None of these horrors would ever have happened if the KGB man in the Kremlin had just pondered the opening words of the Ukrainian national anthem: “Ukraine has not died.” Putin tried to kill Ukraine. He failed. Soon he will reap what he has sowed. That would be the best Christmas present, almost ever.
Yet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has already given the world a gift of truly historic value. Its form is his masterful presentation before the U.S. Congress, offered in a language that is not his mother tongue. Before travelling to Washington, Zelensky first made a perilous front-line visit to the defenders of besieged Bakhmut. Then Ukraine’s Moses crossed the Atlantic Ocean to give his sermon on the Capitol mount.
History will recall his speech less for its eloquence than for what it invoked as Zelensky channeled the spirit of Winston Churchill, another wartime leader who came-a-calling in December 1941 asking for America’s support for embattled Britain against the Nazis. In the very same spot, 81 years later, Zelensky urged the U.S. to do the same thing for Ukraine, only this time against a revanchist Russian fascism.
Overall, Zelensky’s message was one of deep gratitude. Several times he emphasized how his people thank America for standing with Ukraine against Vladimir Putin’s imperial project and genocidal agenda.
His timing was perfect. He came bearing the perfect Christmas gift for the U.S. Congress, a battlefield flag from the eastern front. And he explicitly gave thanks to all Americans — Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike, while ignoring the infantiles who made a point of not standing to applaud his words, although the majority in Congress did, and more than once.
Untroubled, Zelensky reached out to the good people of America, underscoring their country’s fundamental role in sustaining Ukraine’s fight for freedom. As he did so Zelensky also reminded everyone that Ukraine did not start this war, that all Ukrainians want is to be able to chart their country’s course without the interference of a bullying neighbour. They will fight until all the lands Russia stole after 2014 are recovered, including Crimea.
To liberate the occupied territories Kyiv admits it needs more heavy weapons of the sort Washington and other allied countries, including Canada, have been providing. Ukraine’s president was also clear that Ukraine is not asking for American soldiers to free his country. Ukrainians will do the job themselves. They will get it done sooner if they are amply supplied with Western military aid.
What does “victory” look like for Ukraine? Zelensky was clear. All of Ukraine’s territory must be recovered and all Russian troops along with their mercenaries and conscripted convicts must withdraw. Until that happens there is nothing to discuss with Putin. You do not reward a bully and should never appease a fascist. And Russia must pay Ukraine reparations for the great harm Russian aggression has caused. This is not a maximalist or extreme position. It is refreshingly straightforward and quite principled.
The coming year will be decisive for Ukraine’s future and, quite probably, for Europe. Unless the world’s democracies defend our way of life and values there will be no lasting peace or security, no prosperity or progress. And, as Zelensky made clear, the United States must lead the way simply because America is exceptional, remains the leader of the Free World.
Every day Volodymyr Zelensky is guiding his people ever-further from the domains of a Pharaonic Putin, journeying to the promised land, seeking to return Ukraine to its rightful place in Europe. Ukrainians are not there yet and hard times lie ahead. They still face a vicious enemy, abetted by naysayers and Ukrainophobes planted throughout the West. But they will get there.
(Luciuk is a professor of political geography at the Royal Military College of Canada.)