Exactly ten months ago Vladimir Putin (70 years old) started his war against Ukraine. For all the amateurishness with which his army has fooled itself since then, Putin has one trump card: he has the time and perseverance to keep the war going for a very long time.
This is why the unexpected visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) to Washington was so important. He had two goals: The West should not get tired of the war. And he should provide further support.
Both succeeded. Joe Biden (80) clearly said, “We’ll be with you for as long as it takes” – we’ll be there for as long as it takes. The US president promised Zelensky $1.8 billion in additional emergency military assistance and highly effective Patriot anti-missiles. The US Congress has promised additional assistance in the amount of 45 (!) billion dollars for the next year.
The US has done more financially than all other countries combined, and twice as much as the EU. Selensky said of the multi-billion dollar aid, “Your money is not charity, it is an investment in global security.”
Whether we like it or not, the war in Ukraine is also our war. Because this is an attack on our free world. Because Putin’s nuclear threat affects us all, as does the wave of refugees, high energy prices and the consequences for the economy and welfare.
Everyone who celebrates this evening in a cozy warm living room Christmas, a holiday of love and contemplation, should remember this: about tens of thousands of those who died in the war. Millions of freezing Ukrainians in destroyed cities. Millions of Ukrainian refugees living separately from their families somewhere in Europe.
Today the world celebrates the birth of Jesus. 2022 years ago Mary and Joseph of Nazareth got lost in the night to give birth to a child. Everywhere they knocked, they were rejected, and in the end they took refuge in the stable. Today, the Ukrainian nation is knocking on the doors of Europe, seeking to enter in order to become a member of the European family.
Aren’t we just as hard-hearted towards Ukraine as the inhabitants of Bethlehem were towards Mary and Joseph?
Two weeks ago, the Council of States rejected the proposal of the National Council to increase humanitarian aid for Ukraine from 80 million Swiss francs to 95 million Swiss francs. And Switzerland still prohibits other countries from transferring Swiss-made military equipment to Ukraine – for example, Germany, which wants to supply Swiss tank ammunition.
Our country is hiding in the jungle of paragraphs about Swiss neutrality and does not realize that it is on the wrong side of history.
Christmas is also a holiday of hope: maybe our politicians will use Christmas to come to their senses.