Security concerns of all parties in Ukraine crisis need to be addressed

With Russian President Vladimir Putin having signed two decrees recognizing “the Lugansk People’s Republic” and “the Donetsk People’s Republic” as independent and sovereign states on Monday, tensions between Russia and the West have further escalated.

The Ukraine crisis is a test of the wisdom of all sides concerned. As State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in a phone talk with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, that means upholding the principles of the UN Charter and finding a solution that addresses the reasonable security concerns of all parties.

One of the main reasons for current frictions is that the Minsk II agreement of 2015 has failed to be implemented. This means that the security concerns of various parties have not been effectively addressed. Particularly those of Russia, which hoped to prevent Ukraine’s greater Western alignment through the Minsk agreements, signed in 2014 and 2015 as part of cease-fire deals in Donbas.

From 1997 to 2020, NATO has expanded eastward five times, acquiring 14 more members. This has moved its security envelope 1,000 kilometers closer to the borders of Russia.

And since the beginning of 2014, NATO has rotated forces through the territories of the new member states in the Baltic and Black Sea regions ostensibly as deterrence against potential Russian interference in them. Moscow on its part views this as a growing threat on its border aimed at containing it politically, militarily and economically.

This, combined with complicated historical animosities, has led to the current crisis, as NATO has an open door policy that it refuses to change, and Ukraine is seeking membership. Ukraine’s capital Kyiv is only 700 kms away from Moscow. It is impossible to imagine the US tolerating any oppositional military alliance that included Cuba as a member or Mexico, yet it seems to expect Russia to accept such a scenario.

The attempt by Ukraine to join NATO rather than making it safer in any way has worsened its security situation by allowing itself to be a key piece on the game board of the US and Russia.

Therefore, not only do the confrontational parties and their proxies need to exercise restraint and show sincerity in seeking to defuse the current tension. Wisdom is also required to draw up an overall security environment for Europe that resolves the grievances and concerns of different parties.

Fundamentally, the crux of the issue is the longstanding animosity between the US and Russia, which should have long ago been consigned to the past. Instead of continuing to lock horns, the two sides need to find a way to finally put aside their historical animosity so they can coexist peacefully.

Editorial, China Daily