Our View: The West must find ways to stop Putin’s aggressive expansionism

President Vladimir Putin described it as a ‘special military operation’ in the televised address announcing the start of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, but it was a full-scale invasion. Putin justified it by claiming “a hostile anti-Russia is being created on our historic lands” and said that the ‘special military operation’ was undertaken for the “demilitarisation and denazification” of Ukraine.

This propaganda had been used against Ukraine by Moscow for a while as has been the claim that Russian separatists controlling the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk were under attack by Ukraine. These were pretexts used to justify the declaration of war to ordinary Russians but would persuade nobody in the outside world. In the diplomatic effort made to avert the invasion, Putin’s main demand was the assurance that Ukraine would never join Nato. He had even pre-emptively blamed the bloodshed of the war on Ukraine’s refusal to give up its sovereign rights and obey his Nato diktat.

No matter what the Russian propaganda machinery churns out, this was an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of a sovereign state and a flagrant violation of international law, the objective of which appears to be to crush and subjugate Ukraine. Putin considers Ukraine part of Russia, so it would be no surprise if the invasion becomes occupation despite his assurance that there were no plans to occupy the “hostile anti-Russia.”

The leaders of the G7, in a joint statement after a virtual meeting on Thursday, said Russia’s president had “reintroduced war to the European continent,” claiming the attack on Ukraine was a “serious threat to the rules-based international order.” It was not the first time Putin had shown utter disregard for rules-based international order – in 2014 Russia annexed Crimea, which was also part of Ukraine, again violating international law.

The West imposed sanctions at the time and is threatening to do the same now, having ruled out the option of sending troops. Sanctions could hurt the Russian economy but it will not leave the economies in Europe and the Americas unaffected – the price of crude oil has already passed the $100 mark, while it is possible that Russia cuts gas supply to Europe. More importantly, the death toll is rising, alarmed people are fleeing their homes and the Ukraine’s infrastructure is being destroyed.

Is the carnage really about Ukraine joining Nato at some point in the future? Reports have suggested that Putin’s demand could have been satisfied eventually, through diplomacy, so why was he not prepared to wait? Political analysts have suggested that he is empire-building, expanding Russia’s power and influence by force, like a 19^th century tsar. The West must find ways to stop Putin’s aggressive expansionism, even though he seems to be in the driving seat at present.