It would be inappropriate and contradictory for us to attend these celebrations after firstly condemning arrests in Ukraine and secondly, protesting outside Ukrainian diplomatic premises. If we attend these celebrations we would be indirectly giving our support to the authoritarian regime under the Viktor Yanukovych administration.
This is a time for solidarity with Ukrainian political prisoners and not with the Yanukovych regime which has already proven it is seeks to eradicatethe Ukrainian national identity that has been cultivated by all three previous Ukrainian presidents.
First Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk has already expressed his condemnation of the imprisonment of Tymoshenko. Now it is time for us to do the same.

Taras Kuzio Editor, Ukraine Analyst