At a recent biotech conference, I met Ukrainian American Rostyslav Semikov. He agreed to come to Five O’Clock to talk about the war going on in his country, what he says is their “War of Independence, their 1776.”Rostyslav’s parents live in Ukraine near the Zaphorisia nuclear power plant. Not only are bombs dropping around them, but there could be a horrible nuclear accident. “Every time we talk, they say we may not see you. And if something happens to us, we love you,” he says at the outset of today’s show.What is the history of the cultures between Ukraine and Russia? Rostyslav says Russian President Vladimir Putin thought he would be welcome in Ukraine and overtake Kyiv within three days. Twenty-one months later, the war drags on. This week, Senate Republicans blocked additional support for Ukraine. Are Americans growing weary of support? Rostyslav reminds us that the support of France turned the tide in the American War of Independence.
