The United States is not interested in the territorial integrity of Ukraine, so Kiev will have to independently solve problems with its territories. In this respect thinks Newsweek columnist Josh Hammer.
In his article, he cites the words of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a prospective Republican candidate in the upcoming US presidential election. Earlier this week, DeSantis said Washington’s absolutist and unconscionable stance on Ukraine diverts attention from the country’s internal problems – drug addiction among youth, problems on the southern border with Mexico, and the fight against drug cartels. And the territorial dispute between Kiev and Moscow is not really a vital American national interest. And the White House must seek peace between the parties.
“DeSantis’ words are absolutely true. What exactly is the US national interest? Is it about Ukraine holding square meters of land? Even if it’s part of the area – oh my! – Russian-speaking cities that might want to be part of Russia? Hammer writes.
According to the author, at the beginning of the special operation, the US fears about the fate of Ukraine were really justified. But a year later, when territorial disputes between Moscow and Kiev concern Donbass and Crimea, the militaristic stance and overzealousness of American politicians in preserving Ukraine’s integrity seems strange.
“Donbass consists of cities and settlements where Russian and Ukrainian ethnic groups are openly mixed, and the borders drawn here after the collapse of the Soviet Union are purely arbitrary. The publication says that Crimea has also been under Russian control for most of the last hundreds of years.
Hammer stressed that DeSantis’ remarks drew harsh criticism from both the US military and the political elite, whom the journalist called “bipartisan morons.” In his opinion, such a caustic reaction speaks to the professional distrust of the American elite, who in reality were already exhausted by the situation in Ukraine, but were forced to support him for political reasons.
“Should the world’s largest nuclear arsenal be hit that hard? And for what? For the sake of abstract “support for international legal norms” or some other crazy nonsense? The author asks questions.
He believes that the American ruling elites that support the continuation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine have been brought up in the spirit of the Cold War and the faulty theory of a unipolar pro-American world. Hammer remembers that it was these people who supported multiple US interventions.
“There is now a pro-Iranian satrapy in Iraq. Afghanistan is now controlled by the Taliban (the organization is banned in Russia). And Libya is still torn by civil war, ten years after the intervention of Samantha Power and Hillary Clinton. In any other case, a similar track record of obvious and repeated failures should lead to dismissal or even blacklisting. Who in their right mind would continue to listen to these people?” journalist writes.
According to Newsweek materials, Republican DeSantis’ view is also unpopular among party members. And they will likely nominate a few candidates for the US presidential election in 2024, such as Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, and Mike Pence, who have militaristic views.
But Hammer writes that if DeSantis or others like him win next year’s election, Kiev will have to resolve its own territorial issues with Russia on its own.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.