‘It is much more dangerous giving in to Putin than provoking him’ said recently Estonia’s prime minister Kaja Kallas. Contrast that with Henry Kissinger saying that negotiations should begin to return to where the borders stood prior to the start of the war on 2/24 and that ‘pursuing the war beyond that point would not be about the freedom of Ukraine but a new war against Russia itself’ (World Economic Forum in Davos as reported by The Economist -6/3/22) to which he added that Russia had an important role to play in Europe’s balance of power.
Estonia shares a border with Russia. Kissinger is sitting in a comfortable residence in New York.
Kaja Kallas is feeling the heat. The prime minister smells the blood being spilled in Ukraine, in an unprovoked war that has killed thousands, displaced millions and ravaged that nation’s infrastructure. Estonia could be next.
On 5/28, the Associated Press reported that Russia had test launched a cruise missile, the Zircon, in the Barents Sea, next to Norway and Finland and very near Estonia. Putin described the weapon as having 9 times the speed of sound and capable of travelling 620 miles, adding that the weapon is impossible to intercept with existing antimissile systems and once more reminding the West against interfering in Ukraine.
Russia must be confronted.
The massacre of Ukrainians was unprovoked. And it will continue until Putin is stopped.
Russia has no important role to play in Europe’s balance of power. They prefer China.
This is an hour of reckoning. Europe needing to come to terms with their denial of who Putin is.
This is the Putin that invaded Georgia, that annexed Crimea (to which president Obama did not respond), that has propped up the cruel regime of Assad in Syria for years.
There it all was, in black and white, and yet Europe allowed itself to become reliant on Russia for their energy needs. Unbelievable.
That behavior equated with massive denial, or grand appeasement.
Nevertheless, Europe has shown itself capable of correcting course, but are they now tiring of the sacrifice and showing eagerness to accommodate?
As in Germany now calling for a cease fire and France calling for a deal without ‘humiliation’ for Russia (The Economist 6/3/22).
Why should Russia be spared humiliation when they have caused so much misery?
Is there fear that Russia will become a permanent ally of China? Go right ahead.
The rest of the world will know better as to how to proceed.
This is a crucial moment we’re living in. The forces of democracy aligning themselves on one side, the forces of autocrats and tyrants on the other.
Meanwhile the United Nations’ Security Council has proved itself worthless. Having members like Russia and China hold veto power neutralizes that body.
In the face of Russian atrocities, the West has united and placed important sanctions on them. They should remain in place.
Russia needs to be isolated and those who support it should pay the price too.
This is not the time to weaken our resolve. Russia needs the West more than we do them.
So long as Ukraine is willing to fight we should give them all they need, including fighter planes.
Putin will not start a nuclear war because China won’t let them, knowing as they do that when the West retaliates, they will target them also since they are Putin’s main accomplice.
Push Russia back.
Oscar valdes oscarvaldes.net, medium.com, anchor.fm, buzzsprout, apple and google podcasts
