Ukrainians will never accept rule from Moscow again. From this day forward, Ukrainians will redouble their efforts to join the West. You can deny their nationhood all you want — but you will never succeed in telling Ukrainians who they are. Only they can do that.
By your actions, President Putin, you have confirmed Ukraine’s pro-Western choice. You have given the biggest boost yet to Ukrainian independence and self-awareness. You have done more for this cause than the most fervent Ukrainian nationalist ever could.
The big unanswered question is how your own people will react to this war of choice. When you annexed Crimea, many Russians supported you. But all-out war with Ukraine is different. Are Russians prepared to send their sons and daughters to die for the sake of subduing a country that has not attacked them? You’ve been trying to convince them that Ukraine is populated with Nazi hordes, eager to kill — but such fictions wear thin with time. The people know that this is your war, not Russia’s. You’re the one who started it, and you’re the one whose name will remain linked with it.
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