Ukraine and the West are running out of time to strongly counter the Kremlin-instigated uprisings in the eastern regions and other moves by Russian President Vladimir Putin designed to destabilize and ultimately destroy Ukraine as a sovereign nation.
The early rounds of Western sanctions have helped trigger capital flight from Russia, weaken its currency and isolate it diplomatically, with the exception of a few of Putin’s rogue dictator friends.
But the West must do more. Putin will never change his menacing ways. His citizens may not hold him responsible for their poor living conditions and his human rights violations, but the rest of the world should.
Putin is blamed for the murders of tens of thousands of his own citizens, if the brutal suppression of Chechnya and the apartment bombings that ushered him into power are counted. With such large-scale killings, the assassinations of such Putin critics as Alexander Litvinenko and Anna Polotkovskaya barely get mentioned anymore.
Having suppressed political and economic freedom in his corrupt kleptocracy, which U.S. diplomats rightly characterized years ago as a mafia state, Putin is now set on expanding his borders and reassembling parts of the Soviet Union. Crimea is only the start.
The West must do more to stop him and help Russians push him out of power.
U.S. Senator John McCain has rightly accused John Kerry and the U.S. government of “talking strongly and carrying a twig,” juxtaposing U.S. President Barack Obama’s foreign policy with Teddy Roosevelt’s axiom that the U.S. should speak softly and carry a big stick.
Regrettably, too many Western firms, as the Kyiv Post’s front-page story points out, are still taking a business-as-usual approach with Moscow. So are Western governments. Regrettably, Ukraine – still dependent on Russia – cannot cut its economic ties either. This must stop.
U.S. Senator Dan Coats has submitted legislation that would prohibit “contracts with any domestic or foreign company that cooperates with Rosoboronexport (Russia’s arms export agency) to design, manufacture, or sell military equipment.”
While this is a step in the right direction, the West is still underestimating Putin’s threat to the world. His Crimean invasion shows he’s little better than a war criminal and sponsor of state terrorism. He should be treated accordingly, not courted by diplomats and titans doing business as usual.
