Vitalik Buterin on Wednesday whetted his support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion. He said similar wars may be raging on in other parts of the world but that doesn’t mean people should stop caring about the Ukrainians or vice-versa.
Buterin in support of Ukraine
In one Tweeter On Wednesday morning, the Ethereum co-founder said:
“The Ukrainians are far from the only ones to suffer from the war. Also people in Yemen, Ethiopia…just as human as Ukrainians and you are. This is NOT a valid excuse not to care about Ukrainians today. But it does mean we need to reflect on ourselves and extend our compassion to others as well.
This adds to the string of support that the cryptocurrency proponent has been showing towards Ukraine ever since the war broke out.
What motivates Buterin’s response?
The latest tweet followed his response to a Tweeter who asked European universities to accept Russian students who were punished for protesting against Putin’s regime.
Buterin had replied to Anton Barbashin, Editorial Director of Riddle Russia, a news site, where he said:
“It would be an amazing gesture if a European university openly welcomed Russian students expelled for protesting the war in Russia, signaling that Europe stands with those in Russia who oppose Putin and oppose at war. That not all Russians are treated like Putin & Co.
Replying to this, Buterin noted that priority should be on supporting Ukrainians and after that supporting people who oppose Putin’s regimen and decisions.
Ethereum is neutral, but Buterin is not
Earlier on February 24, Buterin celebrates proclaimed this:
“Reminder: Ethereum is neutral, but I am not.”
Before this tweet, he had declared in Russian that President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was a “crime against the Ukrainian and Russian people”.
However, Buterin’s tweet didn’t go uncontested. Some pointed out that while true, western media fails to reflect the conflicts in other countries as directly as that in Ukraine. Other Twitter users dug out a 2017 Forbes news story that said that Putin had endorsed Ethereum after a meeting with Buterin.
