Kiev, Ukraine, June 19, 2014

Very early morning flight from Yerevan, Armenia, to Kiev. Very modern, very western city it appears with many high rises (too many) and some very ugly tall apartment blocs that quickly come into view when one drives from the airport into the city center. The very modern and at time quite stylish nature of Kiev also becomes apparent when strolling through the city center. It is perfectly clear why the vast majority, not least the young, in Kiev preferred an association agreement with the EU than membership with Russia's Eurasian customs union. The former was seen as the way forward toward a prosperous and independent future, the latter as being the way back to the stifling and economically incompetent Soviet Union.

Maidan Square is still full of barricades, tents for sleeping and people walking about in camouflage with apparently no intention to end the occupation of the square any time soon.But there are also plenty of ordinary people going about their daily businesses. It is difficult to imagine that only a few months ago the square was a heavily fought battleground between the former government and pro-EU protesters. Pictures and posters (there even was a 'museum' in a white tent) however vividly show plenty of battle scenes. And only last weekend Maidan square hosted many protesters demonstrating about the grounding of a Ukrainian air force plane with 49 people on board who all lost their lives.

The attempt to look at the political locations of the debates and intensive arguments of the last few months took us past the Ukrainian Whitehall: the House of Ministers, the parliament, the National/Central Bank of Ukraine, the President's seat and his residence just across the road. We also passed a rare synagogue (which hosted a wedding with great music) and enjoyed the much more orderly traffic in Kiev as compared to the chaotic traffic situation in Yerevan, Baku and Tbilisi. But the Greek salads in Kiev are definitely much much smaller than those in the other three cities (though equally good). The Kiev metro also is superb (and super cheap). And the people in the Kiev city center, not least the ladies, are very stylish and elegant with a great preference for daringly tall high heels and other interesting outfits.

Maidan Square at night was dead. This surely must be a good sign. Let's hope new President Porochenko is given the chance to settle in and overcome the still waging and still further escalating violence in the east of the country, close to the Russian border.