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B Carpenter - Thinking Deeply's avatar

Our hearts beat and our souls bleed for the people of Ukraine. They are showing courage and a desire for freedom and democracy beyond what many would be able to muster who have never faced what Ukrainians are currently facing. We provide what we can in support of their fight. However, it remains not enough. This is a struggle that will endure far beyond what Putin imagined and we, as Ukrainians have already shown they are, must be prepared to endure it whatever the length and however great the suffering and tragedy.

Putin mistakenly believed the world would look away. Do not look away. Do not refuse to watch and understand what he is doing. We must all be as strong as the Ukrainian people and show the world that democracy endures as an essential aspiration of all. Autocracies and autocrats will not prevail. Human spirit endures and we are ready for the struggle.

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FERN MCBRIDE (NYC)'s avatar

‘…a handful of key leaders — notably including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz — were reluctant to proceed with some of the harshest proposals.'

'Talk of barring Russia from the global financial messaging system known as SWIFT, however, stalled amid skepticism on the part of Scholz and the leaders of Austria, Italy and Cyprus, according to officials familiar with the deliberations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.'

'Then Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dialed into the meeting via teleconference with a bracing appeal that left some of the world-weary politicians with watery eyes. In just five minutes, Zelensky — speaking from the battlefield of Kyiv — pleaded with European leaders for an honest assessment of his country’s ambition to join the E.U. and for genuine help in its fight with the Russian invaders. Food, ammunition, fuel, sanctions — Ukraine needed its European neighbors to step up with all of it.'

“It was extremely, extremely emotional,” said a European official briefed on the call. “He was essentially saying: ‘Look, we are here dying for European ideals.”

Before disconnecting the video call, Zelensky told the gathering matter-of-factly that it might be the last time they saw him alive, according to a senior E.U. official who was present.

Just that quickly, the Ukrainian president’s personal appeal overwhelmed European leaders’ resistance to imposing measures that could drive the Russian economy into a state of near collapse.' (WashingtonPost)

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