Gabriel Elefteriu
With Ukraine’s situation becoming increasingly precarious, it is time to confront, head-on, the most dangerous of the many illusions entertained by the Western strategic community in relation to this war: the notion that peace is in Ukraine’s and the West’s gift to “give”, and up to Russia to “accept”.
The old world
There was a time – perhaps from mid-2022 to late 2023 – when this appeared as a reasonable proposition. Ukraine had done the impossible and survived the initial Russian blow; it had then moved swiftly on the counter-attack – helped by key deliveries of foreign weapons, especially American HIMARS – rolling back the Russians in Kharkiv and Kherson.
The prestige of the valiant Ukrainians and of president Zelensky himself were at their zenith. Almost the entire Western world had mobilised in support of the embattled Eastern European nation. Financial and military aid was flowing in; even Germany’s obstructionism was breaking down, one weapon system at a time. The immediate sanctions slapped on Russia after 24 February 2022 were being further strengthened into the strongest system of sanctions ever devised.
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