Hi Yulia,



It is great to read your words knowing that you are no longer incarcerated for merely having different political beliefs than those who were once holding the reins of power in Ukraine.



I can't agree with all of your points, but there is no doubting your legitimacy, nor any room for doubt about your patriotism and your love for your fellow citizens. Admirable.



It's my hope to see a future with you leading Ukraine. You've earned that privileged position and I hope that Ukrainians agree and will reward you for your courage, patriotism, and sacrifice.



Let's hope that Minsk 2.0 does save Ukraine. It could.



On the Russian side of things, it looks like their intention might be to make the West look inept, incompetent, divided and weak. And every time Western leaders or NATO make a misstep, they will capitalize on it -- using that misstep to justify further incursions in eastern Ukraine.



Were I one of their military commanders, that is exactly what I would do. (Reactive engagement)



No country or coalition is going to send in 500,000 troops to defend Ukraine from separatists/pro-autonomy forces backed by Russia.



Because that's about what it would take to enforce the long Ukrainian/Russian border and recapture rebel-held territory.



Sending that much firepower brings everything too close to world war. Ergo, that option is out.



By process of elimination, the only real solution is through diplomacy and winning in the global court of public opinion -- not by propaganda or jingoism -- but by strengthening the social and economic fabric of the non-contested regions of Ukraine and throughout Europe generally.



Non-contested regions of Ukraine and its EU and U.S. backers should be working diligently towards a strong and united European society (first) where living standards and civil rights far surpass competitor nations such as Russia (and others).



They should also be working on a unified (perhaps constantly evolving) political position (second) as you've indicated, leaving no room for 'divide and conquer' tactics by competitor nations.



And they should be working to insure uniform equality and economic opportunity throughout the EU and non-contested regions of Ukraine (third)



Even within the EU there is far too much disparity between citizens and between individual nations (and I'm a strong EU proponent, but let's speak the truth) and if non-contested regions of Ukraine are moving towards closer EU integration, it is imperative that reducing inter-nation European inequality must be Job #1 for both the EU and Ukrainian leaders.



I'm not talking about bringing down the EU's strongest team member (Germany), I'm talking about (as uniformly as is possible) raising the economic power of all EU states to present German levels. That includes non-contested Ukraine.



And by then, certainly Germany may have leaped ahead of the pack yet again. But no matter. If the rest of the EU has by then taken a quantum leap forward, that's what matters more than anything.



Of course that is a 10 year project, or perhaps 15, or 20 years. But without such a plan, the lack of an overall EU vision will allow 'drift' to preclude progress towards such ideals.



A re-energized focus on reducing inequality between citizens within the EU -- but this time, including non-contested regions of Ukraine -- is the best medicine against competitor nations taking advantage of economically weak (and thereby 'socially' weak) areas of Europe.



And that will bring about the end of 'divide and conquer' tactics being used by competitor nations against any EU nation or non-contested regions of Ukraine.



Imagine the EU and Ukraine we would've been seen today, had this started in 1990...



Very best regards, JBS