Some Western leaders, while supporting Ukraine, are somewhat concerned about the possible consequences of its victory in the war with Russia. Yes, the West fears that Russia will be humiliated, which could create a number of new problems. This was reported by Politico with reference to Western officials. The publication writes that Western European leaders, particularly in Germany, France and Italy, now seriously believe in Ukraine’s victory in the war. Despite the fact that Europe supports Ukraine, at the same time it fears that French President Emmanuel Macron called “humiliation” of Russia, which, in turn, will cause new problems.
Thus, according to officials, Ukraine’s victory could “destabilize Russia, make it even more unpredictable and make the normalization of energy ties unattainable.” That is why some Western European capitals are in favor of “saving faces” in this war, “even if it costs Ukraine a certain territory.”
“We are not at war with Russia,” Macron told the European Parliament in Strasbourg last week, stressing that “Europe’s duty is to stand with Ukraine to achieve a ceasefire and then build peace.” He also said that once peace is achieved, Europe will have to build “new security balances”. This is a “code” that is perceived in Central and Eastern Europe as an endorsement of Putin’s actions on their territory.
Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz recently said that Ukraine should determine the conditions for a cessation of hostilities, but it is better to do so as soon as possible. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi also said that it was time to think about a peace agreement: “We agreed that we should continue to support Ukraine and put pressure on Moscow, but also start asking how to build peace.”
Ukraine responded in the words of Volodymyr Zelensky: “On February 24, Russia showed that it does not care about all concessions, and it will take the territory if it decides to do so. And Emmanuel does not need to make certain diplomatic steps. He became president, I supported him. But without any steps aside, history does not forgive. Only steps forward if you want to get your way back”.
Speakers:
- Dr. Hanna Shelest, Editor-in-Chief, UA: Ukraine Analytica
- Danylo Lubkivsky, Director of Kyiv Security Forum
- Ksenia Illiuk, analyst at Detector Media
- Iryna Starovoyt, phD in philological sciences, adjunct lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University, Department of Cultural Studies
- Mykola Davydiuk, political scientist, alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education
UKRAINE IN FLAMES project is created by Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Ukrainian Catholic University’s analitical center and NGO “Euroatlantic Course”. We are aiming at searching a loud support for Ukraine in the war started by Russia on the 24th of February 2022.
If you want to support Ukraine against Russian aggression, check the link with recommendations by Ukraine Crisis Media Center – https://uacrisis.org/en/help-ukraine.
NGO Euroatlantic Course collects donations to support Ukrainian Army and civilians – https://eac.org.ua/en/main-page/.
