In his latest statement President Joe Biden declined to call what was happening in Ukraine a genocide but said it constituted a “war crime” and noted the importance of gathering evidence in those situations. He told reporters that the United States would be adding “more sanctions” against Russia, but did not provide details. He called many times President Putin a war criminal for outrageous crimes committed against civilians.
An independent and peaceful democratic country Ukraine is invaded by President Putin of Russia, although Ukraine in no way had provoked Russia. It is Mr Putin’s personal ego to establish the past glory of Russian Empire. He sees himself, not as a socialist leader but as an empire builder.
The latest images of dead civilians, men, women and children, butchered by Russian army in the town Bucha before retreating shocked the world. Women were cruelly raped before their children as mentioned by President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine who also wants Russia’s expulsion from the UN as it does not believe in peace and violates human rights most blatantly. He passionately appealed to the world states, in his statement at the Security Council, to consider forming a new world body if Security Council is unable to ensure peace against such uncalled for aggression.
Russian forces continued to bombard various parts of Ukraine but Mr Putin continued his claim that doors for peace talks are still remained open. He certainly means that his demand for Ukraine’s “neutrality” must be met. Ukraine must not join NATO for its defence and remain defenceless.
Before 1914 Ukraine was part of Russia so it has claim over Ukraine to treat as a vassal state. The larger implication is to show the world and in particular Russian people, how strong their leader is to defy other world powers.
Russia’s repeated bombardments and missile strikes from tanks have pummelled Ukraine including its capital Kyiv.
Russia has broadened its offensive inflicting greater deaths and devastation everyday of the last six weeks aggravating human crises not only for Ukraine but for people in every corner of the world by dislocation of international trade and price hikes not affordable.
Ukraine is getting all the sympathy from the Western powers but not effective weapons. Request for creating no-fly zone is also considered not safe to enforce without directly engaging them in the war. Their fear is not to enlarge the war.
The USA and its allies are repeating their decisions to impose more and more sanctions which are having no impact on the Russia’s ferocity of war pummelling Ukraine. They talks of trying Mr Putin for war crimes mean nothing as long as President Putin is going strong disregarding the Western powers.
What is very painful and frustrating is that for fear of expanding the war, the USA and it’s allies have kept themselves uninvolved directly relying on Ukraine’s government to resist a superpower like Russia for saving democracy of the world. In fact, Russia’s war against Ukraine is its war against NATO.
If a smaller aggression of a big power is not met with collective determination, the wider war is inevitable. For the failure of collective efforts Ukraine has no future as an independent country. Lingering the Ukraine war will go against freedom and democracy on many other countries. We are not in a position to assess the situation with confidence for the reason of our inherent limitations.
But it is our firm belief that the war in Ukraine must not remain one sided as a military operation. President Putin started the war and it has to have military impact within his Russia. The West has shown enough patience but that has made President Putin more aggressive to continue to make mincemeat of Ukraine and shaken the world as being helpless before him.
But we have reasons to feel concerned that President Putin has already established his dominant position over Ukraine at too heavy a cost to the world and the world cannot look the other way.
Unless the USA gives leadership for a collective involvement in the Ukraine war, it will be a catastrophic defeat for the Western ideology and a disaster for saving peace and humanity.
The Russian people cannot be so ruthless and inhuman. They are hostage to the iron grip of President Putin and the oligarchy he created around him through corruption.
So, Mr Putin and Russian people are not the same.
