NATO deliberate to make use of its proxy to conduit a protracted struggle, with the aim of exhausting Russia and knocking it out from the ranks of nice powers
By Glenn Diesen, professor on the College of South-Japanese Norway and an editor on the Russia in International Affairs journal. Comply with him on Substack.
For nearly three years, NATO nations have boycotted diplomatic contact with Russia, whilst a whole lot of hundreds of males die on the Ukraine battle’s battlefield. The choice to reject diplomacy is morally repugnant. Diplomacy might have diminished violence, prevented escalation, and even opened a path to peace. As an alternative, political and media elites skillfully offered this rejection as an indication of ethical righteousness, labeling dialogue as treason and struggle as virtuous.
NATO’s Lengthy Warfare
To exhaust Russia in a protracted struggle, the aim was to make sure that the Russians and Ukrainians kill one another for so long as attainable. US Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin outlined the US goal within the Ukraine Warfare as weakening its strategic adversary: “We need to see Russia weakened to the diploma that it could possibly’t do the sorts of issues that it has accomplished in invading Ukraine.” In late March 2022, Vladimir Zelensky revealed in an interview with The Economist: “There are these within the West who don’t thoughts a protracted struggle as a result of it might imply exhausting Russia, even when this implies the demise of Ukraine and comes at the price of Ukrainian lives.”
The intention has been to exhaust Russia in a protracted battle, making certain that Russians and Ukrainians proceed killing one another for so long as attainable. US Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin outlined the target: “We need to see Russia weakened to the diploma that it could possibly’t do the sorts of issues that it has accomplished in invading Ukraine.” In March 2022, Vladimir Zelensky revealed in an interview with The Economist: “There are these within the West who don’t thoughts a protracted struggle as a result of it might imply exhausting Russia, even when this implies the demise of Ukraine and comes at the price of Ukrainian lives.”
Israeli and Turkish mediators confirmed that Russia and Ukraine had agreed to a peace deal in Istanbul, the place Russia would withdraw and Ukraine would restore its neutrality. But the West rejected this. The aim wasn’t peace — it was to bleed Russia by its proxy military in Ukraine. Each Germany and France have admitted that the Minsk Peace Settlement was by no means meant to be carried out, however used as a car to construct up Ukraine’s navy.
The Turkish Overseas Minister and former Israeli Prime Minister have each acknowledged that NATO states actively needed the struggle to proceed. Former NATO figures, comparable to retired Basic Harald Kujat, have stated the struggle was intentionally provoked by NATO, with the US and UK blocking peace efforts to weaken Russia politically, economically, and militarily.
US lawmakers, comparable to Lindsey Graham, have been overtly supportive of combating Russia “to the final Ukrainian.” They argue that helping Ukraine with out risking American lives is a great funding in weakening Russia. In the meantime, Mitch McConnell known as it an funding in America’s nationwide safety, and Mitt Romney known as financing the struggle “the very best protection spending ever.”
These statements underscore the rising sentiment within the West that the struggle is a proxy battle the place Ukraine is expendable, serving merely as a software to decrease Russia. NATO’s management, together with Jens Stoltenberg, has acknowledged {that a} “victory” for Ukraine would lead to a battle-hardened Ukrainian military on the West’s facet, with a weakened Russia.
Diplomacy as Treason and Warfare as Advantage
The West’s propaganda has framed the battle as a battle of fine versus evil, with peace by diplomacy portrayed as harmful appeasement. In distinction, struggle is offered as virtuous. In apply, which means Western nations have repeatedly prevented negotiations, whereas pretending Russia is unwilling to have interaction. Regardless of requires talks from US navy leaders like Basic Mark Milley, who acknowledged Ukraine could be in a greater place to barter after recapturing territories, the West’s technique has been to delay the battle, not resolve it.
EU leaders, comparable to Josep Borrell and Kaja Kallas, have rejected any notion of diplomacy, dismissing Putin as a “struggle felony” and portraying negotiations as unthinkable. The EU, as soon as a peace undertaking, has now turn into a geopolitical one, punishing any nation or chief that dares to suggest an finish to the struggle. Hungary’s Viktor Orban was smeared for making an attempt to mediate, very like anybody who opposes additional escalation.
Opponents of peace argue that conceding territory to Putin would reward his aggression, but the struggle’s roots go far past territorial disputes. The Istanbul peace settlement confirmed that Russia was prepared to tug again its troops in return for Ukraine’s neutrality. However NATO wasn’t interested by peace; it noticed the battle as a possibility to weaken Russia and additional entrench its navy foothold in Europe.
Because the struggle rages on, Ukrainian casualties develop, and the general public’s help for the struggle wanes. A Gallup ballot lately revealed that no area in Ukraine has a majority supporting continued warfare. Ukrainian leaders, as soon as hopeful, now face a actuality the place their very own persons are more and more disillusioned.
The Coming Backlash
As Ukraine’s frontlines collapse, there’s rising recognition that NATO sabotaged peace efforts, aiming to delay the struggle to bleed Russia. This technique is in the end backfiring. Ukrainians will resent Russia for many years, however they will even flip their anger towards the West. The thought of “combating to the final Ukrainian” is now not a noble trigger — it’s a tragedy.
The struggle was by no means about territorial disputes. It’s about NATO’s geopolitical ambitions, and it’s Ukraine that’s paying the value. The longer the battle persists, the extra it turns into clear: the West’s technique is failing, and the struggle will solely finish when Kiev’s hostile stance towards Russia is deserted.
This piece was first revealed on Glenn Diesen’s Substack and edited by the RT workforce.
