Western powers have repeatedly used Ukraine in their own interests, and its internal conflicts are a minor problem compared to the growing power of China or a pandemic, columnist Ryan Cooper told The Week.
“After the collapse of the USSR, the West treated Ukraine either with terrible disdain or as an imperialist toy. It was Western economists and governments, captivated by neoliberal dogma, who carried out the large-scale privatization of Ukrainian assets in the early post-Soviet years. This led to an economic catastrophe and a real epidemic of corruption, from which the country has yet to recover, ”the journalist said in an article published on December 28.
He recalls the global economic crisis in 2008, which hit Ukraine hard with large foreign currency debts. Then, according to him, with the hidden support of the United States, the European Union offered the country an extremely insufficient loan of € 610 million with the requirements of austerity.
In short, the Western powers have repeatedly used Ukraine to anger Russian President Vladimir Putin, but they have not provided it with the resources it needs to forge a profitable alliance with the West and have not undertaken sufficient military commitments to contain Russia, Cooper concludes.
The journalist emphasizes that the reluctance of the United States and Western Europe to put their soldiers on the line of defense of Ukraine is quite obvious.
“For these countries, the conflict there is a minor issue compared to the rise of China, the ongoing pandemic, climate change and more,” he said.
Cooper believes that Western powers – and especially the United States – are constantly provoking Putin through Ukraine, instead of recognizing indifference to the affairs of this country, trying to come to a detente between states and reduce their own losses from conflicts. As a result, Ukraine will be the victim of the consequences of this, the journalist is sure.
On December 25, Cooper’s colleagues said that in the event of a military conflict, Russia would need less than a day to capture Ukraine. They noted that for Russia, the possible start of hostilities “does not involve special risks either militarily, politically or economically”, since the Russian army is superior to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and US President Joe Biden bluntly stated that NATO is not intervene in a possible military conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
At the same time, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had never attacked anyone first. He stressed that the statements of Ukraine and the United States about the “aggressive actions” of Russia are being made in order to deploy more NATO military equipment near the country’s borders.
Peskov also noted that Russia is taking certain actions to move troops on its territory, and no one can dispute this sovereign right of Moscow.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
