Muddying the diplomatic waters further with an unpalatable, and in all likelihood unattainable, “solution” wastes precious time and resources that now would be better devoted to achieving a stable ceasefire and an end to Russia’s aggression.
Ukraine
Ukraine invasion: what the west needs to do now
For the west, containing Russia’s aggression and keeping the western alliances (EU and NATO) united and intact are the obvious key short-term objectives.
Ukraine: what’s really behind Putin’s deployment of ‘peacekeeping’ troops?
Related NotesVladimir Putin’s recognition of the independence of the two breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk...
Crimea flashpoint raises stakes in Russia’s regional power play
Like the West’s, Russia’s Ukraine policy is part of a larger geopolitical game over influence in a strategic region contested by an emerging great power (the EU) and a rival who has been in decline for two decades and unable to reverse this trend to date.
Crimea on the brink: no velvet divorce for polarised peninsula
Given the local, regional and global political dynamics of the Ukrainian crisis, Crimea is unlikely to experience a “velvet divorce”, but could trigger wider violence that Simferopol, Kiev, Moscow, Brussels and Washington should be keen to avoid.
Ukraine a pawn in high-stakes global game with no quick win in sight for EU, US or Russia
Given the depth of these problems, Ukraine’s crisis is certain to continue. Any effort to resolve it in a sustainable way will require a more comprehensive agreement and the breathing space to negotiate it–neither of which will be possible without highly responsible and strategic leadership in Kiev, Moscow, Brussels and Washington.