If, a generation or so from now, Ukraine has become a full member state in the European Union with a thriving economy, entrenched democratic institutions, and a unique cultural-linguistic space, don’t expect to find a statue in honor of US President Barack Obama standing in Kyiv’s Independence Square in the manner of former President Bill Clinton’s statue in the small Balkan nation of Kosovo.

Yet, if this outcome is ultimately achieved, Obama’s much-criticized but

thus far largely effective policy aimed at defending Ukraine from Russian

aggression using diplomatic means while simultaneously twisting the arms of

Ukraine’s politicians to finally give up their Soviet-era methods of governing,

will have contributed greatly to the country’s future success.