The contrast with other former Soviet states, or satellites, is painful. Polish GDP per capita has risen from $1,700 in 1990 to $15,650. Estonia had grown from $3,100 per capita in 1995 to $23,300 now. By contrast, Ukraine has only gone from $1,597 in 1990 to $3,726. 

When the old Soviet Union fell apart there was not much difference between Ukraine and its neighbours, but it has underperformed miserably since then. And yet by any objective standards, this should be a rapidly developing country. 

Its population is largely young and well educated and it is located right at the crossroads of prosperous Europe and fast-growing Asia, with plenty of natural resources. With the right policies, and some help, it should be able to grow at least as fast as Poland or Estonia. 

There are three places to start. First, take down trade barriers. Ukraine already has an agreement with the EU, and that is being rolled over for the UK. 

We should go a step further and remove all barriers and tariffs with the country. We should be importing plenty of food, especially wheat, but increasingly goods as well. 

On top of that, we should ease immigration rules. We all know the UK needs more workers, and the money Ukrainians would earn, and the skills they would acquire, would help it grow faster (after all, it worked for Poland, to the advantage of both countries). 

Next, there should be massive inward investment. European companies, and British ones most of all, should be turning Ukraine into a manufacturing hub for the continent. It has plenty of land, and skilled workers, and transport costs are low compared to rivals: it is only 1,300km from Kyiv to Berlin. 

Finally, we should be helping with internal reform. Ukraine needs to break-free from Putin’s catastrophic model of robber capitalism and create genuinely vibrant, free markets that allow entrepreneurs the chance to build new industries. The Poles and the Czechs have done that brilliantly. There is no reason the Ukrainians shouldn’t if given the chance.