Ján Čarnogurský: The Mistakes of the Ukrainian Elite

The Mistakes of the Ukrainian Elite

Ján Čarnogurský, Lawyer, dissident, promoter of political conservatism in Slovakia, former Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic

On Thursday (February 24) we woke up with thoughts of morning coffee, but before that we turned on the computer for news and began to pour pictures and news about the Russian attack on airports and military facilities in Ukraine. The attack follows only three days after the recognition of the independence of the Donetsk and Lugano republics. Other thoughts come to mind immediately, namely thoughts about the meaning, goals, and consequences of events.

A comparison first comes to mind. Ukraine and Slovakia gained independence at about the same time. But what a different balance we have behind us. Despite all the problems, Slovakia is an organized country, we have better relations with the Czech Republic and the Czech Republic than before independence. Ukraine is declining economically and is still fighting Russia. Once less intense, sometimes more. Directly suicidal from Maidan. The population has decreased by millions.

There will certainly be several reasons, but I will mention two. The first is domestic politics. Maidan broke out because President Yanukovych in 2013 refused to sign an economic agreement with the European Union. The problem was that if he signed the agreement and opened the borders to Western goods, Russia would close its borders with Ukraine to protect itself from duty-free Western goods. Yanukovych was overthrown, Ukraine opened its borders to the West and Russia closed its borders. Ukraine has been poorer since then and is still asking for Western financial aid. The US has invested $ 5 billion in it before Maidan (Victoria Nooland in the US Congress), but now they don't want to. After Maidan, the economic situation only worsened. Do you see Ukrainian goods in Slovakia (except for Ukrainian workers)? Politically, Ukraine has found itself in a state of civil war. The outlying territories have fallen away from it - Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk. Not because they were led by Russia. Prior to the referendums in Donetsk and Lugansk, President Putin publicly called on them not to hold a referendum, but both provinces nevertheless held a referendum. It has long been known that Ukraine consists of two different parts, eastern and western. The East is Russian-speaking, but Kiev has begun an anti-Russian policy. What we are seeing now is the next phase of Ukraine's disintegration, this time with Russian help.

The second reason lies in Ukraine's foreign policy. When the Soviet Union disintegrated and an independent Ukraine was formed, Moscow recognized it, Moscow kept all the Union's debts, and Russia was a duty-free market for Ukrainian goods. The aerospace, nuclear, and agricultural industries had natural sales. However, when Ukraine began to act against Russia, first under President Yushchenko, Russia began to close itself on Ukrainian goods. The anti-Russian course continued with the efforts to join NATO. In 2008, its entry was blocked by Germany and France. Under President Poroshenko, now Zelenský, efforts have intensified. As America cannot allow the control of the oceans by another power, Russia cannot allow NATO to come to Ukrainian territory, to its borders. Ukrainian elite does not understand? A Slovak detto. Who doesn't understand let him watch an interview on this topic with the American geopolitician George Friedman (his mother came from Bratislava), who circulates on YouTube. However, another American scientist, Sam Huntington, wrote in the famous book The Clash of Civilizations as early as 1996 that the Ukrainian government could not politics on either side of the country because Ukraine was falling apart. Ukrainian elites did not understand? And so the Ukrainian elites kicked bug after mistake and led the country into a dead end. With the effective help of American elites, or rather a deep state. Ukrainian elites did not understand? And so the Ukrainian elites kicked bug after mistake and led the country into a dead end. With the effective help of American elites, or rather a deep state. Ukrainian elites did not understand? And so the Ukrainian elites kicked bug after mistake and led the country into a dead end. With the effective help of American elites, or rather a deep state.

The southern part of Ukraine was conquered by the Russian army from the Ottoman Empire, most recently in the 18th century during the reign of Catherine II. and was named Novorossija. She received the northwestern part of the territory on the basis of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and still holds it, Crimea donated it to Khrushchev in 1954. The territories donated by the Bolsheviks did not develop lasting loyalty to Ukraine. Now they are bouncing away from her or with Russian help. Again, the Ukrainian elites should be aware of the unstable ties between the acquired territories and - say - the surroundings of Kiev. They may also have been aware of the unreliability of any Anglo-Saxon guarantees. We experienced Anglo-Saxon unreliability in Munich in 1938, Georgians in 2008 after the American hurricane into the war for South Ossetia, and Ukrainians are experiencing it now, when President Biden repeatedly emphasizes that NATO will not go to fight Ukraine. The story of Prince Daniil Haličský from the 13th century is repeated in a modified form.

The Ukrainian government pitted a large part of its own population, Russia, did not receive any significant foreign aid, and the armed phase of the conflict with Russia began.

Let the Ukrainian elites carry out a thorough review of their policies and offer a concept that can be done on their own, at most with foreign economic support. Ukraine is our neighbor, we would be involved in economic support.

JUDr. Ján Čarnogurský, chairman of the Slovak-Russian company

(Translated from Slovak)