Daily Times

Kyiv, the capital and most populous city of Ukraine, has been facing extreme trauma for the past many months. Though life in the city is now returning to normal, the conflict is still going on. Ukraine, once part of the former superpower Soviet Union, has experienced ups and downs in its relations with the Russian Federation. It has been in a dilemma since its inception in 1991. However, the crisis started worsening when Russian President Putin annexed Crimea after 2014’s so-called revolution in Ukraine. President Putin’s concerns about his partially unfriendly neighbour are not without logic. The warmth NATO and Ukraine had shown for each other was considered a serious and direct threat to the sovereignty of the Russian Federation. Despite being aware of Putin’s rage, the West continued to back Ukraine against Russia. And eventually, when it became unbearable for Putin and the volcano of Russian anger erupted, nobody came to Ukraine’s rescue.

Ukraine’s population is visibly divided into pro-Russia and anti-Russia groups. After the anti-Russia ideology started influencing more people in 2014, the change did not go well with President Putin. Perhaps NATO thought that Russia was too weak to react, so they massed troops on Ukraine’s border. NATO troops’ presence at the Ukraine border was akin to Russian troops’ deployment at the Canadian border, for the USA. For Russia, Ukraine is so important that it would not hesitate to wage a war if it sees any foreign forces build up at its neighbour’s borders.

No justification can be given for aggression, but for a person like Putin and an issue of such severity for Russia’s sovereignty, it indeed was not something unexpected. As the US appeared weak to Russia pulling out from Afghanistan after a defeat there, Putin took a chance and invaded Ukraine. It seems his plan worked the way he wanted. No serious and effective reaction was shown by the US and its allies, to much disappointment in Ukraine. I mean yes, there was some reaction, but it was not in line with Newton’s third law.

No justification can be given for aggression, but for a person like Putin and an issue of such severity for Russia’s sovereignty, it indeed was not something unexpected. As the US appeared weak to Russia pulling out from Afghanistan after a defeat there, Putin took a chance and invaded Ukraine.

Putin is not the only one to blame for all the bloodshed and aggression in Ukraine. The provokers of the conflict must also do some soul-searching, as they are also responsible for the current situation. The US has been using NATO and fulfilling its designs. Pope Francis said: “NATO’s barking at Russia’s door might have caused the Ukraine war.” The US uses its influence over international organisations not just to protect its interests but also to harm those who refrain to stand by its ideology. Countries and nations throughout the world should not blindly believe in the United States; otherwise, they might also end up with nothing to their credit. The USA must be held responsible and accountable for its actions throughout the world.

The US seems to believe that all rights to protect national sovereignty and integrity are possessed by it alone. It monopolises the proceedings at the UN; it dominates NATO, and it invades any country it wants. But the whole world is not bound to abide by American policy. Russian interference in the American presidential election is a call to war, but there are numerous countries in the world where Americans interfere and manipulate their political system. The US must realise that now it can only expect from others what it gives to others. It must stop abandoning its partners halfway; otherwise, it might end up alone. The public disliking for the US around the world, whether in Pakistan or any other country, should set alarming bells ringing for the ‘lone super power’. The US must understand that the people of these countries, otherwise thought to be backward and underdeveloped, are becoming more and more enlightened with time. The question, oppose and strongly resist the US interference in their internal matters. Nothing for a nation is more important than its sovereignty.

The US is accused of always betraying its allies. Pakistan, for example, is a key ally of the US, and it has always protected American interests. However, regrettably, whenever it needed help, nothing mentionable was received from Washington. No amount of aid from the US could be compensation for the life losses and the infrastructural damages that Pakistan suffered for being an American ally in its war on terrorism in Afghanistan.

Earlier, during the anti-Soviet Union movement in Afghanistan, Pakistan helped the US the most. In return, it received the world’s largest refugee population pouring into it, damaging the economy and creating numerous problems that persist to date. No amount of US aid could ever repay what Pakistan has done for it. The US keeps its national interests above all other things but does not let any other nation do that. It wants the whole world to keep American interests above everything else. Americans must stop acting hypocritically. If what Russia did in Ukraine was wrong, then what Israel and India are doing in Palestine and Kashmir is also wrong and unacceptable. Throughout the past, the United States has solved all global repercussions of its injustice in a very filthy manner. From toppling governments to destroying economies and even killing those who stand against them, the US has always solved its matters with an oppressive approach.

President Putin surely keeps a vendetta against Ukraine and its population with a pro-western sentiment. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky indeed handled the situation well, but had Putin even unleashed his full rage at Europe? Maybe this was just a testing act of how harshly will the westerners and their allies respond to the aggression against them. It seems as if the US is not as powerful as it was at the time when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. Russia was a bulldog, with stones being constantly thrown at it. This war against Ukraine is just a trailer for the US to watch for itself that neither it is that powerful nor is Russia that weak now. Silent men like deep waters are deep and dangerous. Putin and his huge Russia are that silent men. It is a wounded soldier, which might turn out to be more dangerous than perceived.

Beijing and Moscow have also improved their ties in various sectors, especially their trade relations. Russia’s got the energy that China consumes. China manufactures almost all the things a country requires. If the alliance between the bear and the dragon grows, the bald eagle might need to worry.

The writer can be reached at: me.ahmed.sultan@gmail.com.