--- description: Re "This Isn't Over" [March 10]: Contrary to what is suggested in the article, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not lost Ukraine. The change in... title: Conversation: Ukraine in Flux image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [conversation](/tag/conversation/) ## conversation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Ukraine in Flux by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 20, 2014 11:10 AM CUT by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 20, 2014 11:10 AM CUT Re “This Isn’t Over” \[March 10\]: Contrary to what is suggested in the article, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not lost Ukraine. The change in Kiev can be temporary. Moreover, Russia is holding the trump card of Ukraine’s economy. Ukraine’s problem is basically one of power struggle tainted by corruption. There does not seem to be any guarantee that the new administration will be corruption-free. As such, the deep-rooted problem remains. Anything goes in the near future, especially with Putin frenetically maneuvering the situation behind the scenes. _Yuri Czekov,_ Moscow In 1938, Adolf Hitler annexed the Sudetenland with the pretext that he wanted to defend his German brothers in that region. At that time, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain met Hitler in Munich but did nothing to defend the people of Sudetenland. He followed a policy of appeasement. It looks like our Western leaders in the U.S. and Europe are following the same policy with Putin. _Joe M. Zahra,_ Birzebbuga, Malta Why should anyone oppose and be upset by the Crimean people’s strong majority voting to be Russian, while the West supported the independence of Kosovo? Isn’t this a story of double standards and the idea of the West being unquestionably morally superior? _Flavio Andreis,_ Verona, Italy **Chef Executive** Re “Hail to the Chef” \[March 10\]: The only reason why many politicians like Alan García still have a say in what happens in their countries is that people have refused to come to their senses. Why would Gastón Acurio not run for President if the citizens of Peru want him to run? I am fascinated that Acurio is gainfully employed. Most politicians, especially those in my country, cannot feed themselves without government funds. Gastón, go for it. _Kester Ekekwe,_ Agbado, Nigeria **Preventive Care** Re “The Cost of Chasing Cancer” \[March 10\]: While overscreening is wasteful, underscreening is lethal. As we strive for a golden-mean approach to screening, TIME readers may consider the millions who lose their lives annually because they did not adopt preventive health measures, including colonoscopy. To return to the ideal levels of screening means using more, not less, preventive measures wisely. Let us beware of providing material for rationalizations that lead so many to forgo lifesaving screenings. _Jesse Lachter,_ Haifa, Israel **Credit to the French** Re Conversation \[March 10\]: The picture seen by Jean-Louis Desplat is actually sickening, but his letter is all the more sickening as he accuses the French troops of passivity and cowardice. Our soldiers are trying to stop the murders between the Muslim and Christian communities, and so far they have succeeded in preventing most of the mass murders. They cannot be everywhere. _Raymond Allain,_ Versailles, France **Eat Better, Not More** Re “Young Kids, Old Bodies” \[March 10\]: I’ve been an occasional visitor to the U.S., and each visit has shocked me more than the last at the state of America’s obesity crisis. Outside metropolitan centers, good-quality, healthy food is hard to find, and most restaurants’ selling point is basically “More for your money!” Americans need a radical rebooting of their relationship with food, which is now totally at odds with lifelong health. _Doug Morton,_ Norwich, England **Pursuit of Meritocracy** Re “Losing Faith” \[March 3\]: My family immigrated to Australia from Malaysia to find opportunity predicated on ability and prior achievement rather than favoring a particular race or religion. The legitimization of undue reward is unjust, blunts motivation, exacerbates complacency and fuels cross-cultural and religious conflict. The seeds of intolerance in Malaysia were sown long ago. _Joseph Y.S. Ting,_ Brisbane, Australia ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/31472/ukraine-in-flux/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/31472/ukraine-in-flux/"},"headline":"Ukraine in Flux","datePublished":"2014-03-20T11:10:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T06:51:53.231Z","description":"Re \"This Isn't Over\" [March 10]: Contrary to what is suggested in the article, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not lost Ukraine. The change in...","url":"https://time.com/31472/ukraine-in-flux/","keywords":["conversation","Ukraine","Australia","Cancer","readers' letters","Obesity","Malaysia","Crimea","Peru","Russian President Vladimir Putin"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/conversation/","name":"conversation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/31472/ukraine-in-flux/","name":"Ukraine in Flux"}}]}] ```