On December 9, Russian spokeswoman Zakharova said in an interview with AFP that Russia firmly opposes the plan proposed by Western countries to delineate the Korean Peninsula to solve the peace issue between Russia and Ukraine. She noted that the reason for Russia's rejection of this option is that it must not allow a military presence on its borders that threatens its ***, namely Ukraine and its supporters, the United States and NATO. Against the backdrop of tensions in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this statement is undoubtedly a strong signal from Russia to the world, once again emphasizing that the Russia-Ukraine issue is unlikely to be resolved in the short term. And Russia's rejection of the Korean Peninsula solution to the Russia-Ukraine issue also has its deep-seated reasons. Zakharova's words have in fact made it clear that the use of delineated governance will not address or satisfy Russia's security concerns. Earlier, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine precisely out of concern that Ukraine may introduce NATO and American forces after joining NATO, posing a serious threat to Russia.
If Ukraine is divided into two parts, east and west, with the east controlled by Russia and the west controlled by the United States and NATO, Russia will face a more serious security situation in the Ukrainian direction, because Ukraine has not yet joined NATO, and its position is just a buffer zone between Russia and NATO. If it is agreed to use a delineated governance method to solve the Russia-Ukraine issue, it will undoubtedly open the way for NATO to enter Ukraine, which Russia firmly opposes, because it involves the fundamental issue of resolving the issue of peace between Russia and Ukraine. With the Russia-Ukraine issue going on for nearly two years, Zakharova's statement has sent multiple strong signals to the outside world. First of all, Russia is firmly determined to get the issue through to the end. Since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 last year, the country has been steadfast in its pursuit of the stated goals of the special military operation, even if the rumor that Russia is willing to negotiate with Ukraine is more of a strategic respite than an actual fulfillment of strategic objectives. Zakharova bluntly said that Russia will never accept the Korean Peninsula as an example to solve the Russian-Ukrainian issue, which means that if Russia fails to achieve the goals set forth in the special military operation, Russia will never stop.
This statement is actually telling the United States that if it wants to go to war, Russia will never back down. Secondly, Zakharova's statement is also a response to the different voices of the United States and other Western countries on the Ukraine issue and the changes in forces of all parties. After nearly two years of entanglement in the Russia-Ukraine issue, the current situation in the United States is indeed somewhat inadequate, and the domestic partisan struggle has also led to the vacillation of the United States' policy and position on the issue of supporting Ukraine. Although there may be some reconciliation or compromise in the future, in general, it is unlikely that there will be a return to a state in which Biden fully supports Ukraine. Biden's $106 billion aid bill for Ukraine has also suffered a setback, and the issue of U.S. aid to Ukraine will face some challenges. Ukraine has been in a difficult situation, especially at a time when the United States is weakening and there is also internal turmoil in European countries. According to Ukrainian statistics, European aid to Ukraine has decreased by almost 90%. Zelensky's wife, Zelenskaya, has openly stated that Ukraine will be unsustainable if it loses financial and arms aid from Europe. At a time when the West's position on Ukraine began to waver, Russian Foreign Minister Zakharova stepped in and made it clear to the West that if you want to solve the Russia-Ukraine problem, you must abandon the use of confrontational methods.
This marks a change in Russia's attitude. The United States is trying to use Ukraine to weaken Russia, and now Ukraine is also trying to confront Western countries such as the United States. Ukraine has become a contested chessboard between the two major powers of the East and the West on this third-party territory, and after nearly two years of testing, Russia has finally eased up. Therefore, the United States is trying to turn the Russia-Ukraine conflict into the Vietnam War in the 21st century in order to accelerate the collapse and decline of American global hegemony. This is one of the reasons why Zakharova openly rejected the Korean Peninsula model for resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In this conflict, Russia is willing to take huge risks, even to withstand extreme sanctions from the United States, because Putin has a higher level of awareness of this conflict. Many people only see the Russia-Ukraine conflict as part of the US-Russia rivalry, and think that it is just a game between the US and Russia on the Ukraine issue, but this is not the case. Putin believes that the conflict in Ukraine provides an opportunity for Russia to demonstrate its strong sovereignty and return it to the world stage as the dominant player in the new order. Therefore, Putin's position on the Ukrainian issue has never wavered. This position also clearly conveys Putin's intentions to the United States.
Biden issued a public warning after Biden's pro-Ukraine bill was rejected by the Senate and the House of Representatives. He noted that if the United States does not immediately support Ukraine, it will be too late for the United States to confront Russia directly in the event of a Russian victory in Ukraine. At a higher level, the leaders of the United States and Russia know very well that this is a war between the new century and the old century. Until Russia achieves its goals, its position is bound to be unwavering.