Rethinking Ukraine: An Open Letter to Medea Benjamin and Nicolas Davies
In a recent article for The Progressive, you repeat the claim that the US backed the violent overthrow of Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, thus justifying Russia’s subsequent annexation of Crimea and the Donbas, and setting the stage for its 2022 invasion. To back up your claim, you cite the Cato Institute, a right-wing libertarian think tank co-founded by Charles Koch, which accused the Obama administration of scheming to remove Yanukovych from power. But on closer inspection, a different and more nuanced picture emerges. At issue is the leaked transcript of a phone conversation between US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine Geoffrey Pyatt. In February 2014, when the call took place, the Maidan protests had been going on for three months. Tens of thousands filled Kyiv’s main square day after day, demanding an end to government corruption and police repression. Anxious for a peaceful settlement, the US evi...