youAs the country celebrates its 30th anniversary of independence from the former Soviet Union, Klein President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is forgiven for cursing his luck.On Tuesday, Mr. Zelensky hosted a parade In Kiev, many dignitaries and heads of state attended. But a week after he hoped to focus the attention of Western allies on Russia’s bullying and stubbornness, their attention was firmly on Afghanistan.
The struggle remaining on the diplomatic radar has become a familiar struggle.On Monday, Ukraine held an attention-seeking summit Crimea was illegally annexed by Vladimir Putin in March 2014. A few months later, the European Union, which signed an alliance agreement with Ukraine, imposed sanctions and refused to recognize the territory as part of Russia. At the summit, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, promise The EU will continue to “stand up” to oppose such violations of international law. But in fact, the annexation of Russia is a fait accompli, and no one now expects to be reversed. Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel apologized for being late and failed to attend the event.
frozen conflict In the Donbass region, Russia-backed insurgents have carved up part of the country and controlled the eastern border of Ukraine, and have also reached a stalemate.In the spring, Mr. Putin authorized a large army build up At the border, although it was later withdrawn, it was seen as an early test of Joe Biden’s courage. Mr. Zelensky will meet with Mr. Biden in Washington next week.Before that meeting, he had already Voiced He was frustrated by the West’s unwillingness to join NATO through Ukraine, which would greatly increase the risk of any Russian aggression. Merkel did meet with Mr. Zelensky in Kiev on Sunday. She admitted that the negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany on the Donbass region have made no progress, because Putin refused to admit that Russia was involved in the conflict.
Considering the toast of the West and the tense background of the East, Ukraine’s strong opposition to the project to be completed is understandable. Beixi 2 pipeline. Through the Baltic Sea, this will allow Russia to eventually bypass Ukraine when exporting natural gas to Germany, cost Kiev billions of dollars in transit fees, and may allow Moscow to adopt a more threatening posture against its neighbors. Mr. Biden, who initially opposed this pipeline, Dropped Last month, he signed an agreement with Merkel, treating it as an economic priority.
Therefore, Ukraine has legitimate reasons to criticize the degree of support it receives from powerful Western allies. The failure to withdraw troops from Afghanistan — and the continued weakness of the European Union as a geopolitical force — will deepen the sense of insecurity.Last month, Mr. Putin Publish A 5,000-word essay entitled “On the Historical Unity of the Russians and Ukrainians”. The West’s response to Putin’s years of manipulation and psychological games should be more than just mixed information.
