“It is a life or death moment for us,” one Ukrainian MP told a senior western diplomat.
Ukraine is at war. It’s not a 21st century, media-driven war — or even an air war with surgical strikes — but an old-fashioned, mid-20th century land war, complete with tank battles and the intentional bombardment of civilians. For comparison, one senior western diplomat recommended I see the movie “Fury,” the Brad Pitt Hollywood vehicle set in World War II Germany, to get a sense.
It’s an alarmingly apt comparison.
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“Think of President Reagan, when he said, ‘Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,’ many people said at the time, ‘How can you possibly say that?’ But it was right.” She continued, “I cannot give you a guarantee for the outcome of the Wednesday talks or further talks, and maybe nothing will come out of it, but then we’re called upon again to think about a new possibility.”
Not the most ringing endorsement of the negotiations from the most powerful leader in Europe: war just as likely as peace. Visit Ukraine and you’ll likely agree.
