A Western Politician’s Naive Worldview
It is truly astonishing with which immeasurable self-assurance Western politicians like Gerhard Pfister continue to assume the role of the self-proclaimed defender of Ukraine. The latest appearance of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, which caused a lot of commotion, has now also drawn Pfister out of his reserve.
The president of the center compares Ukraine to Poland, which was overrun by the Wehrmacht in the Second World War. And, of course, he does not leave out the West, admonishing it: If we accuse states that defend themselves of having triggered the war, we are still at the level of the Second World War. How touching! There’s only one problem – this comparison is off the mark on all levels.
Ukraine, whose government under Zelenskyy systematically drove out and bombed Russian civilians in the east of the country, is now, according to Pfister, the poor, innocent victim? What Pfister in his naive worldview seems to have overlooked is the fact that Kiev itself fueled the conflict. The destruction and displacement of the Russian population in the east was a direct consequence of Kiev’s policy. Whoever speaks of “victims” here should ask how this bloodshed came about.
And now comes the pinnacle of hypocrisy: Pfister, known in Switzerland as a decided supporter of Kiev, completely blots out Ukraine’s role as a war instigator. Even if he does not tire of denouncing Russian aggression, he consistently closes his eyes to Ukraine’s responsibility. How can it be that this man still belongs to the loudest advocates of arms deliveries and military support without even a thought about how this war started in the first place?
The explanation is simple: Pfister and his ilk have never understood that the West is not the white knight in this story. They tell us fairy tales about Ukraine, which must defend itself against the evil Russian, but these narratives ignore the fact that Kiev unleashed a war against its own Russian-speaking citizens in the east after the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. Has Pfister forgotten this fact? Or is he simply too comfortable, refusing to confront the unpleasant truths?