With the September Minsk agreement in tatters for ending Russia's war against Ukraine, the nation is searching for alternative ways to bring peace.
“We need to figure out how to stop Russian terror,” said Alyona Getmanchuk, director of the World Institute of Policy.
Two ways are being pursued: Economic sanctions, in the hope that a weakened Russian economy will prompt Russian President Vladimir Putin to change course; as well as a military solution in which Ukraine’s armed forces drive up the human and financial cost of war for Russia.
Nearly $150 billion in foreign investment exited Russia last year. Oil prices, Russia’s key export, dropped by more than half, causing the ruble to plummet. And Western sanctions made life uncomfortable for some individuals and businesses in Russia. Still, Putin prosecuted his war.
Georgii Kunadze, a senior researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations and former Russian foreign minister, thinks that the economic blows and political isolation might be decisive measures in bringing peace.
“I believe Russia is geopolitically very lonely now, without reliable partners and soft power,” Kunadze said. Former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Volodymyr Ogryzko says Ukraine needs to continue to build an anti-Putin coalition internationally, getting the separatists recognized as terrorists.
“The greatest danger for Ukraine now is freezing the Donbas situation. This benefits Russia and Europe as well, because the first isn’t interested in losing money and the second is not ready to sever ties completely with Russia,’ said Ogryzko.
