🇺🇸🇺🇦🇷🇺 Both the situation around Ukraine and concerning the Russian-Western negotiations on security guarantees look contradictory.
🔹 On the one hand, the parties firmly continue to stand their ground on fundamental issues of European security, above all on NATO expansion and Russia's right to limit the boundaries of this expansion. At the same time, the United States and NATO are building up their military presence on the eastern flank of the alliance and military assistance to Ukraine (which directly opposes Russian demands), while Kiev still categorically refuses to implement the key provisions of the Minsk agreements (for example, on direct dialogue with the DPR and LPR) and insists on their revision or replacement.
🔹 On the other hand, there have been a series of talks between Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, who clearly promoted some steps for Moscow and Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements and reduce the severity of the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO. Putin also spoke to with Joe Biden, with whom these proposals were certainly coordinated. Following these, Russia made a “de-escalating” statement that it would continue negotiations with the West, and announced the cessation of the active phase of military exercises near the Ukrainian borders and a partial withdrawal of troops.
However, just a few hours after these statements, more military aggravation has begun in Donbass.
In Ukraine, one could come to the dangerous conclusion that since the Russian “invasion” scheduled by Joe Biden for February 16 did not take place, and the West is still unable to put the necessary pressure on it (and some in the West are even encouraging Kiev to take more decisive action), then it is possible to do whatever you want without fear of military reaction from Moscow.
The new escalation in Donbass may reflect this very logic. It remains to be hoped that in Washington and Western Europe they will give Ukraine a slap on the wrist on time, and the lesson of the mass evacuation of Western diplomatic personnel from Kiev with US and NATO assurances that they will not go to war with Russia at Ukraine’s expense will not be taken for granted, writes Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow.
🔗 Russia-West: Continuation of a Managed Escalation
#Ukraine #Donbas #NATO #UnitedStates
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
🔹 On the one hand, the parties firmly continue to stand their ground on fundamental issues of European security, above all on NATO expansion and Russia's right to limit the boundaries of this expansion. At the same time, the United States and NATO are building up their military presence on the eastern flank of the alliance and military assistance to Ukraine (which directly opposes Russian demands), while Kiev still categorically refuses to implement the key provisions of the Minsk agreements (for example, on direct dialogue with the DPR and LPR) and insists on their revision or replacement.
🔹 On the other hand, there have been a series of talks between Vladimir Putin, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, who clearly promoted some steps for Moscow and Kiev to implement the Minsk agreements and reduce the severity of the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO. Putin also spoke to with Joe Biden, with whom these proposals were certainly coordinated. Following these, Russia made a “de-escalating” statement that it would continue negotiations with the West, and announced the cessation of the active phase of military exercises near the Ukrainian borders and a partial withdrawal of troops.
However, just a few hours after these statements, more military aggravation has begun in Donbass.
In Ukraine, one could come to the dangerous conclusion that since the Russian “invasion” scheduled by Joe Biden for February 16 did not take place, and the West is still unable to put the necessary pressure on it (and some in the West are even encouraging Kiev to take more decisive action), then it is possible to do whatever you want without fear of military reaction from Moscow.
The new escalation in Donbass may reflect this very logic. It remains to be hoped that in Washington and Western Europe they will give Ukraine a slap on the wrist on time, and the lesson of the mass evacuation of Western diplomatic personnel from Kiev with US and NATO assurances that they will not go to war with Russia at Ukraine’s expense will not be taken for granted, writes Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow.
🔗 Russia-West: Continuation of a Managed Escalation
#Ukraine #Donbas #NATO #UnitedStates
@valdai_club — The Valdai Discussion Club
Valdai Club
Russia-West: Continuation of a Managed Escalation
Russia’s February 17 response to the American response to Moscow’s demands for security guarantees, published on the same day, coupled with what has been happening in Russian-West relations around Ukraine over the past few days, indicate that in the near…