Franco-German Tensions and the War in Ukraine
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- Last week, French President Emmanuel Macon made waves when he said that he had not ruled out sending ground troops to fight in Ukraine. This statement prompted a strong reaction from Russian President Vladimir Putin, and for many of France’s NATO allies to distance themselves from Macron’s statement and potential escalation. One of the most notable instances of this came from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who asserted that soldiers from NATO countries should not “actively participate in war events.” This latest Franco-German spat fits within a larger trend of disagreements between Paris and Berlin and comes at a time when unified European leadership is desperately needed to aid Kyiv. To discuss the implications of these recent events for the future of Western support to Ukraine, Camille Grand and Claudia Major join Andrea Kendall- Taylor and Jim Townsend on Brussels Sprouts.
Camille Grand is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. He leads the organization’s work on defense and disruptive technologies in European security.
Claudia Major is head of the International Security Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin. Her research focuses on European and transatlantic security and defense policy.
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I believe that the error that NATO has made with Russia in regard to Ukraine, has been in not being anywhere
near aggressive enough. I believe that deterrence is very important. I think that great efforts should be made
to either stop bad things from happening or to stop them from getting worse.
I think that a major motivator for Putin's actions in regard to Ukraine starting with the 2014 invasion and annexation
of Crimea, has been his belief that the West is indecisive and scared and that he could get away with doing pretty
much anything that he wanted to.
I believe that the primary reason for the inadequate reaction of NATO has been fear of a nuclear conflict. Basically,
I believe that through nonsensical bluffs and the West's own independent fear, Putin and his cronies have succeeded
in cowing the NATO alliance into allowing Russia to seize Crimea in 2014 and begin a new invasion in 2022 that could
result in Ukraine's eventual defeat.
I believe that the chances of Russia's using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is miniscule at best. If Putin/Russia used nuclear weapons,
I am sure they realize that they could easily be "signing their own death warrant" which I very much doubt they have much interest in
doing. I strongly believe that corrupt government officials and oligarchs who spend billions of dollars of stolen money on colossal yachts
and mansions have very little interest in committing suicide in attempts to keep stolen lands in Ukraine. People who are very interested in
worldly goods of great luxury, are expressing a strong desire to go on living.
When Russia seized Crimea in 2014, I believe that the U.S. and the rest of NATO should have told Putin in "no uncertain terms", that if
Russian forces did not immediately leave Crimea, they would send their military into Crimea and destroy the Russian forces
that were present there. If Russia had not complied with that demand, then NATO should have made that threat a reality. These actions
almost surely would have prevented the 2022 Ukraine war from happening and could have saved hundreds of thousands of Ukranian
lives.
In 2022 when U.S. intelligence predicted that Russia was about to invade Ukraine, the U.S. and the rest of NATO should have warned
Putin/Russia, that if they go ahead with their invasion, then the combined NATO forces would enter Ukraine and destroy the Russian
military that was present. Again, I think that that this action could have very possibly stopped the Russian invasion before it happened.
I still believe that the U.S. and the rest of NATO should take direct and aggressive action now in the war in Ukraine. I believe that the combined
NATO forces should send into Ukraine a very large military force and destroy the Russian military that is present there. Russia is no longer
a super-power and has not been one since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia has demonstrated in Ukraine for all to see, that it does
not have a great military. The Russians are well aware that they cannot possibly successfully stand up to the U.S. alone or to the combined
forces of NATO. The only real danger that Russia has is a large nuclear arsenal that I would strongly suggest that they dare not use. Confronting
Russia on a Ukrainian battlefield would in fact not create "World War III". - This is a myth. The 32 countries that make up NATO versus Russian forces that
are present in Ukraine, is not a World War. It is the total destruction of those Russian forces that have invaded Ukraine. NATO needs to "grow a backbone".
China, North Korea and Iran are not sending armies to Ukraine to fight "shoulder to shoulder" with Russia. - This is not going to happen. This threat of
World War III is little more than nonsense that Russian would dearly love for the West to believe.
Russia should be forced to give back to Ukraine, every inch of land that they have illegally seized including Crimea. After all Ukrainian lands have been
returned, Russia should be compelled to pay backbreaking reparations to rebuild all of Ukraine that they have destroyed.
A stern message needs to be sent to all aggressor nations that all they will receive for their actions is military defeat, isolation and economic collapse.
You think so not Agressive enough maybe can't help it Woke.
The british even bragged about starting both crimean wars. The world is paying attention.
When was the last time Germany or french gave a dime into nato. This proves the russians right that nato is offensive and not defensive.
Deranged warmongers. Pretending that Russia has plans to take over Europe is such a brazen lie in order to cover the West’s aggression against Russia. Disgusting!