Last week saw no meaningful help from the West to stop the Russian aggression in Ukraine. Oksana Bashuk Hepburn, a former Canadian government executive and a founding member of the Canadian Group for Democracy in Ukraine last Wednesday published a column in the Kyiv Post called “Leaders of Germany, France collaborate with Putin against Ukraine”. The New Pathway asked Ms. Bashuk Hepburn about the origins of the Western approach to Ukraine and whether Canada and Ukraine itself have done enough.
NP: The situation in the Donbas is deteriorating. Is there a crisis of the ethical dimension of the West’s foreign policy? Because the Western efforts to help Ukraine are not bringing much of a result.
O. B H: It’s certainly a crisis and a crisis on many fronts. I think the West has been very misguided in understanding Russia and the consequence of that is that Ukraine is in crisis. And whatever the West has been doing – or rather not doing – since the Maidan, is getting Ukraine and the West itself deeper and deeper into trouble. I think that the West is beginning to realize its mistake. It’s too late to save those who have died, the homeless, the mutilated, the orphans. But hopefully there’s time to save the situation from deteriorating further. The West made a mistake in not understanding Russia, in not listening to people who know Russia and that’s the Balts, Poland, and above all Ukraine.
NP: On February 22, Merkel and Holland met and after that the twitter trend has strengthened “EUbetrayedUkraine”. After the meeting they said things like “the Minsk agreements should be fulfilled by all sides, Russia will face sanctions IF (capital letters by NP) certain points of the Minsk agreements are not fulfilled”. All this after up to 200 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in Debaltseve, and dozens of civilians died along the front. Is the EU really betraying Ukraine?
O. B H: I think they are not true to their word, Merkel and Holland. And any country which is coming out now and saying “we will give Russia another chance”, after Debaltseve, is absolutely out of line. It’s quite clear that France, Germany and some other European countries have been asleep at the helm. That’s either from misunderstanding of the situation or intentional. A year of “learning” should be enough. That’s why I call them collaborators. Europe is too old a territory, it has had too many wars to be stupid politically. So, my suspicion is that someone, including the leaders of Germany and France, are interested in having peace with Russia at any cost. And that’s a very bad way of running Europe and democracy. Putin is not listening to what these people are saying, his terrorists are dying but he doesn’t care about life or law. He is laughing all the way to the bank with his $200 billion stacked away in Western banks. The only time to stop him is now, before it’s too late. It was time to stop him when Ukraine decided to turn to Europe and Putin turned like a rejected lover and is stalking and mutilating Ukraine. In a personal situation he’d get a restraining order first; then imprisonment. The West did neither. It has to lead, America is waiting for Europe to do it. If Europe is not capable of leading, Putin is reading that loud and clear and he will not stop. Merkel and Holland may think they are getting something out of these Minsk rounds, and who knows, maybe they are; certainly the former chancellor (Schroeder – NP) did when he went on Putin’s payroll. France and Germany are losing respect, Europe is being seen as a sleepy, demented old has-been. It’s not just about spreading war to Europe, think about spreading criminality. Think about being beholden to Mr. Putin like Mr. Yanukovych who had to give up 50% of his criminal take to Don Putin, to the head Mafioso. His $200 billion make him a state onto himself. Look at all of those monied Russians in Europe – they are not going to behave like good citizens. Their criminal ways will grow and infect all of the institutions we depend on in the West to be honest. It’s time for the law to step in. This the kind of appeasement of Ms. Merkel and M. Holland are proposing, they want the status quo with Russia.
NP: Is President Obama yielding to Chancellor Merkel’s pressure not to supply arms to Ukraine?
O. B H: There was considerable optimism concerning the possibility that President Obama would decide to supply arms to Ukraine. He said he would decide after the Europeans had their tête-à-tête with Putin. The talks in Minsk put a break to this, it seems.
