On February 24 this year, the second anniversary of the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States and Europe are still preparing new sanctions against Russia, and the world still does not see the way out of a ceasefire and ending the war. Just as it seems to have erupted suddenly, the length of the prolongation, the breadth of the scope, the seriousness of the consequences, and the far-reaching impact of this largest regional war in the past 20 years have repeatedly exceeded the expectations of the mainstream international understanding. Regrettably, two years of bloody conflict have not been met with sufficient deep reflection on the part of the parties concerned.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict has evolved to this day, which is a tragedy of international politics and a tragedy of the whole world. If we return to a more rational analysis of political logic, this tragedy can hardly be said to be inevitable. The Ukraine crisis did not emerge overnight, it has a complex history and a long period of development. During this period, there were many opportunities to alleviate or even defuse the crisis, but these opportunities were missed, and the situation escalated and deteriorated until the conflict broke out.
The root cause of the Russia-Ukraine conflict can be summed up in a word, that is, the long-term imbalance in Europe's post-Cold War security architecture, which the United States and its European allies have failed to respect, pay attention to, let alone properly address the legitimate security concerns of Russia, a regional power. A number of scholars in the US strategic circles, such as Kissinger and Mearsheimer, have long reminded US policymakers that they must pay attention to this point. However, with their inherent arrogance, self-righteousness and selfish attitude, the United States and the West pushed for NATO's eastward expansion, ignoring the special historical and geographical sensitivities of Russia and Ukraine, which eventually led to an uncontrollable situation.
In a way, this is a conflict where there are no winners and losers. Even within the United States and the West, even the most conservative ** has to admit that the sanctions against Russia have not had a real effect and have actually failed. According to statistics, the economic losses caused by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in Germany alone have reached 200 billion euros, and the rebellious sentiment caused by the "Ukrainian fatigue" in Western society has risen under pressure, public opinion has been shaken, and the prospects for military aid to Ukraine are unclear.
A political settlement of the Ukraine crisis and the early start of peace talks have been called for in the international community, and the question now is whether the United States and the West are willing to face and admit it. According to the latest poll results of the Global Times Research Institute for 20 countries around the world, most respondents support a peaceful negotiation to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict, with respondents in Germany, France, and the United States all supporting more than 60%. The European Council on Foreign Relations' internal EU survey also showed that about 37% of respondents believe that a negotiated end to the war will be reached, and 41% of respondents are willing to urge Europe to persuade Ukraine to open negotiations with Russia. That's enough to tell.
China's Global Security Initiative (GSI) points out that the legitimate and reasonable security concerns of any country should be taken seriously and properly addressed, and should not be ignored or systematically violated for a long time. In pursuing its own security, any country should take into account the legitimate security concerns of other States. The obsession and pursuit of bloc politics and bloc confrontation by the United States and its European allies cannot make countries outside their blocs and blocs feel safe. The biggest lesson of the Russia-Ukraine conflict is that security must be shared, otherwise it will inevitably fall into an intractable security dilemma.
Some people say that the United States drank too much at the "banquet" at the end of the Cold War and is still unable to wake up. The US-European transatlantic bloc, which still continues the Cold War mechanism and Cold War mentality, has a condescending approach in its dealings with Russia, and many of its policies lack a long-term vision. There is also a world of blind optimism about peace, believing that large-scale war is unthinkable. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has shattered this illusion, but it has not made the United States and the West reflect on and adjust their mistakes as they should be.
On the second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, it is even more urgent to promote peace talks, and the international community should make the greatest efforts to end this bloody conflict at an early date. Especially for the United States and the West, because of their problems, which have promoted and even exacerbated the occurrence of this tragedy, then they need to come forward and pay more for the end of the tragedy. (This article is an editorial of the Global Times, originally titled: The second anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this tragedy could have been avoided).
*: Global Network.