[ad_1]
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, has said that the war in his country can only end with diplomacy, although negotiations with the Russian state have been suspended for weeks.
After more than 100 days of fighting, Zelensky has said his army will not surrender.
“We have been defending Ukraine for 100 days now. “The victory will be ours,” he said.
Russia launched its large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Zelensky said that so far, Russian forces have managed to take control of “about 20 percent” of Ukrainian territory.
Prior to February 24, they controlled the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, and about a third of the eastern Donbas region. In recent months they have advanced into eastern and southern Ukraine, especially along the Black Sea and Azov coastlines.
Weapons from the West have helped Ukraine repel Russian forces on several fronts. US President Joe Biden has said his administration will also send long-range missiles to Ukraine to further reinforce fighters there – but not range missiles that could reach Russian territory.
In an article for the American newspaper, New York Times, Biden said that NATO does not want a war with Russia.
“We do not encourage and do not allow Ukraine to strike beyond its borders. “We do not want to prolong the war just to hurt Russia,” Biden wrote.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his military will strike even harder if Ukraine is supplied with long-range missiles. He said new targets would be hit, but did not specify.
“If they are sent [raketa me rreze më të gjatë]”We will use our means of destruction, which we have enough to hit those targets that we have not yet hit,” Putin said.
Putin, since the day he ordered the invasion of Ukraine, has threatened that anyone who tries to prevent it will face unprecedented consequences in history. He has ordered his Defense Minister to put the Russian nuclear forces on alert.
Observers of the war in Ukraine say the latest threat i Putin may be in the wake of the undefined threats it makes from time to time and not a real game changer. Peter Rutland, an expert on contemporary Russian nationalism at Wesleyan University, talks about Radio Free Europe Expose:
“I’m not sure the latest threat changes the game in a special way. I think the United States has been very careful from the beginning and has not taken steps that would justify a direct Russian attack on NATO assets. So I do not think things will change. “But you can never know, because Putin is very unpredictable, very aggressive.”
Ulrich Brueckner, a professor of political science at Stanford University in Berlin, says Putin’s threat is difficult to decipher, as he acts according to his own interpretations and perceptions.
“It is very easy to turn into a regional conflict when the Western partners – NATO, the European Union – are actively engaged. “What is active engagement depends on how the aggressor defines it.”
“If Putin says German tanks mean a formal NATO entry into the war, he could start hitting German tanks, but also the infrastructure that helps Ukraine secure weapons from the West,” Brueckner said.
The United States and NATO have repeatedly said they do not want a conflict with Russia and have therefore refused to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine. US President Biden has said several times that direct conflict with Russia would trigger World War III.
To punish him, the West has imposed a series of harsh sanctions against the Russian state – economic and diplomatic. Among the latter is the decision of the European Union to stop almost completely import of Russian oil by the end of this year.
Peter Rutland, from Wesleyan University, is not optimistic that sanctions will do work in Russia. Russia, after all, has the Soviet experience, when Western products there were non-existent, he says.
“[Sanksionet] are very broad and the public is feeling the effect. But Russia is not a democracy, where changes in public opinion translate into new government policies. Therefore, I think people will adapt to different economic circumstances. They will survive. The Russian public is very good at overcoming the crazy actions of the Government. “This is a model we have seen for generations.”
Russia and Ukraine have begun peace talks just four days after the outbreak of war. Negotiations have been stalled for weeks and the parties have blamed each other for the blockade.
Professor Rutland says it is unlikely that Ukraine will reach a credible peace deal with Russia while Putin is president. He did not provide details on how he sees Putin’s eventual end, but said the war would be prolonged.
“The war is becoming more and more a war of destruction, where neither side will be able to score significant territorial victories. “It looks like it will be a very long conflict, for months, and maybe even years.”
Even Professor Brueckner, of Stanford University in Berlin, says the winner of the war – if there is one – will not be known soon. According to him, things can move in favor of both parties.
“A few weeks ago, many people believed that Ukraine could oust Russia because of the quick victories. “But at the same time, there could be an escalation of the situation on the ground and Ukraine running out of military equipment for self-defense.”
When Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine, he said: “We are ready for any outcome.” Yes, could this result be the end of power for him? Neither Brueckner can answer, but says it is important for the West to continue sending weapons to Kiev.
“Ukraine is a victim, Russia is invading a country that has not provoked any military attack of any kind. This is a massive violation of international law. We, as multilateral countries, committed to the rule of law, must stand united and support Ukraine, whether or not it is a member of NATO or the European Union. “We have to support Ukraine because, after all, it is defending what we support.”
In its fourth month, Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II has killed thousands on both sides and displaced more than 12 million others from their homes – more than 6.5 million of them outside its borders. Ukrainian.
According to the United Nations, half of Ukraine’s businesses have closed and 4.8 million jobs have been lost. According to the UN, the country’s economic output will halve this year, while 90% of the population risks falling near or below the poverty line.
Despite these forecasts, a poll published in late May by the Rating agency in Ukraine found that nearly 80 percent of Ukrainians believe that their country “is moving in the right direction.”
In Russia, the Levada Center conducted its latest poll in April, in which 68 percent of respondents said they support the war. But Russia, geopolitically isolated, is also feeling the effects of the war: Russian banks have been cut off from Western finance, while numerous Western companies have emerged from the Russian market.
Putin has made constant efforts to minimize the impact of sanctions, saying the Russian economy is functioning well and that sanctions are hurting Western countries themselves.
In the world, the echo of the war in Ukraine has resulted in rising food and energy prices, as well as some supply chain disruptions. Russia and Ukraine are among the largest exporters of cereals in the world. Ukraine accuses Russia of blocking several ports in the Black Sea and Azov Sea.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on all parties to act to save lives.
“For those on the ground, every day brings new bloodshed and suffering. “For people around the world, war is threatening an unprecedented wave of hunger and poverty, which will leave behind social and economic chaos.”
No matter how this conflict continues, the world has changed. Russia’s relations with the outside world will no longer be the same, nor will Europe’s attitude towards order and security./REL
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link