Ukraine starts the UN - why is it silent about US

By Vlad Lupan, former Ambassador to UN

September 24, NY

Wednesday, September 25 at UN starts with Ukraine, the #1 country in US news

1. Ukraine at UN - most probably will not speak of US issues
Following up on yesterday's post, let's have as look at UN on Wednesday that start with Ukraine, a country dragged(!) right into the middle of an electoral and ethical US scandal. There are even remarks on the Twitter that Ukrainians don't understand the importance of the recent information about the pressure on Zelenski to investigate Biden's son and the whistle-blower report. Well, Nancy Pelosy announced recently that the Democrats will start an impeachment investigation, while POTUs Trump will release a transcript of one of his conversations with President "Ze". 

Obviously these continuously belittling remarks that Ukrainians (and consequently all Eastern Europeans) reminds us of the demeaning past attitudes of some Western decision makers when the Eastern Europeans had, at times, to keep silent for their reasons and other times be vocal about the Russian actions. Those very action were already once summarily dismissed by "we know better" reset-style advocates - remember Edwards Lucas', then Editor at The Economist, article in Politico explaining that? The one "Why, Oh Why, Didn’t We Listen to the Eastern Europeans? They told us this could happen" where he rights "Western countries tended to patronize and ignore the easterners. Russia was nothing like the threat of the Soviet Union, or so went the line in Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin and Washington. It was silly to pretend otherwise. The West thought the east Europeans – particularly the Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Poles and Czechs — were traumatized by their historical experience and prone to scaremongering." 
(https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/eastern-europe-vladimir-putin-107094) 

Unlike US "experts", including new ones speaking zero or close to none Russian, the Eastern Europeans are on the front line, they have already seen whatever happens in the West ten times worse in their region. And, no, not everyone of them wanted to see that or deserved it (which is another "argument" quietly mentioned years ago in some private conversations).

In this case, being silent is not being 'simple' and unlike some "twitter experts', the Ukrainians lived through their more than fair share of Manforts. Remember Manafort operating to support a tycoon, who stole from Ukrainian people, to the point they went on the streets and were shot for it?

Ukrainians were first robbed with the support of a US citizen, and they are still going through an actual real war at this very moment, while receiving military support right now from the same US and at higher levels than during US Democratic Party administration. Obama's administration started a good thing, no doubt, yet the necessary hardware was released only during GOP's administration, even with the current POTUS also "trying" jis own reset, or something like that.  So, they see very well that the political situation in US is tense and the Democrats changed their opinion towards Russia far more than before, especially after the Russian involvement in US elections. They also understand that without that involvement, the Dems standing towards Russia might not have been tough, yet not as tough as it is now. 

And I would assume that they do hope that regardless(!!!) of the administration, they can get help, while they ensure a certain level of security to Europe, NATO members, without paying a dime in contribution to NATO itself, including US troops stationed there. In fact they are buying weaponry from US. So, for them, it's a temporary political game that might not end up well for their country, as one side may decide to blame them for insufficient or excessive involvement, while they need both GOP and Dems on their side, during an actual war in Ukraine. 

I already expressed my opinion on social media that dragging Eastern Europeans in US electoral battles, because "who cares, really" it's "distant country", is counterproductive to US' image as a predictable partner, not only in Ukraine or Eastern Europe, but in the world. 

To conclude the Eastern European angle for tomorrow, Romania will follow Ukraine with more or less the same regional matters, and probably mentioning Republic of Moldova and an even older separatist conflict ignited (and denied) by Russia in Eastern regions of the Republic of Moldova, just like in Ukraine, but... in 1991-1992! This is that very case of rakes of history that I was talking about, when referring to the futile appeasement of the West with an unreformed / undemocratic and even more belligerent then before Russia.

And watch Georgia a bit later, with two separatist conflicts "not started/supported by Russia", as well as Estonia later in the day, for the same regional security reasons. The people who invented Skype, one of the leaders of online electoral voting, but of course also being the part of that group "frustrated by the past" and "lacking understanding" of whatever they need to be belittled of as well, as Eastern Europeans (though actually Nordics). Hope that ex-President Ilves doesn't get upset of what I've just wrote:) Lithuania is very active and managed to import LNG terminals from US to break the with energy dependence from Russia, to follow in the afternoon and the Eastern European angle is concluded by the Central European Czech Republic and Armenia that day.

Have a good evening!