Playing politics while Ukraine citizens suffer

Angela Merkel says that Russia is taking advantage of Ukraine’s weakness.

Poland’s foreign minister says that Germany is the cause of the European Union weakness in facing up to Mr Putin due to Germany’s over-reliance on Russian Gas. The UK is insisting that Russia must respect the sovereignty of Ukraine or face consequences.

Yet these consequences must not affect the Russian oligarch’s financial wealth in London. The Kremlin is alarmed that the Ukrainian interim government was selected by the Kiev street mob and yet remains silent on the manner in which a referendum is pushed through by the Russian ethnic population in Crimea while ignoring the rights of minorities such as the Tartars and local Ukrainians to be able to voice their opposition to the referendum in rational debate in the local media.

Meanwhile, the ordinary citizens of Ukraine continue to suffer due to lack of respecting principles inside their country. And as some Ukrainians’ look across to Europe in hope, they notice that to enforce principles can simply be too high a price for European politicians to pay.

Paddy Fitzpatrick

Glanmire

Co Cork