Yes, the American and NATO’s leadership is crucial and they haven’t done what democratic minded people around the globe are wanting for them to do; what Ukraine wants. I think the US is waiting for Europe to move, but Europe is making a great mistake. I hope Britain will come to its senses and push the other European countries. I am afraid the U.S. and Canada will not move unless there is a pressure on them to do so. And the pressure has to come from Ukraine via Europe. Of course the democratic people in Canada and the U.S. – and I don’t mean just the Diaspora – are urging them to do the right thing. Ukraine is not only the Diaspora issue. Nor is it an issue just between Ukraine and Russia. And certainly not an internal Ukrainian issue as Putin claimed awhile back and some useful idiots are still repeating. It is Ukraine fighting alone for Europe’s salvation against criminality and for democratic values. Canada, Britain and Australia and others must pressure the EU first and then the US. Ultimately the buck stops with the US.
President Poroshenko’s idea to have a UN peace keeping mission is not as good as a NATO peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine. The UN, just like OSCE, has a Russian influence. We have a new kind of war; very dangerous. It requires a new thinking. And the new thought is that we have to get people who are interested in protecting democracy to go and help Ukraine. And that is NATO, whose business is to protect democracy. NATO will say that it’s not in the peacekeeping business, but it must find a way to do it. When it was created, there was no Ukraine as such. If anything it was the enemy. Now Ukraine desperately wants to be a partner. Ukraine has changed: NATO must change too. The U.S. must act too. It has a responsibility to protect Ukraine because Ukraine gave up that nuclear capacity. And it’s important to never forget: my enemy’s enemy is my friend. So President Poroshenko needs to be presidential in his requests to save his country: ask for the maximum, not little handouts. Ask for the U.S. and NATO to take this courageous new step.
NP: Do you think Canada has done enough to help Ukraine?
O. B H: Canada has been an outstanding friend. Canada is not a major power, but Canada can convince others to do the right thing. I fail to understand why a country like Canada was not present in Minsk. It is absolutely reprehensible that in Minsk there was President Poroshenko on one side and Merkel, Holland and Putin on the other, and they were doing it in Belorussia. This package was designed to undermine Poroshenko. Canada should volunteer to be at some of these talks. Mr. Harper knows how to speak loudly to Mr. Putin. And Poroshenko needs to ask.
Of course, Canada can do more. There is criticism that our sanctions were not robust enough, that some companies and individuals were not on the sanctions list. I was happy to see Rosneft on the new Canadian sanction list. However, until Russia is denied SWIFT and Putin is named a terrorist and brought before the international criminal court, we are not doing enough.
I would say that the Conservatives are doing a lot. But I don’t hear the NDP, the official opposition, coming up with adequate proposals. Apparently, some NDP members are defending Russia. Awhile back in the House of Commons an NDP member said that we should not be supporting NATO’s position against Mr. Putin. James Bezan called this absolutely shameful; against Canadian values. The NDP needs to tell Canadians if it supports dictatorship or international law.
NP: There has been some criticism that Ukraine itself is not doing enough in this situation.
O. B H: President Poroshenko has to make very clear that his interests are first and foremost pro-Ukraine. That means sanctions against Russia, breaking diplomatic relations, closing of the borders with Russia and nationalizing its companies in Ukraine, and punishment of Berkut. He also needs to ask help from his friends. Ask Canada and the US to be at the negotiation table. Ask NATO and the US to send peacekeeping forces. Perhaps Ukraine is not the country that has learned to ask. In a democracy and the world we live in, one has to ask. Israel is always asking for help that works to its benefit. Mr. Poroshenko has to argue for Ukraine.
Sometimes other countries’ interests undermine Ukraine’s interests: Germany wants Russia’s energy; Britain, Austria and Cyprus want the oligarchs’ money in their safe havens. Hungary and Serbia want Russia’s continuing support. Poroshenko must convince that everyone’s freedom is more valuable than money. There has been a lot of nonsense said about a diplomatic solution. With Russia there is no diplomatic solution; there is only slow hemorrhaging for Ukraine and disgrace for the West. This game has been played for over a year now with Ukraine. Mr. Poroshenko needs to turn the game to his advantage. Fast.
And if he doesn’t know it, let him turn to Canada and say “Look, Canada, you are close to Britain and the U.S., we want you to sit beside us, be our councilor”. There is no shame in asking for help.
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