Ukraine's president urges to continue sanctions on Russia

As the world waits to see how the U.S. will approach both Syria and Ukraine, a world leader weighs in and advocates to maintain sanctions on Russia.

President Poroshenko of Ukraine has urged the West to keep the sanctions on Russia. These remarks came after POTUS Trump told The Wall Street Journal he would consider lifting the sanctions. However, that lift would be contingent on either a nuclear arms reduction or counter-terror participation.

A counter-terror partnership with Russia is possible. Russia views terrorism and radical Islamism as a serious existential threat. The Russians might also be willing to reduce their nuclear arsenal further. However, the most obvious partnership would be a joint effort to fight and eradicate ISIL.

When asked by the press about a possible removal of Russian sanctions Ukrainian President Poroshenko said, “We’ve enjoyed very strong bipartisan support in the United States during the last three years, and we don’t see any reason to change this situation.” Poroshenko later added, “We don’t see any connection [between reducing or eliminating sanctions and] possible progress in the Middle East and the situation in Ukraine”.

If the U.S. were to work with Russia, eastern European nations directly might react and begin preparing for a possible confrontation with Russia. In particular, Ukrainian politicians could use the loosening of sanctions as political ammunition to wage a more aggressive war with separatists.

The civil war in Ukraine might not resolve itself for some time. Moreover, the war could play second fiddle on the world stage to Syria. Syria will eventually resolve itself and possibly end with a triumphant victory over ISIL, while Ukraine continues to either move toward a political solution or dip deeper into a wider civil war. Eventually, it will be impossible to ignore, and other European leaders may play a more decisive role.

While Ukraine might not be seen as a pressing U.S. foreign policy problem, it might become a grave one in the future. Ukraine is an important link to European security. Ukraine has a large standing army and the primary force between Europe and Russia. Ukraine is a critical buffer.

Russia took action when they saw Ukraine falling completely into western hands. Since then, the country has been in turmoil and a state of civil war. That civil war is the setting for experimentation of the next generation of warfare. The fate of Ukraine will impact European security into the future.

Featured image courtesy of IBTimes UK.