapons and cutthroats, and return to Russia. There is no justifiable reason for negotiating anything with the aggressor. Countries that are suggesting discussions are playing into the hands of the Kremlin. Putin knows based on the Trump’s behavior that the United States will strongly endeavor to force Ukraine to make concessions to wrongly placate Moscow.

However, Zelenskyy understands that the concept of a tripartite meeting about the war might be a deal breaker. Even though Ukraine is firmly sticking to the adage of “nothing about Ukraine without Ukraine,” Trump said his team is already engaged in “very serious” discussions with the Russian side on how to end the war in Ukraine.

Talks about the war that do not include Ukraine are “very dangerous,” Zelenskyy told the news media. “They may have their own relations but talking about Ukraine without us — it is dangerous for everyone.”

Zelenskyy said the first step for Ukraine is to hold a high-level meeting with Trump, so that Kyiv and Washington can develop their own plans for a ceasefire. Then the parties can move on to discussions that involve Russia.  

“I believe that, first and foremost, we (must) hold a meeting with (Trump), and that is important. And that is, by the way, something that everyone in Europe wants,” Zelenskyy said.

If I were asked, I believe Ukraine should squeeze Russia until it crawls to the negotiating table and surrenders unconditionally, like Nazi Germany did in 1945.

As for the future, all thinking pundits know Russians will never abandon their dream of capturing and subjugating Ukraine. To protect itself, Kyiv must promote the idea of NATO membership for Ukraine as the “cheapest” possible security guarantee.

“I really believe that these are the cheapest security guarantees that Ukraine can get, the cheapest for everyone,” Zelenskyy said. “It will be a signal that it is not for Russia to decide who should be in NATO and who should not, but for the United States of America to decide. I think this is a great victory for Trump.”

Hopefully he’s listening.