[mac_truck]

Oh I agree...without the generous donation of land from Russia over the years, Ukraine would be a tiny land locked little province.

Going back a little further Ukraine doesn't even exist (although Crimea does).

[schurmann]

“...Going back a little further Ukraine doesn’t even exist...” [mac_truck, post 33]

Not the case.

From the 9th through the 13th century, what’s now Ukraine was just one part of the Kievan Rus, a confederation of East Slavs and some Finns, plus dependencies, stretching from the Black Sea to the White Sea.

Kiev was the capital city.

Holy Roman Emperor Charles V didn’t show up until the 16th century.