UKRAINE: REPEATING MISTAKES FROM THE PAST OR MAKING NEW ONES?

The war in Ukraine is shaping our world’s future. However, is anyone making the right decisions? The current events parallel what occurred in 1938 with the Munich Agreement, where appeasement and fear led to WWII. Russia is now the authoritarian threat and wants to return to what it considers as better times for them. It feels threatened by its neighbors and uses ethnicity as an excuse for expansion. On the other hand, we have the USA, a nation weary of foreign wars and their costs. Then, there is the EU, that does not want to make old mistakes and aims to defend Ukraine by any means necessary. In 1938, the UK and France wanted to avoid war at all costs with Germany but are we repeating the same mistakes?

First, Ukraine, like any other country, has the right to defend its borders. However, Europe risks escalating the conflict. There are North Korean and Chinese troops in Ukraine, and if Europe starts sending troops to the frontlines, we might be on the edge of World War III. From an American perspective, it is understandable why Trump would want to stop the war from a financial point (the USA doesn’t consider NATO as useful for them and lot of money has been given to Ukraine, not more than the EU) and political point (American soldiers have died in many foreign wars and Trump promised to end the war)

The EU now feels the need to stop Russia. However, there is a crucial distinction between supporting Ukraine and escalating the war. Russia has suffered in Ukraine and if pressured, it may consider the possibility of nuclear warfare, especially given that Russia owns the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with 4380 weapons.

The focus should be on founding a fair a quick solution for Ukraine and the war without escalating things. Moreover, Europe must learn from all its mistakes like becoming dependent on the US (militarily) on China and Taiwan (technologically) and especially on Russia (as even since 2022 with the start of the war, we have paid 200 billion $ to Russia for gas, while countries like Germany decommissioned nuclear power plants and where forced to use coal). Europe’s geopolitical situation demands change and if we are lucky, this could mark the beginning of a new path for Europe.