Following Washington’s announcement of its decision to provide lethal weapons to Kiev, it didn’t take long for Moscow to come out criticizing the move for undermining the Minsk Agreement as the conflict in the Eastern part of Ukraine which seems to be a frozen one might turn hot. Russia accuses the US of encouraging bloodshed by supplying tank busters as well other ammunition to the Ukrainian military as it continues the fight against pro-separatist rebels in the Donbass region.
The US has always stood by its position of seeking peace through strength and military hardware to the Ukrainians could be seen as part of that foreign policy doctrine but since Kiev hasn’t lived up to the Minsk Agreement where autonomy for the conflict region and granting amnesties to separatists was among the clauses to be reached, it’s safe to say Moscow sees the provision of weaponry as an attempt to escalate the conflict.
As a major superpower, the US doesn’t need Russia’s permission to supply military equipment to any country which it deems necessary to do so. Having annexed the Crimea, part of the Ukrainian territory in 2014- Russia hasn’t only shown bad faith but how aggressive it could be in reshaping international borders using military might. With presidential elections coming up in 2019 in Ukraine, Moscow has reason to believe the government in Kiev is looking for yet another distraction throughout 2018 to make up for failings over the last few years of President Poroshenko’s administration. Reigniting the frozen conflict all over again in Eastern Ukraine to turn the focus from the corruption and tanking economy is one way to go about it.
Neba Benson
BaretaNews Foreign Correspondent/Analyst
1 comment
This is just a shallow understanding of the Ukrainian conflict. The US is the worst country on earth for its greedy ambitions and desire to be the world police. It has destroyed Iraq, Lybia, Afganistan using lies to pave its ambitions with no reparations when those lies are unvailed. It is trying to do same to Syria and over the last decade we have seen armed militia poping up as groundnuts as extremist islamist yet fininced and armed by US and its allies just for their interest. Read the history of Ukrain and tell us why the US is interested in Ukrain? What were the agreements of post cold war? why is Nato continuously busy in Russia’s borders? Do not use the media lies that tries to paint Russia black to hide the devilish plans and ambitions of the so called civilized world. The southern Cameroonians are dying but they are dinning with the French and English at the UN security council as if we are not human beings. If what is going on in Cameroon was in any suburb in Europe or America… it would be world news. unfortunately the world is a jungle for the fittest. I hope Russia and China wake up strongly to counter these thieves and murderers of the 21st century.