Stop bribing Ukraine – and start helping

The last time Viktor Yanukovych was removed from power in Ukraine, following a corrupt election nearly a decade ago, it was called the Orange Revolution. This time around it should be called the Golden Revolution. Never has an episode of political upheaval been followed quite so sharply by offers of riches from abroad. The past few days have resembled one of those charity auctions where high-net-worth individuals, tanked up after a good dinner, whip out their chequebooks and try to outdo each other’s generosity.

The only differences are that in this case it is our money that they are brandishing, and that instead of going to a children’s hospital or a donkey sanctuary, the money will be going into the black hole of one of the most kleptocratic countries on earth. The best you can say about Britain’s offer of an ‘open chequebook’ is that a little of the money may eventually be recouped by the exchequer in the form of stamp duty, when the oligarchs enriched by our generosity come to spend their money in London’s property market.

The crisis in Ukraine has passed off better than might have been expected ten days ago. Then, a drawn-out civil war was an all-too-likely prospect. Now, the villain is on the run and an emergency government is in control. The snipers have fallen silent and an uneasy peace is just about holding, in spite of reprisals against members of the fallen regime. Russia will be mulling its options, as Anne Applebaum outlines on page 20.

Western leaders are right to extend a cautious welcome to the new government. It cannot be a lot worse than a regime which set snipers around its capital to pick off its own protesting citizens.