Ukraine: Putin claims operation is going according to plan
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The Russian invasion of Ukraine has succeeded in capturing its first major foothold in the country by taking control of the Black Sea city of Kherson. An intimidating 40-mile convoy of Russian military vehicles continues to breathe down the neck of the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, as heavy bombardment of numerous cities rages on.
Joseph Robertson, director of the Orthodox Conservative Group, told Express.co.uk that the Russian invasion is a reminder from the Russian President “of his dislike for being ignored”, but one that demands a “final diplomatic solution” is the only way to go.
Otherwise, he warned, “the West could be sleepwalking into World War 3”.
He added: “The EU is weak and without any strong togetherness, it is too reliant on France and now Germany as independent powers.
“The roll of the dice lies with the UK and the US as the preeminent responders to the crisis.”
This comes as French President Emmanuel Macron attempts to garner a measure of the “togetherness” mentioned by Mr Robertson by renewing his calls for a Europe-wide armed force.
The French President has long pushed for a collective EU army, saying back in 2018 that European citizens could not be fully protected without a “true, European army”.
The UK has always gone up against such plans, even prior to the Brexit vote.
Speaking on French national television on Wednesday night, Mr Macron said the Russian invasion had changed the terrain, and the arguments, for a so-called EU army.
He said: “We cannot let others defend ourselves; whether on land, at sea, under the sea, in the air, in space or in cyberspace.”
Adding that “our European defence must take a new step”, the French President, and current EU rotating president, said Europe must “pay the price for peace”.
An EU-wide military force would act outside the constraints of the US or NATO.
He continued: “War in Europe no longer belongs in our history books or school books, it is here, before our eyes.
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“Democracy is no longer considered an unquestionable system, it is questioned, before our eyes. Our freedom, that of our children, is no longer a given.
“To this brutal return of tragedy in history, we must respond with historic decisions.”
Elsewhere in the EU, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a policy U-turn on the traditional scaling back of defence spending pursued by former leader Angela Merkel.
He announced that for the first time in years, Germany would reach the defence target set by NATO of two percent of a member state’s GDP.
Mr Scholz said Germany would match this target “from now on – year after year”, in addition to an immediate injection of £84 billion into defence spending.
But Mr Robertson said that despite the German defence spending boost and the West’s staunch belief that Moscow should “play fair” in the war, none of this will have any bearing on how the Kremlin chooses to act.
The West’s insistence that Russia adheres to international rules will fall on deaf ears, he added, saying: “The realists in the Kremlin will simply continue the arms race and the death toll will rise to the dull tune of history repeating itself.”
Russia has continually justified its invasion of its neighbour as a self-preservation measure, demanding any potential admission of Ukraine to NATO be permanently taken off the table.
This order was met with a cool reception by the West.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov echoed a similar message in a recent UN Human Rights Council meeting – during which the vast majority of the international delegates left the room in protest.
Lavrov placed the blame for the war in Ukraine at Kyiv’s door, claiming Ukraine attempted to acquire nuclear weapons and therefore posed a “real danger” to Moscow.
Mr Robertson commented: “Putin will continue to use the excuse that he is retaliating against the regime in Ukraine due to anti-Russian sentiment and violence in the Donbas and that his demands for cessation of NATO expansion have not been taken seriously.
“In this act of war, he is reminding the West of his dislike for being ignored.”
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