You're reading: Ukrainian, Western experts debate how to stop Putin

Ukraine’s armed forces need to fight. But before they can defend the nation more effectively, they have many needs. However, there is a divergent view between Ukraine and the West about what those needs are and how they should be met.

Ihor Smeshko, an adviser to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on security matters, said that Ukraine can’t stop the Kremlin-backed war without direct military aid from the West. He said the country deserves support because Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion is not just against Ukraine, but also Western civilization.

“We badly need assistance right now from the West, from the United States, in the (form of) sophisticated defense equipment,” Smeshko said at the Kyiv Post Tiger Conference on Nov. 19 in the Hilton Kyiv Hotel. “We are looking forward for the United States and Europe to finally understand that this is a war between two civilizations and that Mr. Putin will go as far as we allow him.”

Smeshko says that there are some 40,000 well-trained Russian-backed militants in eastern Ukraine and about 100,000 Russian troops poised on the Ukrainian border.

He says border control is essential to stop further inflow of arms and mercenaries, but to achieve that Ukraine would have to go on an assault, and that is something that the cautious West wants to avoid, calling for peace and compromise instead.

While Ukraine’s soldiers have surprised and impressed the world with their bravery, the nation’s ability to revamp its outdated security system is a source of concern. Western help will come only come after Ukraine starts investing into its own security.

“Ukraine’s expenses in terms of national security and defense over the last several years have been 0.8 percent (of gross domestic product). That is the worst of all countries in Europe. That does not generate trust,” said Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, former Commanding General of U.S. Army in Europe. “We will always contribute to the defense of people, who … are also contributing to their own defense.

He said that war is the best time for reforming the armed forces.

Foreign experts agreed that Ukraine lacks military goals, a defense strategy and an understanding that the focus in its development should be on special troops, the cheapest way to create an effective army, according to Hertling.

Joseph LeGasse, an intelligence and defense expert who is a former White House adviser, said Ukraine needs to “have skin in the game” in order to expect any real support. “You are asking for a bunch of favors from outside countries without giving investment yourself,” he said.

LeGasse said that in order to build an efficient security system, Ukraine needs to have a clear strategy and sufficient finances. He said the Ukrainians need to be aware that Russia has not only infiltrated its military operations, but also that Putin may be using close links with some Ukrainian oligarchs and its network of supporters in Europe and elsewhere to undermine Ukraine.

LeGasse added that Ukraine should consider appointing a secretary of war, create training camps and sell war bonds to finance military operations.

He also suggested that Ukraine should ink $8-10 billion worth of agricultural agreements with China to give it a vested interest in Ukraine’s stability. “Promise this to them and they will help you to negotiate with Mr. Putin,” he said, since China is one nation that Putin might listen to.

Both Ukrainian and Western experts agreed that corruption is the central problem.

Smeshko called corruption and lack of competence within the security forces its “internal enemy” to be fought simultaneously with Russia.

Smeshko said Ukraine needs to reform its Defense Ministry and general staff. “It’s very good we created a special department for special operations, but we need to urgently fill it with people, weapons and armored vehicles,” he said.

Smeshko added that it was also a positive step that Porohsenko created a joint committee on intelligence issues that would coordinate all intelligence efforts in the country. He also said the Ukrainian army needs to have military field manuals “so that every soldier knows how to act, for example, during riots.”

He said it was especially crucial to create a sort of propaganda department within the Defense Ministry.

He said the Security Service of Ukraine needs to become a national counter-intelligence agency, while another, independent body should fight corruption. “We know what to do, but we need time and the trust of society,” Smeshko added.

But Ukraine can’t solve some issues without external help. Smeshko said establishing control over the border with Russia is one of them.

“We don’t have any assistance right now in monitoring the border. The OSCE is basically helpless in this regard,” Smeshko said. “We really need assistance from the international community. I think Ukraine deserves this.”

Smeshko reminded the audience that Ukraine contributed a lot in the global security system when it agreed to hand over the third largest nuclear arsenal in the world back in 1994 in exchange for guarantees of territorial integrity, as outlined in the Budapest Memorandum.

Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said that Russia’s war against Ukraine is also a test for the entire international security system. “Any kind of reshuffle of the international system will be measured through the benchmark of Ukraine… Ukraine is a crash test for sticking to the rules and for creating or not creating any trust within the system,” he said.

But the current crisis is also a test for Ukraine itself, since the country can’t hesitate with reforms anymore, Klimkin believes. “Now we simply need to undertake a number of critical reforms,” he said. “The basic understanding is – now or never.”

Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]