What have the Ukrainian people shown the world?

What have the Ukrainian people shown the world? 

The Ukrainian people chose democracy. In 2013 and 2014, Ukrainians put their bodies and their lives on the line to make it clear to leaders in Kyiv—to leaders in Moscow—and to the entire world that they wanted a free and democratic future. I was serving as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs at the time, and I visited Kyiv in March 2014. I went to the Maidan and laid flowers at the makeshift memorial to those who had lost their lives protesting for change. I have a photo of that visit to the Maidan framed in my office, hanging opposite my desk. It reminds me of the incredible things that brave and ordinary people can accomplish when they come together and stand up for what they believe.

That determination, resilience, and vision for a better future is what the Ukrainian people have shown the world time and again. And it is what you are showing the world in this moment of crisis as well.

Deputy Secretary of State, Wendy R. Sherman's remarks at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) event (via teleconference), 26 January 2022