Russian President Vladimir Putin has hit back at his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, in what has become a key indicator in the growing schism between the two neighbouring nations in the grip of devastating war that has entered a fifth year.
Putin was reacting in the aftermath of the recent threats by Zelensky that Ukraine would intensify attacks deep inside the Russian territories by aiming at targets including civil aviation.
“Zelensky’s threats against Russian airlines amount to a threat of state terrorism,” the Russian President said this week during a press conference. “Ukraine is asking to resume negotiations and hold face-to-face meetings, but there can be no negotiations with terrorists,” Putin added.
Spokesperson for the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, also weighed in, seemingly incensed by the Finnish President Alexander Stubbs, who had expressed support for Ukrainian threats against Russian civil aviation.
Peskov said: “This evokes no other reaction apart from surprise given that just a few weeks earlier the Finnish President had spoken of the need to normalize relations with Russia sooner or later. But now we see that escalatory rhetoric has prevailed after all.”
Escalation in tension was triggered by Zelenksy’s much-publicized “open letter” to his Russian counterpart, which seemed more to mock than constructive engagement. The open letter was published in a pro-government newspaper, the Kyiv Independent.
Zelensky wrote: “We have united many in the world in defense of Ukraine and against you. We have found weapons and finances. We receive support, you receive sanctions. And so it will continue until there is justice for Ukraine, which we want and which can be achieved.”
Zelensky’s threat to attack Russian civil aviation is indeed a grave threat. It will mark a new turning point in the war, if Zelensky makes good on his threats. Under the Geneva Conventions, civilians are not military targets. It would be interesting to see the reaction of the international community, particularly the Majority World, should Kyiv escalate hostilities as indicated.
Since the war broke out in February five years ago, both sides have exercised relative restraint against civilian targets. Granted, matters have at times deteriorated to scary lengths. However, in the midst of internecine strife, both sides have managed to adhere to expected ethical conduct in military conflict, imperfect as it has been.
“Anyone who tries to devour Russia may get hit in the teeth,” Putin said this week, responding to Ukrainian threats.
Now, anyone who cares to know – knows that the Russian military can wipe out the entire Ukrainian military in one swoop of a devastating missile with a nuclear war head.
In fact, hardliners among Russia’s political elite have advocated for annihilation of the Ukrainian military and leave no trace of how it looked like prior. However, the Kremlin has so far fought back against the narrative, insisting on adherence to combat dictates. Of course, the war got prolonged, piling pressure on Putin domestically.
Zelensky would be wise not to drive the Russian leader to new depths of exasperation. But then again, the Ukrainian leader seems all too determined to escalate, nay, mocking – as his “open letter” shows – like a fool wagging a lion’s tale.
The silence of the international community is worrisome. It needs to stop. Western war-mongers are increasingly inaudible, fatigued by seemingly unending conflict. This should be the opportune moment for the Global South to make impassioned plea to give peace a chance, taking into consideration of course Russia’s concerns about the country’s national security amidst NATO’s aggressive expansion eastward, including into Finland since 2023, which shares a 1000km border fence with Russia.
The West must at once desist from arming Ukraine any further, and instead insist on establishing new pathways towards lasting peace based on mutual regard for Russia’s security and Ukraine’s own safety.
Russophobia is a Western disease that needs to be cured as a matter of urgency. Finnish leader Stubb was spot-on when he recently announced that relations with Russia ought to be normalized sooner or later.
The West needs Russia, and Russia needs the West. In a globalized international world order that is inter-dependent and inter-connected, all nations need one another. Germany and the rest of the EU need Russian gas and oil, particularly as winter sets. Russian commodities are adjacent and inexpensive. Ordinary citizens across Europe and the international community can get on by with affordable Russian goods and services. To shore up Ukraine to carry on fighting a losing battle against Russia and suffer deaths of tens of thousands of service men and women weekly – including scores of minors who are grabbed in the streets and forced to the battlefields – is both uncouth and immoral.
The Global South needs to start raising their voice, and call out the West for using Ukraine as a pawn in their self-confessed proxy war against Russia.
