The author of “The War That Didn’t Have to Happen” (April 24) is correct in that the war didn’t have to happen. But the premise of the ensuing analogy is fatally flawed. The author attempts to compare Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to Canada aligning with Russia and allowing Russian missile sites near the U.S. border. Such a hypothetical event is not similar to current events. A far more direct comparison would be a Russian invasion of Alaska followed by a Russian demand for Alaska to become an independent neutral state in order to end hostilities, as they have done in Crimea, Donbas and Donetsk, and now demand for all of Ukraine.
The author then refers to Minsk II as brokered by France and Germany, but blames the U.S. for Ukraine’s alleged sole failure to live up to it. This makes no sense. Vladimir Putin has long lamented the breakup of the USSR and has embarked on a plan to re-establish it beginning in Crimean region of Ukraine in 2014. He is using his puppet Belarus to support the very expansionism he accuses NATO of. Poland is likely next. His actions are actually driving self proclaimed neutral countries like Sweden and Finland (currently enhanced opportunity partners) to request full membership in NATO to protect them from Putin’s expansionism.
Who’s solely to blame? Putin and Russia. As to who could have or should have stopped it? NATO (30 full member nations) specifically and the world in general have tolerated Putin’s bloody expansionism for eight years now. NATO’s arcane policies and practices can and should be scrutinized for essentially slow-walking Ukraine’s 2020 (enhanced opportunity partnership) attempt to join NATO while using the lack of full membership as a reason for not invoking Article 5 (an attack on one is an attack on all). In addition to Sweden, Finland and Ukraine there are three other “enhanced opportunity partners”: Australia, Jordan and Georgia, another former USSR nation.
The world needs to stop Putin in Ukraine now and hold him accountable in International Court for his war crimes for the benefit of the world future. China is watching closely as it continues to contemplate action in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Brian Maguire lives in Chalfont.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Guest Opinion: NATO must stop Putin’s bloody expansionism