As China has increased pressure on Taiwan, the independent nation they continue to claim falsely as part of their own, more and more countries in the democratic world have rallied to support the island nation. From late 2020 to today, these nations have sent delegations to visit, and there are growing cries from politicians and citizens alike within them to support Taiwan if it is attacked. Among the most visible were three congressional delegations from the United States: one bipartisan team of US Senators and two groups from the US House of Representatives.

China knows that there is little that they can do in response to US visits, so they simply make their protests known, and the United States duly ignores them. The same is true for visits from other larger nations, such as Japan and France. What has made them apoplectic, though, is the increasing number of visits from Eastern European nations, and the fact that these nations refuse to be bullied into submission by China’s “wolf warrior” vociferousness and economic threats.

The Czech Republic made the first move. In January 2020, Prague signed a sister-city agreement with Taipei, whereupon Shanghai, in a fit of pique, cancelled their own agreement with Prague. This was followed by the visit to Taiwan of Miloš Vystrčil, President of the Senate of the Czech Republic, after the death of his predecessor, who had been threatened by China for promising to make the very same visit. Since then, the Czech Republic has increased its ties, and a branch of the Prague-based non-governmental European Values Center for Security Policy has recently opened in Taipei. On 5 December 2021, a delegation of 43 Slovak government officials, business representatives, and academics arrived in Taipei for a multi-day visit, and in January 2022, Taiwan and Slovenia announced plans to open missions in each other’s nations. This happened after Prime Minister Janez Janša condemned China’s one-party dictatorship for lecturing the world on democracy and peace. China responded by imposing economic sanctions.

Lithuania, though, has made the strongest and most costly stand thus far. It permitted Taiwan to open a de facto embassy in Vilnius, using the name Taiwan, in November 2021, after having already left Chinese-led 17 + 1 framework over the issue of China’s genocide of the Uyghurs. China responded to the August announcement of the embassy opening by withdrawing its ambassador, expelling Lithuanian diplomats, and demanding that the European Union (EU) punish Lithuania. In response, a delegation of MPs from all three Baltic states visited Taiwan at the end of November. Since then, Lithuania has been threatened by China economically. However, after facing down German demands that Lithuania apologize to China and mend its ways, the EU has taken China to the WTO in an action now also joined by Australia, which has faced its own economic bullying by China. The Czech Republic’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security passed a resolution in support of Lithuania on 21 January 2022, an action that was applauded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, thus demonstrating the strength of Small Powers standing together.

This is not the first time that Eastern European nations have challenged the desires of Great Powers or risen up against them, for it happened during the height of Soviet-era domination. Yugoslavia broke away from the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1948 and became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement. In 1956 there were revolts in East Germany, Poland, and Hungary. Czechoslovakia rose up in 1968. Poland was rarely trusted and generally feared over the years, in part because of the power of the Polish Catholic Church, which grew after the election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II in 1978. Romania refused to join the Soviet boycott of the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Hungary and Czechoslovakia paid a heavy price for their bravery when the USSR sent tanks to crush them. However, they were two of the first countries to pull away from the USSR during the years of perestroika and glasnost, forcing Gorbachev’s hand in opening borders to the West, while the Baltic nations fought for independence from within.

Why these nations have stood strong is a matter of their own recent history: they remember what it was like to be invaded, conquered, dominated, and controlled by a brutal Communist power, just as they remember hoping that outside powers would come to their aid, only to realize that it was not going to happen. Thus, it is particularly telling that they are the ones to be on the front lines of standing with Taiwan, while others make excuses to keep from getting too deeply involved. They know what it is like to be ignored or abandoned during their time of need.

