Just as America is the land of the free, so is Ukraine. Freedom is the highest value in Ukraine.
“I want to say that with regard to the Ukrainian resistance, the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian military have been underestimated for a period of several years now,” CIA director John Ratcliffe said during a U.S. Senate hearing on March 25. “From my reflections in observing, from an intelligence standpoint, I’m convinced that they will fight with their bare hands if they have to, if they don’t have terms that are acceptable to an enduring peace.”
To understand the position of Ukrainians, it is worth drawing parallels between Ukraine and the United States. The two countries, at first glance, seem to have nothing in common. But this is not the case.
In 1776, thirteen colonies of the British Empire declared their independence as the United States of America. This was the result of Britain’s systematic disregard for the American people’s demands. At the time, the British Empire was the largest country in the world, with a huge army and dominance of the seas. This did not scare Americans, who sought to govern their own destiny. Some other European countries supported American freedom. Finally, in 1783, a treaty was signed recognizing the sovereignty of the United States.
In 1918, Ukraine declared its independence from Russia. This was the result of Russia’s systematic disregard for Ukrainian demands as well as the collapse of the Russian Empire. Russia immediately invaded Ukraine. Other European countries ignored Ukraine’s calls for help. The Ukrainian state lasted a year and a half, although the Ukrainian army resisted until 1922.
In 1991, Ukraine declared its independence again. At that time, the Soviet Union was the largest country in the world, with a huge army. This did not scare Ukrainians, who sought to govern their own destiny. This aspiration was supported by the United States and other countries. As a result of more than a dozen nations gaining freedom, the empire collapsed for the second time in a century. The Russian Federation was also formed on the imperial ruins and recognized the independence of Ukraine. In 1997, the countries signed a Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership, which, among other things, recognized the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity.
In 2014, Russia launched a military invasion of Ukraine. At that time, Russia was the largest country in the world, with the second-largest army and dominance of the Black Sea. This did not scare Ukrainians, who sought to govern their own destiny. The United States and other countries supported Ukrainian freedom. The war has been going on for eleven years, three of which have been full-scale. During this time, Russia has failed to achieve any of its strategic goals.
A close examination of these stories reveals significant parallels, despite the distance in time and space. Ukraine demonstrates the same historical path as the United States, but the United States achieved freedom in seven years, while it took Ukraine more than a century because the empire was not separated by an ocean, and the first call for international recognition in 1918 went unanswered.
One could draw some more parallels between the United States and Ukraine. First, the two countries are united by the fact that they were created on the frontier. The American frontier has become a source of inspiration and freedom for generations all over the world. Similarly, Ukraine is a frontier between the forest and the steppe, settlers and nomads, and then Christians and Muslims. Even the very name of the country indicates its frontier character. These parallels are explored in one of the most popular books in Ukraine now, The Wild West of Eastern Europe by Pavlo Kazarin, a journalist, now a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who was recently awarded the highest Ukrainian award in the field of culture and art, the Shevchenko National Prize.
The second follows from this: just as America is the land of the free, so is Ukraine. Freedom is the highest value in Ukraine.
A third important similarity, which follows from the first two, is the extremely diverse religious landscape: Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and other Christian denominations, as well as various varieties of Islam and Judaism, are the religions of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine. This polyphony was made possible by the frontier and freedom and creates opportunities for development and dialogue. No more than 5 percent of Ukrainians identify themselves as atheists, which also indicates a similarity between the two countries.
I could go on, but it’s time to draw conclusions. Perhaps these parallels can explain why Ukrainians do not give up. After all, Americans also did not give up in their War of Independence.
To understand the Ukrainian position, we must start with the fact that Putin is not fighting for territory, having its own vast territories that are undeveloped and neglected. Russia is fighting to destroy Ukrainian statehood and identity, as it did a century ago (Moscow propagandist statements of “the final solution to the Ukrainian question” are too reminiscent of the Nazis). For Ukrainians, surrender does not mean saving lives. Rather, it means losing lives, because there will be more tragedies like Bucha and Mariupol throughout the country. Those remaining Ukrainian men will then be made to storm Central European capitals under the Russian flag. Surrender is not an option for us, because it means not life, but death.
“All those who demand peace from us ignore that the price of our peace could be higher than the price of our war,” said Kazarin. So, Ukraine must resist, regardless of who our allies are and who are not. According to a recent poll made by Ipsos at the request of The Economist, 74 percent of Ukrainians think the country should continue fighting even if the United States withdraws all support.
“We intend to remain alive. Our neighbors want to see us dead. This is not a question that leaves much room for compromise.” This phrase by Golda Meir (born in Kyiv only 0.2 miles from where I was born) is being quoted very often in Ukraine now.
About the author: Valerii Pekar
Valerii Pekar is a professor at the Kyiv-Mohyla Business School and Business School of the Ukrainian Catholic University, an author of four books, and a former member of the National Reform Council.
Image: Shutterstock.