> why for the love of god would the West support Russia and not the wishes of the Ukrainian people?
First, the people of Ukraine are free to decide to do what they think is best and "we", as in the West, are free to decide to do what we think is best. Those things do not need to coincide.
Secondly, two million Ukrainians have already decided to forfeit the game outright rather than stay and/or fight. All throughout history a minority decides on war and a majority either huddles or flees. So you tell me what it is that "the Ukrainian people" wish.
>two million Ukrainians have already decided to forfeit the game outright rather than stay and/or fight.
Mostly women, children, and the elderly. All Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving the country.
>All throughout history a minority decides on war and a majority either huddles or flees
2 million is far from a majority of Ukrainians. I don't know if this includes the number of people held up at border crossings, and doubt it includes those waiting for transportation. But it's still unlikely the majority, even if counting those groups.
>So you tell me what it is that "the Ukrainian people" wish.
They tell us. Right before the invasion, very few Ukrainians wanted to join Russia[0]. Another poll[1] conducted last week showed:
>>Only 11 per cent of Ukrainians agreed “if I could leave Ukraine safely tomorrow for another country I would.” Nearly seven in 10 (69 per cent) strongly disagreed. Only one in 20 (five per cent) of those aged 65 or over said they would leave if they could.
And:
>>Indeed, 67 per cent said they would be willing to take up arms to defend the country against Russian troops, with a further seven per cent saying they were already doing so. 85 per cent of men and 63 per cent of women said they had already taken up arms or were willing to do so.
How many of those two million are children and mothers, who want to take care of their children? That doesn't necessarily mean those mothers want Ukraine to surrender (on the terms disallowing Ukraine to join NATO or EU).
Aside from that, while 2 million refugees is a lot, it's still very far from a majority in a country of 45 million people.
There is a dead (why?!) sibling comment: most of the refugees are women and children. Male Ukrainian nationals between 18 and 60 years old aren’t allowed to leave the country.
First, the people of Ukraine are free to decide to do what they think is best and "we", as in the West, are free to decide to do what we think is best. Those things do not need to coincide.
Secondly, two million Ukrainians have already decided to forfeit the game outright rather than stay and/or fight. All throughout history a minority decides on war and a majority either huddles or flees. So you tell me what it is that "the Ukrainian people" wish.