President Poroshenko's Speech And Its Implications

Petro Poroshenko’s ringing inauguration speech gave us a sharp taste of the new Ukrainian President’s character.  A bravura performance. Terse, pugnacious, patriotic, blunt, defiant. No wasted persiflage. I copy below what I consider the most salient parts, indeed most of the speech. Then I offer some observations. I found myself totally riveted by his words and manner and in the end utterly moved. It’s a magisterial exhortation at a historic juncture for his country and the West – a Berlin Wall moment. To read it is to get instant immersion in the urgency.  Some comments upfront. He wrote it himself, I hear from insiders. He switches to Russian for a stretch when he says “today I would like to address compatriots from Donetsk and Luhansk”.  The English translation is pleasantly clunky in places.