Keep that flag from Bakhmut flying

Zelenskiy's speech to Congress a culmination of centuries of struggle for recognition

I kept choking up during the speech that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy just gave to a joint session of Congress.

It was like several tsunami waves of history converging in the same place.  And it was especially poignant given my roots.

Ukraine has struggled for self-identity and self governance for centuries. My grandfather dedicated the best years of his life to the cause of Ukrainian independence at the turn of the 20th century.

It was always an uphill and frustrating climb, mostly because the world and most nation states refused to acknowledge a Ukrainian nationality or self-identity.  

Ukraine endured nearly a millennia of persecution, poverty, cultural suppression and bloodshed at the hands of Poles, Austrians and the Russian Romanov dynasty.  For decades, it was illegal to even publish anything in the Ukrainian language, as czarist governments tried multiple means to forcibly Russify the region.

Ukraine was cheated out of nationhood by the allied powers following World War I. Then Lenin and Trotsky’s Red Army snatched away a nascent Ukrainian state during the so-called Russian Civil War. 

Ukrainian peasants by the millions were starved to death by Stalin’s forced collectivization. Today,  of course, Putin’s missiles, tanks and troops seek to exterminate very idea of Ukrainian self-identity.

The irony, of course, is that Putin’s war has united the Ukrainian people more than any politician could have done alone. Remarkably, a people who historically have found it difficult to work together have coalesced around a remarkable leader, who happens to be a comedian by trade.

Seeing both houses of Congress give repeated standing ovations to Zelenskiy —  in effect recognizing the valor and justice of his cause and that of his people — was an emotional moment for me.

It should be for everyone. Zelenskiy gave a masterful speech, and his most pointed message was utterly simple: U.S. aid to his country is not charity, he said, but an investment in democracy and global security for everyone for generations to come.

He aimed to make parallels between Americans and Ukrainians. He  equated the battles in his homeland to American victories at Saratoga, which turned the tide of the American War of Independence. He also invoked the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, when Americans helped free Europe from Nazi oppression.

Zelenskiy presented a blue and yellow flag that Ukrainian defenders of the city of Bakhmut had signed and asked him to give to Congress. He said that it would be a hint about Ukraine's need for increased support from American partners.

“(Defenders) handed over our flag with their signatures. We have a difficult situation, the enemy is increasing its numbers. Our guys are more courageous and we need reinforced weapons. We will convey the words of gratitude from the guys to the Congress, the U.S. President for their support. But it's not enough. This is a hint: it's not enough," Zelenskiy said.

I hope that flag flies in the halls of Congress as a reminder that Ukraine’s struggle is the struggle of everyone who believes in liberty.