The cynicism of global politics: Ukraine’s struggle for survival

3.14ck!! This is insane!!! I’m being torn apart by the level of cynicism.  

The killing of Ukrainians is not a reason to lose money.  

Shall we make it worse? 

1991 – The USA makes an effort to keep Ukraine within the USSR. So, they admit that the USSR is an empire of evil where human rights are violated, but Ukraine must stay in it to not make life difficult for the West and not anger Russia.  

1994 – The USA, together with Russia, Britain, and China, forces Ukraine to disarm in exchange for security guarantees. (Here, I’m not absolving us; we should’ve thought more and not acted like obedient sheep, but that’s not the point now.) Each of the countries pursuing its own interests. Specifically, the USA thought that only Russia should be a nuclear power, and I think the Clinton administration understood perfectly well that this “nuclear-weapons-for-paper” deal was a scam in the style of the ’90s. So, everyone except Ukraine knew that we voluntarily gave up our asset with no adequate compensation.  

2008 – Ukraine and Georgia are effectively denied NATO membership, this time with Germany’s help. Despite all the talk about democracy and values, Ukraine is supposed to remain under Russia’s influence, whether we want it or not.  

2014 – The occupation of Crimea. The whole collective West, including the USA, but mostly through Germany’s efforts, convinces Ukraine not to resist. Again, the usual “scam” scheme: “We’ll sort it out, you just don’t shoot.”  

Oops… didn’t manage to sort it out, oh well…

Why? Because no one wants to impose sanctions on Russia and lose money. It would’ve been inconvenient to have a war in Crimea.  

2014 – Russia attacks Ukraine. Here, let’s give credit to the West – the peak of cynicism! Russia attacks Ukraine, annexes part of the territory, shoots volunteers under Ilovaisk, the economy crashes, and then Ukraine has to prove for years (!!!!) that this isn’t a civil conflict. Thousands of observers still couldn’t figure out who’s shooting. A mystery..

The Germans, French, and Italians play the role of friends for years, all while trying to help Russia destroy Ukraine’s statehood through the Minsk agreements. Why? Because it’s beneficial to them: there’s no war on their soil and gas is cheap. To achieve this, they just need to force Ukraine to not resist.  

The lives and freedoms of Ukrainians? Well, it’s not worth losing money over.  

2022 – Full-scale invasion.  

Let’s remember the predictions. Kyiv was given 2-3 weeks, and then the “situation” required help. Let’s remember the helmets instead of weapons, the HIMARS after six months of public discussions. Let’s remember all the weapons that had to be begged for and then waited for. Let’s remember that the EU is still buying oil from the Russians…  

All this mess of false values and great cynicism.  

2025 – Finally, the USA puts forth Trump’s ultimatum about presidential elections and sends the guy with the strange mining deal. So, we were attacked, our country was destroyed, thousands of people were killed, and now we’re supposed to pay for it with our resources??!  

Give up territories? Change the government to one that Trump likes? Putin’s?  

In exchange for what?  

Another Budapest Memorandum.  

The capitulation the USA is trying to impose on us now is a step toward losing our statehood.  

Losing statehood for Ukraine in favor of Moscow means genocide, dictatorship, and new wars.  

I think the USA can take its Budapest Memorandum 2.0, as well as the rare-earth metal deal, and stick it where it thought when it chose Trump.  

Zelensky is the legitimate president.  

And no one but us should care about who is in power. Not Russia, not the USA.  

Any attempt to play elections now is an attack on statehood and should be equated with treason.  

We’re facing a tough period. Possibly the toughest.  

The only plus – no more masks. No one is pretending to be brotherly peoples or talking about democratic values anymore.  

International politics is the real bottom. They’ll devour us and not even notice.

The EU and the USA are definitely not King Arthur’s knights. Democratic values break down against profits.  

And it’s right to be outraged.  

But.  

Don’t let your outrage be used.  

Despite all the actions of the West, it’s not them who are killing us.  

Our real enemy hasn’t changed.  

It’s Moscow.

Oleg Loburak

Tags: Analytics Politics Ukraine