Could Donald Trump Have Averted The Russia Ukraine War?

By Author: Subhadeep Tripathy
Total Articles: 2
Comment this article

1. The Russia-Ukraine War Has Its Roots In The Warsaw Pact
After the end of World War 2, world politics was moving towards the build-up of the cold war. Germany was yet to be unified. The Soviet Union tried to shield itself from the newly formed NATO alliance with its proverbial ‘iron curtain.’

The Soviet Union and the world had not forgotten the damage done by Hitler’s Germany. In this situation, it proved difficult for the Western alliance to provide food and financial assistance to a demilitarised West Germany. Moreover, there was the fear that this aggressive disarmament would fuel West Germany’s anger against the allied power, which would encourage them to move closer to the Communist powers on the other side – Soviet-occupied East Germany.

This apprehension later led the newly formed NATO to push for the rearmament of West Germany. Memories of the destruction caused by Nazi Germany made the USSR and countries around it fearful of the rearmed West Germany. They joined together and signed the Warsaw Pact in 1955.

The Betrayal of NATO

In 1990, the then US Secretary of State, James ...
... Baker, promised Gorbachev that if Soviet Russia allowed the free movement of NATO troops inside unified Germany (even inside former East Germany), NATO would promise not to expand eastward.

While NATO and Russia did not sign a treaty to prevent NATO’s Eastward expansion, both parties treated the promise as a moral pact. Unfortunately, however, NATO betrayed Russia and kept on expanding Eastward.

More and More Eastern European Countries Became Part of NATO In The 90s

Countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria – all became part of NATO in the 90s and early 2000s. This eastward expansion of NATO proved to be an existential threat to Russia.

2. Ukraine Was the Last Remaining Buffer Between Russia and NATO
If Ukraine became part of NATO, Russia would lose its territorial leverage and become vulnerable to attack coming via Ukraine. Unlike the eastern part of Russia, Western Russia is easily accessible because of the vast patches of flat terrains in Ukraine. Ukraine, therefore, acts as a shield for Russia. It will be too expensive for Russia if Ukraine becomes part of NATO.

Joe Biden’s Over-eagerness

As per the role of the United States in the Russia Ukraine war, The long history lesson was necessary to provide a context on why Joe Biden’s overeagerness in trying to include Ukraine in NATO was the final straw. In 2021 when Ukraine’s president, Zelensky, demanded a straight Yes or No from Biden regarding Ukraine’s bid to join NATO. While Biden did not say yes, he kept the door open. He talked about solving domestic issues and seeking approval from other allies. This hints at the fact that Biden’s United States is quite interested in expanding NATO eastward by including Ukraine. It was just a matter of time. Time and again, we have seen how NATO did not think about the geopolitical implications while taking countries like Latvia, Estonia or Lithuania – all close to Russia – under its wings.

3. The Smart Foreign Policy Adopted by Donald Trump Kept Russia Happy
Love him or hate him, it is a fact that during the presidency of Donald Trump, the United States had successful relations with problematic countries like Russia, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

During the presidency of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2021, Russia became less and less fearful of further Westernisation of Ukraine. This has been possible only because of the smart strategies employed by Trump.

More than once, Donal Trump praised Putin’s leadership and called him a “strong leader.” Putin reciprocated by calling Trump “a very bright and talented man.” This newfound friendship between the US and Russia did not just stay limited to these superficial exchanges of pleasantries.

Donald Trump made it quite clear that he supported Russia’s stance on Crimea and claimed that the Crimean people were in favour of remaining with Russia. The US president even tried to reverse the sanctions imposed on Russia when the latter invaded Crimea.

In short, Donald Trump created a status quo regarding America’s stance on Ukraine. This assuaged Putin, and he felt no need to launch a full-blown attack on Ukraine. As long as Ukraine remained neutral, the region would remain peaceful – Trump knew this simple truth.
Read Complete Article from here: https://factsandfigures.co.in/2023/01/13/could-donald-trump-have-averted-the-russia-ukraine-war/