Ukraine praying that three years of bloody sacrifice is not in vain

A parishioner prays in St. Volodymyr's Cathedral in Kyiv on Sunday (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)

On this occasion Boris has called it right and makes Trump look even more foolish than we thought possible.

Even Donald Trump’s mother, Mary Anne, was once quoted as saying: “Yes, he’s an idiot with zero common sense, and no social skills, but he is my son. I just hope that he never gets into politics. He’d be a disaster.”

His mother’s damning, accurate assessment of her son’s serious limitations were sage words which unfortunately went unheeded by the American electorate, whose vote to return Trump to the White House has already had serious consequences, not least for the people of Ukraine.

His ludicrous description of Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s democratically elected President, as a “dictator” whilst fawning over Vladimir Putin should really come as no surprise given his track record for deliberately ignoring facts in favour of bluster and misrepresentation of the truth.

Monday saw the third anniversary of Russia’s illegal invasion which has been marked in Kyiv by a defiant demonstration of Ukraine’s resilience and stoic determination to defend itself against Russian aggression. President Zelensky marking the event said “Three years of resistance. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukranians. I thank everyone who defends and supports it.”

Rallying support for Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, wrote in a social media post: “In its fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that it is at stake. It’s Europe’s destiny.”

It was against this backdrop that I touched base with my close Ukranian friend Yuriy, a former Soviet Army tank commander, who told me that Ukraine’s determination remains undiminished and peace can only be brought about with the participation of Ukraine in any talks – with security guarantees at the top of the agenda.

Yuriy has a house on the outskirts of Kyiv surrounded by countryside not dissimilar to parts of Scotland which he has often remarked upon during his many visits to Edinburgh. He was the first Ukrainian official I met on the tarmac of Boryspil International Airport when I visited Ukraine back in 1992 as part of a city council delegation to Kyiv, one of Edinburgh’s twin cities.

We have remained close friends ever since and have met up here and in Ukraine on countless occasions. He has an in-depth knowledge of military matters not only in his own country but also throughout the world. He has proved to be an invaluable source of information and has adopted a pragmatic, considerate approach to the war currently being waged in his country and Russia.

He wants to see an end to the war sometime this year but is understandably concerned about what any peace agreement will look like if left to Trump and Putin to iron out. He rightly thinks that the commercial interests of the USA and Russia will be to the forefront of any such negotiations and Ukraine and the rest of Europe will be left to pay the cost.

He has friends who have been killed during this conflict – he hopes that they did not die in vain.