Yatsenyuk Spins False Claims of Ukraine Protecting Europe From Russia

"Once again, we are not only protecting Ukrainian borders, we are defending the EU borders," Yatsenyuk said on Wednesday. "We are the only troops fighting the Russian army," he alleged, although Russia is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict.

These accusations and allegations have become a familiar tune of groundless saber-rattling for the Kiev leadership in the last months. They are often used as a pretext to ask for more help, be that financial, economic or military support for a country plagued by collapsing economy, corruption and a deadly civil war.

Yatsenyuk's speech at Chatham House, a non-profit also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs, was no exception. Ukraine's prime minister said that Ukraine needs to boost its national economy through foreign investment and financial aid. Predictably, he also asked for defensive weapons.

Any reasonable leader knows that more weapons most likely will lead to more casualties (primarily civilian), more violence, more devastation and limited room for negotiations. The architects of the Minsk peace process, namely Russia, Germany and France, have long made this exact point, which, it seems, still sounds alien to Yatsenyuk.

In April 2014, Kiev launched a military operation against independence supporters in eastern Ukraine, who refused to recognize the coup-imposed authorities in Kiev. The Kiev-led campaign has disrupted lives of millions and left over 6,400 people dead.