When Vladimir Putin dismantled peace in Europe by launching war in a democracy 44 million people, his justification was that modern, western-leaning Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not feel “safe, grow and exist.”
But after nearly five weeks of bombing, thousands of deaths in devastated cities and the displacement of 10 million people inside and outside Ukraine, questions remain:
What is his goal? Is there a way out?
What was Putin’s goal?
His initial goal Russian leader was to invade Ukraine and overthrow its government, permanently ending its desire to join the Western NATO defense alliance. But the invasion has stalled and Putin seems to have diminished his ambitions.
Starting the invasion on February 24, he told the Russian people that his goal was to “demilitarize and demilitarize Ukraine,” to protect the people who were subjected to what he called eight years of intimidation and genocide by the Ukrainian government. “It’s not our plan to occupy Ukrainian territory. “We do not intend to impose anything on anyone by force,” he insisted.
The allegations of Nazism and genocide in Ukraine were completely unfounded, but it was clear that Russia saw this as a turning point. “Russia’s future and its future position in the world are at stake,” said Sergei Naryshkin, the head of foreign intelligence services.
THE Russian army aimed to sweep the capital Kyiv, invading from Belarus in the north, as well as from the south and east.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had spoken of liberating Ukraine from oppression, while Ukraine’s democratically elected President Volodymyr Zelensky said that “the enemy has set me the number one goal, my family is the number two goal.”
But Ukraine’s fierce resistance inflicted heavy losses and, in some areas, led to Russian forces back.
Has Putin changed his goals?
Russia said after talks yesterday that it would reduce its military operations around the capital and around the city of Chernihiv.
It also seems to have diminished its ambitions, claiming that it has “generally achieved” the goals of the first phase of the invasion, and therefore significantly reducing Ukraine’s combat potential.
But the war continues in the east and south, where Russian forces are trying to build a land corridor along the southern coast, east of Crimea to the Russian border.
One month after the invasion, Russia said its main goal was to “liberate Donbass,” referring generally to eastern Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk.
But beyond his military goals, President Putin’s broader demand is to ensure Ukraine’s future neutrality.
The Ukrainians have offered it in exchange for security guarantees from the allies, as part of a broader peace plan presented at the talks in Turkey.
BBC
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