Analysis by By Nawab Khan
BRUSSELS, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- The upcoming date of February 24 will mark one year of the war in the Ukraine when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukrainian territories, unleashing the worst and most dangerous military confrontation in Europe since World War II.
On that day, Putin ordered a "special military operation" in Ukraine's Donbas region, claiming that his country was defending Russian-speaking communities through the "demilitarization and de-Nazification" of Ukraine and to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
In Moscow's narrative, Russia is fighting a defensive battle against "Western imperialism." The West , including Europe, the US and NATO , was quick to condemn the Russian action as an "unprovoked and unjustified attack war of aggression" against Ukraine arguing that Moscow's aim is to rebuild a Russian sphere of influence in eastern Europe.
The West is insisting that it would not intervene in the war in order to avoid any escalation of the conflict but supply Kiev with weapons.
However, European media and analysts see no quick end to the war, and neither any swift diplomatic solution.
For instance, German Weekly Der Spiegel said, "Russia seems further from victory than ever, but a Ukrainian triumph is also far from a foregone conclusion," a similar outlook was reflected by Slovenian daily newspaper Delo, which wrote, "The political talk of losers and winners is at odds with the aim of peace. Neither side can win this war. Peace can only be concluded at the negotiating table." Analysts opined that the longer the war continued the danger of a wider conflagration and also the threat of a nuclear war loomed menacingly over the earth.
"One element of the logic of war is that the price of peace continues to go up the longer the conflict continues," commented Der Spiegel.
Indeed, the war has galvanized the West and the strong unified message coming out from Washington, Brussels, Berlin, and London was "we will support Ukraine as long as it takes." For the West, there was only one acceptable outcome to the war, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from every inch of Ukrainian territory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had expressed the unified Western stance over the Ukraine clearly.
He said, "If Putin wins in Ukraine, the message to him and other authoritarian leaders will be that they can use force to get what they want. This will make the world more dangerous." The West is supporting Ukraine through huge economic and military assistance, and seeks to weaken Russia through wide ranging sanctions and total boycott of Russian energy.
Observers are however surprised that the EU, which championed itself as a peace project has not initiated in earnest any diplomatic or political solution to end the Ukraine war, but rather its focal point has been to supply more arms to Ukraine.
Speaking recently in the European Parliament, EU High Representative Josep Borrell said, "We claim that the EU is a peace force and cannot provide arms to anyone else", but then added, "Yes, we can. Yes, we have done - in the next budget, think about it." The outcome of the war will have a significant influence on future developments in Europe, but also around the globe.
Both Russia and the West are propagating their own narratives about the war to win support of countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The West wants to isolate Russia internationally.
However, those countries might have some other ideas and approaches.
Such was reflected in South Africa holding joint military exercises with Russia and China, which sent a clear message on Pretoria's position.
India's External Affairs Minister, Subramaniam Jaishankar, told an international conference, "Somewhere Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europe's problems are the world's problem but the world's problems are not Europe's problems." Countries around the world are paying the detrimental effects of the war in rising costs for energy and food supply.
Russia is far from being isolated internationally, political scientist Linas Kojala wrote in Lithuanian daily Delfi.
"The data shows that public opinion about Russia in the developing world has not worsened, even against the backdrop of its brutal aggression," he wrote.
"The world is increasingly splitting into a democratic world that takes a certain view of the geopolitical challenges and the rest that takes the opposite view... This complicates the West's efforts to isolate Russia and fully enforce economic sanctions," said the Lithuanian analyst.
On his part, Sven Biscop in an article published by Belgium's Egmont Institute said, "It is a major EU interest to contain the war and prevent its escalation into a direct great power war of the West against Russia." "For that would mean launching military operations in many other theatres and risking nuclear war, which would threaten everyone's survival," he warned. (end) nk.gta