Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to send troops into eastern Ukraine has heightened fears across the world that war is imminent.
It was revealed by the European Union’s top diplomat on Tuesday that Russian troops have rumbled across the border into pro-Moscow sections of Ukraine. Per Los Angeles Times, the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, “I wouldn’t say that it’s a fully-fledged invasion, but Russian troops are on Ukrainian soil.”
Borrell’s comments come in the wake of Putin’s public recognition of Ukraine’s two separatist-held enclaves as independent breakaway republics. By sending a military presence into the area, the Russian leader has made a dangerously provocative move. Leaders in the West fear that Putin’s latest act of aggression could spell the end of peace in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
There are serious concerns that a full-on invasion of Ukraine could spark scenes reminiscent of World War II. Putin’s actions have been routinely condemned by the international community. U.S. President Joe Biden and the European Union have already announced a series of economic sanctions cutting trade and business with the Ukrainian enclaves.
Despite an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council held earlier this week, diplomacy is fast becoming a lost cause regarding the Ukraine crisis. Conflict in the region appears inevitable, leading to mass casualties and an exodus of refugees.
Putin delivered an extremely ominous speech to the Russian people on Monday. Its content consisted of aggressive anti-Western rhetoric and the dismissal of Ukraine as a puppet nation. Its sole purpose appeared to be the justification of the complete subjugation of Russia’s neighbor.
Sitting serenely in a chair, Putin gave a lecture on Ukraine’s origins and its historical role. He argued that the country was created entirely by Russia as a Bolshevik-constructed amalgam. He said at one point, “Ukraine was never a true nation. There’s just no independent Ukrainian state.” He then continued to lambast Ukraine as a corrupt-riddled puppet for the West.
In his speech, Putin also focused on the geopolitical importance of Ukraine and pointed out it would be a “direct threat” to Russia if NATO ever made it a member. For such reasons, Putin explained, “I consider it necessary to make a long-overdue decision: to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic.” A senior Biden administration official explained, “This was a speech to the Russian people to justify a war. This is Potemkin politics. President Putin is accelerating the very conflict he’s creating. We’ll continue to pursue diplomacy until the tanks roll. We are under no illusions about what is likely to come next.”