Therefore, it is not surprising that these very same nations are likewise standing up for Ukraine as it continues to be threatened with yet another Russian invasion. One of the leaders in this has been Lithuanian MP Matas Maldeikis, who is also the Head of the Parliamentary Group for Relations with Taiwan. In addition to ensuring that Lithuania, alongside other regional nations, have all made concrete, meaningful commitments to Ukraine, he has taken the most original soft-power stand by firing off two grade-A-level historically-accurate trolling tweets that demonstrate just how ridiculous Putin’s territorial demands are. The Czech Republic and the Baltic States have sent military aid. Outside of Eastern Europe, Denmark confirmed on 30 January 2022 that they are also prepared to send military aid, after initially sending only non-lethal aid. Turkey, which has edged more closely toward Russia in recent years, sent drones, which Ukraine used over Donbas. They have also promised to fulfill their NATO commitments, and non-NATO member Ireland can be proud their victory over the Russian Navy by a village of fishermen.

Meanwhile, the so-called “Great Powers” of Europe waffle with their support, standing strong in statements that are not matched with policy. France is largely lost in these debates, as it remains unclear where President Emmanuel Macron stands. He seems to hope that France can play a grand diplomatic role in the world, while doing little to ease immediate tensions. One would hope that Germany, which itself invaded neighboring countries and committed genocide in the 20^th Century, would be convinced to stand against two nations now doing the same. However, this seems a bridge too far for them, even though Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks called them out for their “immoral and hypocritical” relationship with both China and Russia. In recent days, the Baltic nations and Poland have demanded that Germany openly state what they will do in support of Ukraine, while reminding them that the Germans themselves have relied on America support against Russia for the last seven decades.

The US foreign policy triumvirate of President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, who botched the withdrawal from Afghanistan through a combination of apathy and incompetence, have also been largely absent regarding both nations until very recently. The Biden Administration missed a key opportunity when rejoining the World Health Organization (WHO), for they could have demanded full membership for Taiwan as a precondition for the return of the US. Inviting Taiwan to the Summit for Democracy was a good step. Cutting off Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Digital Minister – and not being able to get their stories straight as to why it happened – was an embarrassment. Fortunately, while Biden has not led on this issue, others have been willing to step up and do so. Congress bucked the administration, passing the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act almost unanimously on 16 December 2021. This was over the strong objections of many in the Biden Administration, who did not want to risk their business and personal ties with China.

This failure extends to the situation in Ukraine. Biden immediately ruled out the use of US troops, signaling to Putin that he would not have to face or risk killing American forces. Only after having been openly ridiculed for using hashtag-support policy did Biden agree to move troops further east under NATO auspices, but the actual movement is dragging out very slowly. In addition, he seems incapable of making the simplest decisions necessary to break Putin: cut Russia off from SWIFT; seize and freeze the assets of oligarchs in the US; and withdraw visas of those oligarchs and their families living here, thus forcing them to contemplate life once again in Putin’s Russia. Even more important, over a year into the administration, Biden has still not nominated an ambassador to Ukraine.

Fortunately, the UK has stepped up where the US has thus far failed to do so. Just this weekend, they have promised to send over a thousand new troops, including special forces, to Estonia, to provide jets, boats, and specialists to NATO, and to put an aircraft carrier on increased readiness. In addition, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Ukraine, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss will go to Russia to talk to Putin directly. Her strong anti-Russian and anti-Chinese stances will make her presence an uncomfortable visit for Putin to negotiate, should he choose to meet with her, rather than hide in his bunker. Meanwhile Defense Secretary Ben Wallace will visit Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia, while the government prepares to take up an anti-oligarch bill that could end the negative reputation of “Londongrad.” This final action has finally spurred the United States to contemplate similar actions.

Putin has become trapped in a problem entirely of his own making because Small Power nations in Eastern Europe have shamed larger ones into supporting Ukraine more forcefully. He now finds himself in a position not only in which it will be difficult to win, but in which he might very well lose, both very badly and very bloodily. The larger powers of the West must likewise stand with Taiwan to show China that it faces the same reality. To stand up for and alongside both Taiwan and Ukraine guarantees being judged on the right side of history; to fail to do so means winding up on its ash heap.

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Jonathan Z. Ludwig is a Teaching Associate Professor of Russian at Oklahoma State University.