The West’s Policy of Appeasement Towards Russia Provokes Putin to Further Aggression

Western elites must finally abandon their political naivety and admit that, just as in the 1930s with Germany, today’s attempts at „not provoking” Russia—born out of short-sightedness, fear, and cowardice—are only encouraging Putin further. Such actions serve as a sign of weakness for him and fuel his desire to escalate and expand aggression.

Unfortunately, some European politicians still naively believe in the possibility of gradually normalizing relations with Russia. These illusions are dangerous because Moscow has challenged the very existence of European civilization. For Moscow, diplomacy has always been and will continue to be a tool of manipulation, deceit, and lulling the enemy into a false sense of security. As Bismarck once put it, „A treaty with Russia is not worth the paper it’s written on.”

Sadly, Americans and Europeans fail to understand the mentality of Russian elites, which leads to fatal mistakes in their communication with Russia. Unintentionally, they are encouraging Putin’s aggression.

IMPUNITY EMBOLDENS PUTIN

In an interview with Le Monde, former French President François Hollande stated that Putin’s aggression—instigating conflict in Ukraine and escalating the war in Syria—was provoked by the indecisive and peaceful policies of former U.S. President Barack Obama.

François Hollande believes that when, in 2013, Barack Obama refused U.S. military intervention in Syria, it sent a signal not only to the dictator Bashar al-Assad that „everything is allowed.” It also led Vladimir Putin to believe that „he could annex Crimea and destabilize eastern Ukraine without risk of retaliation, aside from sanctions.” Impunity emboldens Putin.

As Hollande points out, in August 2013, after Assad’s regime used chemical weapons in Ghouta, the U.S. chose to negotiate with Russia and the international community over the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons, rather than sending troops into Syria. France „followed the United States.” But Putin deceived Obama, and Bashar al-Assad managed to retain chemical weapons, which he continues to use, albeit more covertly.

In Other Words, Obama Wanted Peace, but His Indecision Provoked War and Led to a Great Bloodshed. Putin Realized He Could Do Anything.

He understood that no military intervention would bring serious consequences, either for Russia or for him personally. On the contrary, the West’s peaceful policies encouraged him to escalate aggression. It became the driving force behind the intensification of Russia’s hybrid and military operations.

„The West must realize the danger it faces,” warned former French President François Hollande.

PUTIN SEEKS TO REBUILD THE SOVIET SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

As the heir to the expansionist Golden Horde, the Romanov Empire, and the Soviet Union, Russia is doing everything it can to regain control over Central and Eastern Europe. The key to dominating this region lies primarily in Ukraine. It’s no surprise that the renowned American strategist of Polish descent, Zbigniew Brzezinski, once said that with Ukraine, Russia is destined to become a great world power.

A few years ago, former EU Commissioner for External Relations Chris Patten, in an interview with the Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin still believes in a Europe divided into spheres of influence and aims to take control of Central and Eastern European countries. „He is not interested in the independence of Central and Eastern European states. He believes they should be tied to Moscow and no one else,” Chris Patten emphasized.

The masks have fallen—the ultimatum-style Treaty on Security Guarantees, published on December 17, 2021, by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and drafted under the orders of the deranged Putin, contained the audacious demand for NATO forces to withdraw from the Alliance’s eastern flank to the borders of 1997. Obsessed with the idea of reviving the grim empire of evil, the Kremlin’s master is maniacally determined to restore the Soviet sphere of influence in Europe. That’s why he seeks to challenge NATO’s plans for eastward expansion, hoping the West will abandon the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to Russia’s mercy.

PUTIN’S EXTREME VILENESS AND DISGUSTING CYNICISM

In 1994, Ukraine voluntarily gave up the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal, inherited from the Soviet Union, following only the United States and Russia in size. In a gesture of goodwill, Kyiv handed over to Moscow intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry nuclear weapons, long-range strategic bombers, and a significant number of tactical nuclear warheads.

In exchange for relinquishing its nuclear weapons, Ukraine was to receive international security guarantees. These were provided by the so-called Budapest Memorandum, signed on December 5, 1994. Under this document, the United States, Russia, and the United Kingdom committed to respecting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and refrained from any threats of force against its independence and territorial integrity.

However, Russia broke its commitments. In the spring of 2014, Putin annexed Crimea, sparked a war in Donbas, and continues to challenge Ukraine’s independence. Furthermore, ignoring the will of Central and Eastern European nations, Putin maniacally seeks to impose on the United States the issue of a new division of the world into spheres of influence.

Moscow, which started an aggressive war, seized Ukraine’s Crimea and part of its Donbas, and killed tens of thousands of Ukrainians, continues to demand that Ukraine not strengthen its army or seek NATO membership. Putin doesn’t want the victim of his aggression to be able to defend itself. He prefers Ukraine to remain isolated, weak, and vulnerable to further attacks. Otherwise, he threatens to unleash a full-scale war in Europe. The audacity to make such demands openly and shamelessly is astounding!

EUROPE HAS NO FUTURE WITHOUT UKRAINE

„Europe has no future without Ukraine,” noted Timothy Snyder, a specialist in Central and Eastern European history and a professor at Yale University.

If the international community allows Putin to destabilize and take control of a European country of 45 million people, the entire international security system will collapse like a house of cards, and Europe will find itself under the shadow of brutal, barbaric despotism. The evil empire will once again emerge from the darkness of history, and the world will plunge into a period of chaos, conflict, and significant threats to global security.

It will be a geopolitical disaster of both European and global proportions. Russian imperialism will rise from the ashes and begin to destabilize the entirety of Central and Eastern Europe. The Baltic states, Poland, and Romania will become targets of Russian aggression and the stage for intense hybrid warfare. Should this scenario unfold, all of Western civilization will be on the brink of catastrophe.

THREAT TO GLOBAL SECURITY

Russia has become an existential threat to Ukraine and all of Central and Eastern Europe. Putin is committing serious crimes against humanity because he feels completely unpunished. The bunker-dwelling psychopath is practically openly threatening the West, saying that if they prevent him from orchestrating organized genocide in Ukraine, he will use nuclear weapons against NATO countries.

If the West yields to Putin in Ukraine, he will continue to wield the nuclear club and carry out aggression and genocide in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Therefore, nuclear blackmail is categorically unacceptable. The world must not tolerate it!

Succumbing to Putin’s intimidation could lead to far greater disasters for humanity than even the limited use of nuclear weapons. The Kremlin beast must receive a stern warning that any attempt to use weapons of mass destruction will be met with an immediate, firm, appropriate, and mirrored response.

The Moscow war criminal must know that his blackmail will have no influence whatsoever on the will of sovereign and free nations. He must abandon such foreign policy instruments once and for all. He must also clearly understand that he will face severe and inevitable punishment if he continues committing grave crimes against humanity.

THERE IS NO NEGOTIATING WITH TERRORISTS

There is no point in negotiating with Russia. Talks with Putin and his cronies are pointless and have the opposite effect to what is intended. You do not negotiate with terrorists. Any concessions to Putin pose a serious threat to global security.

Former KGB officer and now opposition figure Gennady Gudkov, who knows the mentality of Russian politicians well, said in an interview with Ukraine 24 that attempts to „save face” for Putin could lead to the destruction of the world. Since every phone call, every contact with the leaders of the G7 and G20, Putin interprets as weakness, cowardice, and an invitation to aggression. The Russian politician warned: „If we allow Putin to save face now, we will not save the world.”

Włodzimierz Iszczuk