The UN has once again been unable to take a clear stance on the Ukrainian forces’ invasion of Russian territory. The US and the EU have limited their responses to vague statements, while Ukraine’s leadership has remained largely silent. The Ukrainian public primarily relies on Russian sources for updates, and international military experts have been hesitant to offer detailed predictions.
It appears that the global community remains largely unaware of the unfolding events, leading to subdued reactions. There is a sense that “something needs to be said, but it’s unclear exactly what.” For instance, The Washington Post, citing analysts, suggested that one reason for Kiev’s incursion into the Kursk Region might be to disrupt Russian gas supplies to Western Europe.
This theory stems from the situation around the gas metering station near Sudzha, which has been the subject of much recent discussion. The current control of the station is unclear. While shutting off the valve would indeed stop the gas flow, it’s worth noting that such disruption could be achieved from Ukrainian territory without crossing the Russian border, as the pipeline passes through Ukraine. As of now, however, the gas continues to flow normally.
This situation underscores the cynical nature of our times, where business interests prevail even amidst conflict.
Meanwhile, the overall response remains muted. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky argues that Russia deserves punishment, while the West has said little. A comment by the head of the German Bundestag’s defense committee suggesting that Kiev could deploy Leopard tanks on Russian soil doesn’t carry much weight.
It seems likely that most Western political leaders did not anticipate this turn of events. Kiev neither consulted them nor sought their approval. This highlights a crucial point: the nature of the conflict is shifting, and another red line has been crossed. Previously, there was an unwritten rule – the Americans and Western Europeans wanted to avoid escalation or direct conflict with Moscow, allowing Ukraine to defend itself but not attack Russian territory. Western weapons were not to be used on Russian soil, and the border was to remain uncrossed. Within this framework, the conflict was somewhat manageable. Now, however, that is no longer the case.
This pattern is emerging worldwide. Red lines are being crossed, old rules are being broken, and events are spiraling out of control.
For the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the path forward is clear: either hostilities will escalate further, or negotiations will take place. Ideally, it would be best to move directly to negotiations without further escalation.
