Transnational media reports on Saturday said Russian forces are violating the temporary ceasefire agreement of the two Ukraine cities — Mariupol and Volnovakha – with a view to allowing humanitarian corridors out of the cities. Local officials said the evacuation has been put on hold, accusing Russian troops of not observing the ceasefire accord. In contrast, Russia’s defence ministry accused Ukrainian “nationalists” of preventing civilians from leaving.
Earlier in the day, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a temporary ceasefire so that civilians could evacuate through humanitarian corridors from the two cities. Mariupol has reportedly faced heavy bombardment this week, leading to supply shortages and utility outages. Russian troops “deliberately destroyed” the city’s infrastructure, and that the city is working to restore heat, water and light for residents, added different news outlets. As Russian forces batter strategic locations in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky has lashed out at NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning “all the people who die from this day forward will die because of you.” However, NATO argues if it imposed a no-fly zone over Ukraine, it could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia. More than one million people have reportedly fled Ukraine to the neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations.
As the United States and other NATO members send weapons for Kyiv and more than one million refugees spill through the continent, the conflict is already drawing in countries far beyond Ukraine’s borders. Political scientists say that deploying US troops to Ukraine would, in fact, lead to nuclear warfare. As we have observed both before the invasion and afterward, President Joe Biden has consistently ruled out the deployment of US troops. The question is will the sanctions protect the Ukraine people from the Russian aggression or bring respect to human rights.
Across the world, political leaders and ordinary citizens have condemned Russain invasion of Ukraine. At the same time, there seems to be basically no chance that the United States or any other major world power would send its troops to fight on the Ukrainians’ behalf — for the simple reason that doing so could plausibly lead to a wider war, and even nuclear conflict. The question then becomes: What can America and its allies do if they continue to rule out direct intervention? The USA, EU and NATO, hiding behind Ukraine, are not fighting against Russian aggression. They left the field open for the superpower Russian aggression against the ordinary people of Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, President Putin boasted that his country had grown more self-sufficient in the face of “illegitimate” Western sanctions, according to Russia’s Tass service.
Emboldening Mr Putin by successful invading Ukraine causing mass exodus he said will not be stooped. And so he insists that the world back off while he sharpens his knife and sets about his goal.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia asserted that Ukraine must understand that if they continue doing what they are doing, they risk the future of Ukrainian statehood,” Mr. Putin said at a meeting in Moscow on Saturday, in his first extended remarks since the start of the war. “If that happens, they will have to be blamed for that.
Mr. Putin’s decision to press ahead with the troop movement suggests that he has concluded that the costs of new sanctions are tolerable, despite US talks of “massive consequences” for his country. He must have also assessed that the USA and her allies have no stomach to face war with Russia in the fear of starting a nuclear annihilation. In such an event Mr Putin and his country will also be wiped out.
The West must dispel such hollow delusion and show the determination to face down Mr Putin militarily. At stake is the whole world and the West must not look weak to Mr Putin’s insanity any more.
