You can listen to this plaint to Ukraine as a voiceover by clicking above. Please bear in mind, it dates from September 2022.
First published on LinkedIn on 24 September 2022.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I have had an exchange concerning my latest article with a young Ukrainian gentleman, and I don’t mean that in any way sarcastically; it was heated at times and I didn’t win and he didn’t win either. But we both reached understanding and that’s why I’m posting this. To tell people, first, that understanding is a possible outcome of a confrontation, and it is frequently the only one that works.
The young gentleman told me that the referendum establishing Ukraine’s independence in 1991—in which the people of Ukraine linked hand in hand across their country from Lviv to the capital—is very different from the referenda proposed in Donbas, and he was never more right. They are chalk and cheese.
Because the 1991 referendum was free and valid; and the Donbas ones are at gunpoint, and, so, not free or valid. But, we are, I believe, agreed on this conclusion, and I quote:
When peace is restored to Donbas, and Mr Zelenskiy or his successor has allowed a restoration of order and of the population and civic life in Donbas, he should organise a referendum to show the world, which has cheered him on in support, that he has embraced democratic principles like no leader of Ukraine ever did before.
If he keeps Donbas under martial law or some form of oppression, this will not impress anyone, not outside Ukraine, at least. And least of all the itchy, trigger-happy bastards in Moscow. That lot want the referendum for legitimacy. And you must want it for the same reason.
If you refuse it, as is your legal right, if not your moral right, and Russia attacks again, the world will ask itself, ‘Why would we support them? Each is as bad as the other.’ We support your fight for freedom, so you must recognise freedom as a paramount principle. If you don’t do that, we won’t believe you any more. These are very hard times; hardest of all for Ukraine, which I have wept for in past months. You have held your heads high, in the most abhorrent of circumstances. Below is Mr Zelenskiy in Bucha. He could barely hold back his tears. And nor could I.
But: a flood of tears will fall from my eyes if Ukraine resorts to hatred after being so wonderful all this time. Hard times, hard choices. You deserve your joy at the army’s successes. But the race is not yet fully run. The world will look on as closely in the aftermath as it did at Bucha.Well, Mr Zelenskiy did ask us not to lose interest, didn’t he?
If we outside Ukraine do not understand, then teach us. We want to learn. But, people of Ukraine, do not ask us to abandon principles that we have long since attributed to you as well. It is vitally important that you be true to the principles for which you’ve fought, and for which we have cheered you on. This I beseech of you.