Regionalization is not just a North American phenomenon—it is a worldwide phenomenon, and it appears that some nations already know this.
In September 2018, the Washington Post interviewed then-President of Ukraine, Viktor Poroshenko. At the time he was seeking an international response to Russia’s latest incursion—this time in the Sea of Azov, northeast of Crimea. The Russian Navy had been stopping and boarding steel-carrying ships and fishing vessels. Since iron and steel products are about a quarter of Ukraine’s exports, these boardings were damaging the Ukrainian economy in addition to undermining its sovereignty, much like the 2014 annexation of Crimea did. In addition, according to Poroshenko, Russia still had 40,000 ground troops in Ukraine besides the separatists they were training and financing. They had even begun cyber-attacks. Poroshenko was trying to get the UN to increase sanctions against Russia for these latest aggressions. However, he saw ultimate security coming from EU and NATO membership—which, he admitted, was the problem.
An EU-member Ukraine would place perhaps Russia’s greatest rival on its southern border: however, this is not the biggest problem. The real issue is that an EU-aligned Ukraine throws a dagger at the heart of Putin’s vision of a greater Russia. Russia was born in Kiev, which a thousand years ago was the heart of Slavic culture. An EU-Ukraine threatens this regionalistic concept, one where Russia would dominate much like the old Soviet Union did.
Clearly Putin has regionalism on his mind. While he may not fully understand what it will take to achieve it (he appears to be falling back into old Soviet-style bullying, which will not last) it appears he sees what most of the world has yet to become aware of.
References:
Washington Post, “Russia is advancing again, and Ukraine isn’t having it,” 16 September 2018.
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