A Polish perspective on Ukraine
This is the opinion of Marta Luiken, CSB senior.
The events taking place between Russia and Ukraine have been a long time coming. The New York Times has called the escalating events the “biggest conflicts in Europe since World War II.”
I don’t want to seem like an expert on Russia vs. Ukraine because I am far from it. The situation is important to me because I am a Polish citizen and consider myself a part of the post-Communist generation of Eastern Europe.
To understand the current situation, one has to understand the history of Ukraine and Russia’s relationship. Ukraine was once a part of the Soviet Union that was led by Russia. However, the tight history between Ukraine and Russia goes back even further. The first capital of Russia was Kyiv, which is the current capital of Ukraine.
Over the summer Russian President Vladimir Putin published an essay on Russia’s bond with Ukraine where he argued that the two countries are meant to be together. For Putin, the relationship is romantic and the two nations are connected through history, culture and geography.
In his essay, Putin said that “…modern Ukraine is entirely the product of the Soviet era.”
To argue against this statement, Ukraine has its own language and national identity that is separate from Russia. While the two are bound together in history they have grown apart, creating their own.
Putin has recently switched up his rhetoric on Ukraine, calling the nation a puppet of the U.S. On Monday, he said: “We gave these republics the right to leave the union without any terms and conditions…this is just madness.” Putin chose to say “republics” and not just Ukraine. This can be perceived as a direct threat to all former Soviet nations.
As of now, an estimated 190,000 Russian troops are surrounding Ukraine. Ukraine itself has an armed force of 250,000 troops which is still incomparable to Russia’s one million.
Russia has always been seen as a threat in Eastern Europe. Both Poland and Ukraine are new countries whose current republics were formed around 30 years ago. Calling countries that were a part of the Soviet Union fragile would be an understatement.
Ukraine is not a part of the European Union, nor NATO, and is receiving very little help from its neighboring western nations.
As of now, dialogue is focused on de-escalation. If Russia chooses to push further than Ukraine and into the EU, that is how World War III will start. Currently, there are 9,000 U.S. troops in Poland to protect the EU and to assist people fleeing Ukraine.
The White House has made its position very clear. President Biden has said that he will not send troops to Ukraine because once U.S. troops start attacking Russia things can escalate very quickly.
This conflict is important because events can quickly take a turn for the worst. Russia could ask their ally China for assistance in this conflict, which would escalate things to the unimaginable.
