A response to Steinmeier

Among the fundamental laws of Ukrainian history, there is a simple, cruel, and merciless one: fighting for real independence of our land at the cost of our best people’s blood, we needed international support which, if provided, would have drastically reduced the number of victims in the struggle against the imperial conqueror, occupier, and aggressor. But Europe showed us indifference, unwillingness to help, and sometimes a thinly disguised hostility.

Let us not delve into history and recall the negligible effect of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky’s diplomatic efforts in 1654-57, when, after seeing through at last the essence of the annexationist aspirations of Muscovite czarism, he tried to form a pro-Ukrainian coalition of several states: Sweden, Hungary, Transylvania, some German Protestant principalities. He even pinned his hopes on the Ottoman Empire’s sultan. He failed to do so. Let us recall 1918-19, the era of Hetman Pavlo Skoropadsky and the Ukrainian National Republic. Diplomatic emissaries of the then Ukrainian leaders stayed for months and years in Berlin (during Skoropadsky’s rule), Paris (during the Versailles Peace Conference), and Rome. They wanted only one thing: political and diplomatic guarantees of the revived Ukrainian state’s security at the moment of an overt Bolshevik aggression. It is common knowledge what the key European leaders – Clemenceau, Lloyd George, and Orlando – responded with and what consequences there were. Nor were the prophetic words of Lancelot Lawton heeded in 1935.

1943… Fighting against the “brown” and “red” totalitarianism, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) unequivocally chooses a democratic way of development for the future independent Ukraine (the slogan was “Freedom to peoples! Freedom to man!”) and, relying, above all, on its own forces, is still making attempts to “build bridges” to the anti-Hitler coalition’s Western member states. There was no response from either the British or the French or the US governments. It took the OUN another 10 years to sacrificially fight in fact without any foreign support. The West proved to be “blind” again in perceiving the Ukrainian problem.

And, finally, a third attempt in the 20th century to establish Ukrainian statehood (1991) and the third glaring example of the West’s unwillingness to provide at least some real (i.e. binding) guarantees of Ukraine’s security. It is about the notorious Budapest Memorandum (early December 1994), the 20th nasty “anniversary” of which we will be soon marking. Declarations look very good, “radiate,” and thrill at the moment of peace in history. But their true worth is tested at a time of face-offs and invasions. The guarantees the nuclear states gave to Ukraine in exchange for surrendering nuclear arms proved to be politically, legally, and morally worthless. Russia’s aggression showed this all too clearly.

Our soldiers are giving their lives daily for the integrity and freedom of our state. As a matter of fact, Ukraine is making another (fifth, taking into account the times of Khmelnytsky) attempt to become a really independent state. It is in the interests of not only Ukraine, but also the entire Europe and world. Still more attention we must pay to the problem of politico-diplomatic guarantees for Ukraine which is in fact resisting Putin on its own (if we do not take into account the very important moral support. As for the sanctions that “will force Moscow to pay a much higher price,” the history of Russia shows that a nation raped and cheated by another tyrant is ready to pay a very high price. No illusions, please…).

There can be only one “ironclad” guarantee: a steady, systemic, and purposeful movement of Ukraine towards NATO membership. Only this! And, naturally, reforms – not reforms “in general” but the ones the Alliance concretely demands from us. And let us not be saddened with the German foreign minister’s statement that there is no chance for us to be a NATO member. We must do our utmost to be in the Alliance as soon as possible, as well as stop all kinds of coalition races and squabbles among the ruling political class. And, relying, first of all, on ourselves, we must say a very simple thing to Europeans: we, Ukrainians, “have proved in a way” our devotion to your ideals of democracy, tolerance, and freedom. We are dying for them daily. Should we lose, you will be next in line.”