International Reactions to the War in Ukraine
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is one of the most shocking events of the post-Cold War era. It has a significant place in global politics, drawing attention from countries across the globe, the conflict in Eastern Europe has become the centre point in international relations.
After requests from Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, Western countries in the EU and others like the United States of America and Canada have pledged support to Ukraine. Recent comments by Russian President Vladmir Putin stated that his country possessed weapons of mass destructions and that he was not afraid of using them. “I’m not bluffing,” said the Russian President. Putin has also stated that the United States set the precedent for nuclear weapons by bombing Japan in the Second World War, does this mean a threat of nuclear war is in the reckoning?
The United States National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, told American TV Networks that the nuclear warnings “are a matter we have to take deadly seriously.” Similar statements were made by CIA Director William Burns. The US and Europe have shifted from their past stance of dismissing nuclear threats to planning a response. At the end of the day, there is a possibility that Putin is using, in the words of NATO General Secretary Jon Stoltenberg, “Nuclear Blackmailing” to scare of the West’s support for Ukraine. Experts such as National Security Affairs professor, Nikolas Gvosdev, is an advocate of this view.
Even so, Tony Brenton, a former British ambassador to Russia told Reuters, “If the choice for Russia is fighting a losing war, and losing badly and Putin falling, or some kind of nuclear demonstration, I wouldn’t bet that they wouldn’t go for the nuclear demonstration.” Many experts suggest that Putin’s words were not a bluff, suggesting that it will all come down to how desperate the situation becomes for Russia.
At the moment Russia seems to have been backed into a corner by the international forum. The impact of the Ukrainian War has been felt all over the world. With the rise in prices of commodities like energy and fuel alongside the uncertainty of the foreign markets reducing the confidence of investors, according to World Bank figure, the global economy is predicted to contract by 0.2% in 2022 and barely expand in 2023. Many major economies of the world like the UK and the US are in or headed towards recession.
This dip in the global economy has had adverse effects on countries, especially the Third World which has depended on Ukraine’s grain exports for a large part of its food supply. Russia’s needlessly stopping the grain exports did not bode well in the eyes of the countries that were still recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic. Even China and India had asked Russia to refrain from further violence in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Uzbekistan. China and India had increased oil imports from Russia and become the biggest receivers of Russian oil. Russia and China had also vowed an unbreakable bond before the war and on the other hand Russia had been India’s biggest defence supplier since the Soviet Union era. When the Indian Prime Minister told Putin that this is an “era not right for war”, Russia lost support of its two closest allies.
In the west, aid in the form of military, humanitarian, and financial aid has been put forward to Ukraine. The US, EU and other NATO partners have backed Ukraine with supplies of weapons and other military equipment. This has largely enabled Ukraine to continue fighting and in late September, take back territory East of Kharkov. The West has also taken in Ukrainian refugees and imposed tremendous amount of sanctions on Russia, banning its exports and freezing its foreign assets.
The actions of the West and the pressures of the Third World has put Russia into a difficult spot which according to experts could lead to the use of weapons of mass destruction like nuclear missiles. On a little optimistic note, experts have from time to time been wrong. Before the war, many experts who believed that Russia would not invade Ukraine. But unlike the previous inaccuracy, we can hope that this unpredictable scenario does not see a further escalation of violence. It is the responsibility of all nations to maintain peace. This does not exclude Russia or Ukraine or its supporters. If not solved through peaceful means, this conflict could become a serious issue for the global structure.
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