West seeks to contain Russian influence as tensions rise over Ukraine – diplomat on NATO Summit
Diplomat and international expert Ruslan Osypenko has cautioned Ukraine against harboring any illusions about the strength of its international support, saying challenging times are on the horizon.
In an interview with Radio NV on July 12, Osypenko
strongly criticized the NATO Summit in Vilnius, one of the major geopolitical
events of the year, referring to it as a combination of “Budapest and Bucharest
2.0 in one glass.”
“Geopolitically, both Russia and China have
received a signal that Ukraine will remain within Russia’s sphere of interest,
and negotiations will also be pursued with China. This essentially marks an
exchange of interests and, unfortunately, initiates the process for another
war,” warned the diplomat.
According to Osypenko, Russia “retains its
status as an empire because it serves the interests of the United States,”
which signifies the United States’ willingness to negotiate and detach Russia
from China.
“In effect, we find ourselves in a gray
area between Russia and Europe. This will also impact our negotiations with the
EU,” Osypenko said.
The diplomat added that Ukrainians may be
offered the “bittersweet pill” of accelerated EU accession and “semi-guarantees”
to eventually exit Russia’s sphere of influence by becoming EU members, but
this may not necessarily happen.
“It depends on Europe and the United
States, on their desires. If they consider us to be insufficiently reformed and
democratized, progress in this process will be challenging. If we continue to
face pressure from NATO and the US, they hold leverage over us, and advancing
within the EU will be difficult,” he said.
Osypenko emphasized that during the Vilnius
summit, the West “displayed weakness” and “demonstrated a desire to negotiate
with the Devil.”
“Unfortunately, it seems they are
negotiating at the expense of our interests,” Osypenko said.
“Therefore, we are bracing for challenging
times and must dispel any illusions, focusing on strengthening our state, Armed
Forces, and institutions of power within. We should not solely rely on our
partners; the key to success lies with the Ukrainian people. Ukrainians are
currently engaged in the most important task – defending the democratic world
and the values proclaimed by the West. Today, the brave sons and daughters of
Ukraine are sacrificing their lives for these norms and standards. So, let us
continue doing our part and have fewer expectations of our partners. Their
assistance is appreciated, and we are grateful, but we must dispel any
illusions. The West has made its stance clear.”
According to Osypenko, the West’s
indication of a willingness to negotiate with Russia creates the conditions for
another war.
“If we remain within Russia’s sphere of
influence, and NATO signals that, then Russia will inevitably return to assert
its influence, as they have done in the past,” Osypenko cautioned, highlighting
that war is a matter of existential significance for Ukraine, but not for the
West.
“It was the same after the Khasavyurt
agreements in Chechnya. After losing the first war, (Russia) returned and
fought to seize and subdue Chechnya. They will harbor such revanchist
sentiments.”
According to UK newspaper Guardian, Kremlin
spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated in late December 2022 that Russian officials
should prepare for a “very, very long war” against Ukraine.
In September 2022, Chief Commander of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in an interview with U.S. weekly
news magazine Time, stated that a victory by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the
war against Russia would not be definitive.
“Knowing what I know about the Russians,
our victory will not be definitive. It will give us the opportunity to regroup
and prepare for the next war,” Zaluzhnyi told Time.
NATO members gathered for the summit in
Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12. Delegations from Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand, Australia, Ukraine, and Sweden were also present, with Ukraine’s
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also in attendance.
On July 11, NATO countries in a joint communique expressed that Ukraine would be invited to join the Alliance once
all member countries agree and requisite conditions are met.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
indicated that Ukraine no longer needs to fulfill the Membership Action Plan,
effectively saying that Kyiv will be able to ultimately join the defensive
alliance on an expedited procedure.
On July 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr
Zelenskyy expressed his belief that Ukraine would receive an invitation to joinNATO after the war.
G7 leaders also announced a new set of “security
guarantees” for Ukraine, focusing on equipping the Ukrainian military to be
able to deter any future Russian aggression.
Meanwhile, former UK PM Boris Johnson saidhe viewed the conclusions from the Vilnius summit as “no firmer or more
convincing than NATO’s Bucharest conclusions of 2008.” Consequently, he said, “no
wonder President Zelenskyy found it hard, at first, to conceal his frustration.”
“When allies agree? When conditions are
met? According to the Bucharest conclusions, the allies agreed all this 15
years ago!” Johnson added.
“When will we learn the lesson of the past
20 years of handling Putin? It is our very ambiguity, our vacillation, our
sucking-and-blowing-at-once, which prompted him to invade.”
Johnson urged NATO to provide Ukraine with
a definite timeline for membership as swiftly as possible.
He added that London is working behind the
scenes to attain this objective.
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