What do UK and USA do if Ukraine goes to war with Russia?
3:13 pm - April 14th 2014
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‘Ukraine stands on the brink of a possible military showdown with Russia this morning,’ says Human Rights Watch today.
This isn’t an exaggeration either – the acting President of Ukraine issued a warning to pro-Russian forces yesterday, calling on them to lay down their weapons.
That deadline has now passed and there are no signs that the militants are giving up. In fact, they are bolstered by Russian money and weapons and the build-up of Russian troops on the border.
So what happens now? This is where confusion reigns and why Putin is resting easy for now.
Ukrainian forces will try and take back government buildings occupied by pro-Russian forces, but are likely to face heavy resistance and won’t be able to take them back quickly.
That will give Putin more time to create disorder and to reiterate his claim that Ukrainian forces are harming ordinary ethnic Russians. It would give him internal justification for more explicit military action in Ukraine.
If Putin then takes stronger military action in Ukraine, what do the UK and USA say then?
Calling on him to withdraw is not enough clearly, Putin has ignored them so far. I suspect Ukraine is looking for promises of military backing from the United States and European states before it continues.
But sooner or later we will have to confront the question: what do the USA and UK do is Ukraine goes to war with Russia? We cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch because it has huge security and energy implications for us.
But there seems to be no appetite for such promises from the West to guarantee Ukraine’s safety. Our politicians want to avoid answering such questions. Some of them are busy holidaying in Lanzarote. I don’t suspect Vladimir Putin is too worried for now.
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
· Other posts by Sunny Hundal
Story Filed Under: Blog ,Europe ,Foreign affairs
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Reader comments
“We cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch because it has huge security and energy implications for us.”
Why can’t ‘we’? And why is ‘we’ only the US and UK? What about France, Germany, Italy etc etc?
Nato/EU wont do a thing. They need Russian Gas & grain. Putin holds all the cards & he knows it.
What does Sunny think we should do?
“And why is ‘we’ only the US and UK? What about France, Germany, Italy etc etc?”
I agree, this isn’t The Sun, journalists shouldn’t be talking about the Western democracies as thought it’s only the “English-speaking” nations. For a start, the French are a hell of a lot more pro-active in these things recently than the UK is.
I also think, in the case of this particular crisis, it’s important to distinguish between the US and European reactions. Europe has far more financial and energy ties to Russia (how much Russian money is in London? How much Russian gas does Germany use?) and therefore a lot more to lose.
“But sooner or later we will have to confront the question: what do the USA and UK do is Ukraine goes to war with Russia? We cannot just sit on the sidelines and watch because it has huge security and energy implications for us.”
We can’t really use military force against Russia either, because that has potentially existential implications for us. Politicians are, rightly, very nervous about committing to a war against a major power like Russia because of how it could escalate. I don’t think there’s Moscow-West face-off over an issue this serious since, arguably, the 1960s. The “cold war escalation” that was talked about in the early ’80s was more about arms build-ups and *potential* confrontations. We have an actual confrontation now and the current generation of politicians have no idea how to deal with it.
You’re a fucking shill albeit a dumb one at that. You know nothing about Ukraine or Russia and repeat same bullshit western propaganda like a damn parrot! In most political circles people like you, are known as a useful idiot. Keep on repeating the warmongering propaganda you coward, since that’s all you useful idiots do. I hope you put your money where your BJ giving mouth is, when the war kicks off, by enlisting in the army to fight the war you and people like have been cheerleading for!
The infighting in Kiev is only just beginning; this will then extend to NATO and the EU.
It seems you want us to forget how Kiev came about. A coup in Kiev does not mean there was a simultaneous coup across the Ukraine.
What we are seeing is a probable template for other countries to consider the next time a neocon regime change machine pays a visit. Let the capital have its coup; the regions should simply desert the centre. It’ll be forever be known as the ‘Chicken Kiev’ strategy.
The machinations US/NATO/EU are going through are purely for domestic electoral purposes; Obama needs to bring the neocons to their knees and the Europeans need to develop a voice instead of jumping to order.
My heart is aching…aching for those who live with us side by side, for our fraternal nation – the Ukrainians. In their fight for freedom, independence and democracy they’ve demonstrated to the world that they are a true European nation.
However, their fight still goes on. Let’s not be indifferent and let’s pray together for Ukraine.
As an artist I couldn’t stay aside. http://youtu.be/kb8Iw_dwgfg
Let the music unite our hearts!
Ukraine is of no strategic interest to the UK, and so the UK should not get involved.
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