PRESIDENT BIDEN OF USA AND WESTERN EUROPE MISLEAD UKRAINE PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY
– By Col Ramakrishna
People of Ukraine are paying heavily for taking part in the Machiavellian play choreographed by USA and NATO. USA and the Western European countries have practiced deception to fool the Ukrainians and their leaders.
USA and EU are expanding anti-Russian NATO and trying their best to isolate Russia Geopolitically, through sanctions and threats.
USA is back to its game of high pressure diplomacy, calling on old debts, raising concerns of humanitarian crisis, in addition to using the various forums including the UN to denounce and isolate Russia.
India and China have not taken sides and are under immense pressure to declare themselves as being opposed to Russia.
Russia considers NATO to be an existential threat. Deliberate attempts to expand NATO by USA is viewed as a direct security threat by Russia.
There is a great deal of propaganda, misinformation, and disinformation in public space. It is very difficult to segregate the facts from hype.
So far the fighting has been confined to the borders of Ukraine, and the world is anxiously looking forward to a settlement between Russia and Ukraine. A number of talks have taken place between representatives of Russia and Ukraine, but nothing definite has come out till date.
USA, NATO countries have been sending weapon systems, arms ammunition and even mercenaries from Europe, supposedly to aid Ukraine in its efforts to fight against Russian forces. However, neither USA nor NATO is willing to send their own troops in support of Ukraine.
With more than three million refugees fleeing Ukraine, to nearby countries, chaos reigns in Europe.
Unable to subdue Putin’s Russia through sanctions and propaganda, President Biden of USA has been reduced bad mouthing Putin. “Biden calls Putin a ‘pure thug’ and ‘murderous dictator,’ doesn’t repeat ‘war criminal’ charge” By Steven Nelson.
Anti-Russian NATO & Russia’ Legitimate Security Concerns. NATO is Russia oriented. Naturally Russia considers NATO to be an existential threat. Deliberate attempts to expand NATO by USA is viewed as a direct security threat by Russia.
NATO was formed in 1945 with the specific purpose of keeping Stalin’s Communist armies out of Western Europe. Some countries in Europe formed the NATO in 1945 and a few joined later. USSR under Stalin drew the Eastern European countries in to the Warsaw Pact, in an effort to counter NATO.
Subsequent to the breakup of USSR in 1991, Warsaw Pact virtually disintegrated. Many of the satellites of Russia declared independence, joined European Union and some even joined an expanded NATO.
According to the Russians there was a tacit understanding, that USA will not enlarge membership of NATO to include Georgia and Ukraine.
Russia had also made it clear on a number of occasions that enlargement of NATO to include Ukraine and Georgia would be considered an unfriendly act, and even inimical one. Obviously Russia does not want ballistic missiles on its borders aimed at the Russian heartland.
President Clinton breached the silent protocol and added east European countries to NATO. A weak Russia under Boris Yeltsin had protested strongly and objected to the East European satellites of Poland, Czech Republic etc moving into EU and NATO, but did not interfere.
However, Russia has always drawn a RED LINE as far as Ukraine and Georgia are concerned. Now in 2022 President Putin of Russia has taken a firm stand on Biden’s attempts to upset the balance of power, which is the basis of peace in Europe.
“What happened to the assurances our Western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today?” Putin asked — a remark that prompted some head-scratching, because the debate has focused almost exclusively on remarks made before the Warsaw Pact fell apart. “Where are these guarantees?”
A year after Putin’s speech, at a Bucharest summit in April 2008, NATO declined to offer Georgia and Ukraine a fast-track path to membership but assured the two countries that they would eventually join the alliance.”
Ukraine, USA, NATO, and EU
People of Ukraine are paying in blood for the gross deception and duplicity of USA and the NATO countries. The Naïve approach of Volodymyr Zelensky, as the president of Ukraine, towards international politics is a major factor in the present situation, being faced by Ukraine.
Yet even if Kiev falls, there’s every indication weapons will keep flowing into a Putin-occupied Ukraine. Congress is working on a $6.4 billion aid package. NATO is delivering weapons overland. Arms shipments are flowing to the Poland-Ukraine border. And the Army’s 18th Airborne Corps is working with allies to establish an “international donor coordination centre” to deliver weapons.
Joining EU was and is advantageous to the comparatively less developed East European countries. Ukraine has been keen to join EU and was even ready to Join NATO, which is basically an organisation that is ranged against Russia today.
