Slava Ukraini!

I, like many Americans, was horrified on Friday by how President Zelenskyy of Ukraine was treated when he came to negotiate a condition to continued aid that never should have been a part of our offer in the first place.  For the first time in my life, I was deeply, deeply ashamed for my country.  And so I would like to say:

To President Zelenskyy and the people of Ukraine: 

I know I speak for many Americans when I say that our president does not speak for us.  It will forever be a mark of shame for the US how you were treated in the Oval Office.  Your fight is noble and righteous and we should be supporting you, not cornering you in a room full of onlookers like a group of scared followers watching a bully pick on a kid alone, and then sending you away with accusations that you need to be more grateful (even though you have thanked us repeatedly).

I have, however, been glad to see so many countries rising up and voicing their support in your time of need.  I hope that in the end, we will have helped to give you the support you require in one way or another — if not by supporting you ourselves, then by causing everyone else to recommit to helping you.

As for the United States, perhaps it is time for us to learn that we are not the entire world, that we can refuse to do the right thing and still the right thing will be done, because we are only one country among dozens.  Certainly we are no longer a world leader, and it feels right now for other countries to step up and carry the torch that we once helped to light.

And perhaps, now, the torch is yours: Ukraine has been an unrelenting light in the face of darkness, a symbol of freedom and resistance in the face of oppression.

May the rest of the world prove itself as fierce in its support for you, as you have proven yourself to be in your fight for independence.

Slava Ukraini!