Andrew L. Urban
Nobody declared war ahead of the invasion of Ukraine. It is a universally outlawed illegal invasion mischaracterised as a war. Putin referred to it as a Special Military Operation. That’s a much less restricting label.
The false war label gives the world the impression that it should be considered as a war, with the conditions and rules of a war. This is a propaganda victory for Russia’s president Putin, shielding the reality.
The Russian narrative now – three years later – is that there are complex issues and lots of nuances to resolve on the road to a ceasefire. Rubbish. That’s a ruse to stretch out any talk of peace while Russia’s military continues its illegal attacks on Ukraine territory and defence forces. Putin aims to win and/or destroy.
Let’s get real. There are no nuances. No complexities. Russia’s withdrawal from Ukraine and halting of its missile attacks is not a matter of nuance. Sending envoys to negotiate with Putin is buying into the charade that it is a war between two nations.
This extended violation of international norms and restrictions on belligerence by one nation shows in a nutshell how a pussyfooting West is overcome by a determined dictator. It is part of the ploy to make Russia’s territory gains a bargaining chip – as if they were spoils of war. They are looted treasure.
The history of how the West’s military supplies were delivered largely in piecemeal, slow release fashion will go down in history as a signal failure of support for an ally.
Shamefully, the pussyfooting followed the betrayal. In 1994, the US, UK, the Russian Federation and Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum guaranteeing to respect and protect Ukraine’s sovereignty in return for Ukraine giving its vast nuclear weaponry to the Russians. Ukraine’s trust was shattered in February in 2022 when Putin sent in his military to squash Ukraine’s West-leaning leadership (and citizens) – to install its own ‘influencer’ in Kiev.
And to add insult to injury, Putin raised the threat of using strategic nuclear weapons to scare off serious Western military assistance to Ukraine. His bluff relied on the West’s natural cowardice – which festers when it lacks a strong leader.
As I write, Estonia is issuing urgent alerts that Russia might be marching in its direction if the West remains weak in the Putin face-off.
Had Russia been firmly stopped in its tank tracks at the start, the illegal invasion would have been thwarted.
But that wasn’t the only mistake. Zelensky cavorting with then Presidential candidate Donald Trump’s political enemies during the election campaign was either foolish or naive. How could Trump not regard it as an egregious endorsement of Joe Biden? That planted the seed of antipathy that grew into a flesh-eating plant in the Oval Office recently (February 28, 2025) before Zelensky was shown the door.
The West has a history of great courage but it also has a history of pathetic weakness. Appeasement and tolerance often grow into capitulation. Too much tolerance of some destructive minorities has changed previously harmonious societies into divided, socially warring mini-communities across Western nations … Britain France, Sweden, Germany … Australia.
Putin is well aware of these weaknesses. Unlike our PM Anthony Albanese, he is always fully briefed, always has his phone, even when he is “in the car” or out of town.
And he knows how to play international political chess. His king is armed.
Let’s hope the newly signed US/Ukraine minerals deal (April 30, 2025) will help disarm his king.
Andrew L. Urban is the author of Zelensky the unlikely hero and Zelensky the front line president (Wilkinson).