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Mr. Ben Wallace,
the UK defense secretary,
“suggested” in Vilnius,
in the margins
of the NATO summit,
that Ukraine needed to put
more emphasis
on saying thank-you
for western help.
“Whether we like it or not,
people want to see
a bit of gratitude.”
He said the Ukrainians
have been in such haste
to get all the help they can
that they haven’t always said
they were grateful.
Yes, we’re terribly sorry
that we get distracted
by bombs killing Ukrainians
in maternity hospitals,
in train stations,
in pizza parlors.
“You know, we’re not Amazon,”
he told the Ukrainians last year
when the poor man
drove 11 hours
to be given a list.
Yes, we’re sorry
that you couldn’t fly in,
Mr. Wallace.
A shame about our skies
not being closed...
Actually, Mr. Wallace,
there’s been plenty
of gratitude expressed
every single day
by many people,
including Ukraine’s president,
since even before
February 24, 2022.
When you’re drowning
and you’re thrown
a lifepreserver,
you can be forgiven
for not saying thank-you
while your mouth
is full of water.
At 53, Mr. Wallace,
obviously,
you’ve never had a war
on your own doorstep.
Have you shown
the requisite
gratitude?
July 12, 2023
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