Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is now dealing with a different US Congress and Senate than when the two legislative bodies cheerfully gave him a hero’s welcome when he addressed a joint session on Dec. 22 last year. The Republican-dominated Congress is strongly against the Biden government’s proposal for fresh aid to Ukraine.

In an apparent attempt to appease Ukraine, the EU and NATO have pledged to facilitate the country’s entry into the two influential organizations despite opposition from their Eastern European members.

Without outside help, it is almost impossible for Ukraine to fight Russia, which has vowed to conquer its neighbor. More people will become victims if President Vladimir Putin realizes his eagerness to reinstate the former Soviet Union.

The Ukraine case only serves as a reminder to other small countries in Europe and elsewhere to stand on their own feet. Heavy dependence on other countries, no matter how powerful they are, will end sooner or later.

The events unfolding in Ukraine have encouraged Indonesia to keep its free and active foreign policy intact. From time to time, Indonesia faces temptations to abandon its foreign policy doctrine in exchange for short-term benefits.

The rising rivalry between great powers, such as what happened during the Cold War, has dragged Indonesia, as well as many countries, into a binary world that forces them to take sides. Economically, Indonesia depends on China, but in terms of security and politics, Indonesia leans toward the US and the West. Both camps have been impatient in demanding Indonesia’s loyalty. 

Just three months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US delivered assistance worth US$40 billion to Kyiv. In total, Ukraine has received $111 billion from the US. 

That aid was possible because both the House and Senate approved the government’s plan, but that cooperation has ended. When the House voted in September on a bill to provide $300 million to train and equip Ukrainian fighters, 117 Republicans blocked it. The Republicans now wield more power than the Democrats in the US Congress.

President Biden demanded that Congress approve his proposed aid to Ukraine. "History's going to judge harshly those who turn their back on freedom's cause," the President said. "We can't let Putin win."

The world condemned Russia for the invasion, but will the same criticism prevail today? The world appears to have paid less attention to Ukraine, especially after the war in Gaza began. The media has shifted its focus away from the war in Ukraine. 

In October of last year,143 countries, including Indonesia, approved at the UN General Assembly a resolution condemning the recent referendums in Ukraine and demanding that Russia withdraw its troops unconditionally. Now, I am not sure if those countries would remain enthusiastic in rebuking Russia. 

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo stole a limelight last year with his shuttle diplomacy to Moscow and Kyiv just before he hosted the Group of 20 Summit in Bali. The gathering of the world’s 20 largest economies was considered by many as a success, although Biden and some other leaders did threaten to boycott it.

Since the G20, President Jokowi has rarely talked about Ukraine. He is now more focused on what is happening in Palestine because of the sensitivity of the issue for Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the Western military alliance should be ready for bad news from the Ukrainian front as Kyiv continues to defend itself against Russia's invasion.

"Wars develop in phases," Stoltenberg said, as quoted by Politico last week. "We have to support Ukraine in good and bad times," he said.

A victory for Putin would not only be a tragedy for Ukraine, but it would also present a danger to the rest of the Western allies, Stoltenberg said. "The more we support Ukraine, the faster the war will end."

In the meantime, Foreign Policy reported that there is a possible deadlock in the EU’s debate to accept Ukraine membership because of objections from several members, notably Hungary. Prime Minister Victor Orban warned that he would use his veto right to block Ukraine's entry into the bloc.

When Zelensky visited Brussels in February of this year, EU leaders elbowed each other for a photo with him. European Council President Charles Michel greeted Zelensky with a tweet: "Welcome home, welcome to the EU."

Today European leaders have shown different directions, and eventually Ukraine cannot hope much from them.

A recent NATO leader meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, was disheartening for Kyiv because of a statement that Ukraine would only be allowed to join NATO when "conditions are met." This means Ukraine has lost an opportunity to join the military alliance, something it direly needs to counter Russia. 

Indonesia should be grateful for its free and active foreign policy, which it has adopted since its birth as an independent state. Not only has this type of foreign policy kept the country out of wars, but more importantly it has allowed it to befriend as many countries as possible.

There are always positive and negative consequences of Indonesia’s foreign policy. But what is unfolding in Ukraine proves that Indonesia has made the right choice. Never depend on other countries for anything.

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The writer is a senior editor at The Jakarta Post.