What a refreshing change to see commonsense written
about the Ukrainian crisis! (Russia`s "sinister" long-term plan? A stable
Ukraine,19/02/15) Dejevsky is right to say that sanctions against Russia, and
the sabre-rattling by the west, "will only make matters worse".The greeting of
last week`s ceasefire deal with "pessimism laced with cynicism" was only to be
expected, especially as the UK and US were not involved in the Minsk agreement.
We can expect more of "diplomacy`s wrongheadedness" from London and Washington,
especially as the Tories will be eager to impress on the British electorate
their unwillingness to pander to Putin`s insecurity, acting tough,
but exacerbating the problem. Accepting that some
of the blame for the Ukraine problem lies with the west would be a far more
sensible approach. After all, it was the west who reneged on the promise made to
Gorbachev in the various talks which preceded German unity. With West Germany
being a member of NATO, and the east a member of the Warsaw Pact, the need for
Russian agreement was imperative, and only when Baker, President Bush`s
Secretary of State, said that there "would be no extension of NATO`s
jurisdiction for forces of NATO one inch to the east" was Gorbachev
persuaded!
Your editorial opines that "making the most of
Europe`s and America`s economic advantages" is one way forward, but strangely
omits the possibility of long-term economic agreements over the supply of gas
and oil.(Cheating and bad faith, but still a chance the ceasefire will change
the nature of the conflict,19/02/15) With Russia providing around a third of the
EU`s oil, and nearly 40% of its gas, wouldn`t a deal to continue to take the
same for the next ten years at an affordable, but considerably higher price than
today`s, improve matters, and reduce the possiblity of further military
conflict?
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