Pointing finger at this point in the Ukraine War doesn’t lead to a rapid ceasefire and peace talks, though there’s plenty of blame to go around. Certainly 69-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin chose war over possible negotiation but, for whatever reason, couldn’t get 79-year-old President Joe Biden to respond to his security concerns in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Putin warned Biden Dec. 24, 2012 that if the U.S. and NATO would not talk, discuss and negotiate a new security architecture for Ukraine and Eastern Europe he would have to take “military-technical measures” to deal with the threat to the Russian Federation. After months of calling his red lines “non-starters,” Putin invaded Ukraine Feb. 24, creating near universal condemnation for his decision. But now that the Ukraine War started, the U.S. and Western Alliance should not fuel the flames, they should put it out.
Concerns over a wider conflict, dragging the U.S. and Europe into WW III are real with Ukraine showing little willingness to compromise with Putin now that the war’s causing so much carnage and property damage. Ukrainian journalist Daria Kaleniuk told British Prime Minister and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz that Ukraine needs more help, knowing the U.S. and Europe was not putting boots on the ground. “You are afraid,” Kaleniuk said. “Because NATO is afraid of WW III, but it is already started. An the Ukrainian children who are there [are] taking the hit.” So, while the Ukraine War rages on, what can be done to minimize the damage. Certainly Johnson and Mateusz think that preventing a wider conflict or a nuclear war is the top priority, not responding to a justifiably impassioned plea for more U.S. and NATO help. Ukraine learned that Putin isn’t intimidated by threats.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, largely praised for his bravery and patriotism, signed an application for membership yesterday to the European Union, something he knows won’t happen anytime soon. But Zelensky, since taking office May 20, 2019, has been pushing NATO for membership, something also that hasn’t happened. U.S. and NATO, so far, have drawn the line, not permitting Ukraine membership, but, more importantly, not engaging the Russian Federation in a war on the European Continent. Zelensky, as expressed through Kaleniuk, goads the EU and NATO for membership, thinking it would help his fight with Putin. But Zelensky’s constant demands for NATO membership is precisely what triggered Putin to cross the line. If the U.S. or NATO followed what Zelensky or Kaleniuk wanted, WW III would be guaranteed, if not nuclear war.
As the Russian military convoy gets closer to Kiev, the discussion should be about what can be done to get the warring parties to the peace table for an immediate ceasefire and eventual peace talks. All the talk from Zelensky is about Russian war crimes and how Ukraine will beat the Russians, not how to stop the carnage. “You are talking about more sanctions, prime minister, but Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea football club, is not sanctioned,” Kleniuk said, embarrassing Johnson. “He’s in London, his children are not in the bombardments, the children are there in London,” Kleniuk said to Johnson. What does a rich Russian have to do with Putin’s decision to get to war with Ukraine? Emotions are now driving the conflict, not realizing that things could get much worse for the European Continent. All efforts must go to working on a ceasefire and eventual peace talks.
Ukrainians like Zelensky and Kleniuk are so enraged over Putin’s war in Ukraine thery’re ready to take any irrational action. Zelensky isn’t concerned about Putin’s nuclear arsenal or his recent order to put his nuclear forces on heightened readiness. Whatever carnage and destruction happena in Ukraine, it pales in comparison to the prospects of WW III or a nuclear war. Ukrainians finds themselves in a real mess, in part because they chose Feb. 22, 2014 to allow a CIA-backed coup to topple the Kremlin-backed Kiev government of Viktor Yanukovych. Putin decided to seize Crimea March 1, 2014 to protect his Sevastopol naval base. Had 56-year-old former Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko and Zelensky worked harder to get alone with Moscow, the Ukraine War might have been avoided. Allowing the U.S. and NATO to arm Ukraine crossed Putin’s red line.
War in Ukraine must not be allowed to spread to a world war, with the U.S. and European countries jumping in, let alone pushing Putin to threaten using nuclear weapons. Putin does have a nuclear deterrent that must be taken seriously by the U.S., NATO and the EU. Johnson told Kleniuk that there were limitations what the U.K. could do to stop the war. “The implication” of a no-fly zone, Johnson said, “is the U.K. would be engaged in shooting down Russian planes, it would be engaged in direct combat with Russia.” When U.S. President Joe Biden takes to the mike for the State of the Union Speech, he’ll hopefully explain why he won’t put U.S. boots on the ground or set up a no-fly zone. Biden must put every ounce of his being into an urgent ceasefire and eventual peace talks. Transcripts of his speech indicate that he’ll throw more anti-Russian red meat at the audience.