“Relations between Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) started in 1992.[1] Ukraine applied to begin a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) in 2008.[2][3] Plans for NATO membership were shelved by Ukraine following the 2010 presidential election in which Viktor Yanukovych, who preferred to keep the country non-aligned, was elected President”. Wiki
However better sense prevailed in EU and Ukraine was not admitted into NATO.
Situation Aggravated in 2017
“In June 2017, the Ukrainian Parliament adopted legislation reinstating membership in NATO as a strategic foreign and security policy objective. In 2019, a corresponding amendment to Ukraine’s Constitution entered into force”.
Things changed for worse after Volodymyr Zelensky, a comedian by profession took over as President of Ukraine in 2019. While no one would question his sincerity and patriotism, Zelensky’s inexperience in geopolitics was obvious. It appears that rhetoric of emancipation from Russian influence, and attraction of EU membership blinded him to geographical realities and strategic imperatives.
“In September 2020, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy approved Ukraine’s new National Security Strategy, which provides for the development of the distinctive partnership with NATO with the aim of membership in NATO.”
Russia was Alarmed. Putin’s Russia felt threatened. Russian objective was to ensure that Ukraine did not join NATO. Putin waited for a confirmation from USA. USA neither said yes nor no. They thought they could threaten and play with Putin, and he would behave like Gorbachev or Yeltsin.
Inspite of warnings spread over decades even from western thinktanks and experts President of USA Joe Biden and his cohorts like Boris Johnson of UK in Europe escalated the tensions in Europe. Biden and the EU cabal have led a naïve Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Ukraine up the garden path, and dumped him unceremoniously in the dung heap.
People of Ukraine are paying the price today in deaths and devastation.
REFUGEES
The plight of helpless women and children streaming across the countryside is too terrible to describe. Going by the horrors experienced by refugees in the past, and the recent mass flights from Syria, Kurdistan, and Afghanistan, the worst is yet to come.
Already more than 3 million refugees have moved into Eastern Europe. Fears of more displacement are being sounded.
What about the internally displaced population? The EU believes the total number of refugees could climb to seven million.
Racism: Since 2015, the EU has been bitterly divided over how to share out migrants and refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
Eastern EU countries led by Poland and Hungary refused to take in anyone, saying this would have threatened their national security and their Christian traditions.
They have now changed tack to allow in mostly Christian Orthodox Ukrainians.
We also learn how browns and blacks were ill-treated by Uranian militia and check post guards.
Lessons & Options for India
India needs to understand and accept Geopolitical Realities. Idealism cannot be implemented at the cost of national security.
Whims and fancies appear to dictate US and EU sanctions. World is reeling under the weight of 129 $ per barrel of crude, eating into budget of developing nations.
Supply chains are being affected, with financial sanctions.
A world wide recession is a possibility, and India needs to brace itself.
Ukrainian crises confirms world opinion that USA is NOT a dependable ally. USA has adopted the European colonial policy of inciting one neighbour against another, causing ruination to both.
USA has ditched countries in trouble earlier, and it continues with its manipulations. US policies are directed by flawed understandings of ground realities. However, the policies adopted by USA are always beneficial to its own military industrial conglomerates only.
India has managed to maintain its neutrality in the ongoing military operations in Ukraine. India has not succumbed to the pressure and propaganda offensive by the west so far and it should continue to do so.
Russia has been a staunch ally in the past and was compelled to take military action in Ukraine due to the aggressive stand by USA and NATO against Russia.
President of Ukraine was and is being given false assurances, fake promises by USA and NATO, is pressured and pushed to act in a manner that is detrimental to Ukraine and its citizens.
India needs to understand that vis a vis the unholy alliance of China and Pakistan it has to stand up on its own.
Possession of nuclear weapons has become a necessity. Experience of Ukraine shows that Guarantees by external powers do not translate into security.
There is an immediate need for India to augment its military prowess, and manufacture weapons systems inhouse.
US sanctions on Russia and threats of more to come, indicates the dangers of the world financial system centred around USA.
The withdrawal of IT giants like Google and Microsoft from Russian operations is a warning signal to India on its over dependence on western IT conglomerates and hubs.
While India needs US support in is stand against China, in the Himalayan borders, South China Sea and international finance institutions, India also needs Russian weapon systems and backing in the UN and other international agencies.
India is lucky to have Prime Minister Modi with a clear majority in the parliament at the helm. After decades we a have Prime Minister, who understands geopolitics and is willing to place Indian interests above all else.
Our diplomats have a tough time with the balancing act so necessary now. The entire country needs to stand behind the government, in its foreign policy objectives to face the hard days to come.
