Kaarten: Chapter 12: The war in Ukraine | Quizlet

What happened?

1. THE Russian invasion of Ukraine

- in February 2022: Russia invades Ukraine

= Russia = bad?

- The West = good?

-> 2 Different perspectives to be taken into account

What is the Russian perspective?

1. Russia as a victim of European aggressions

- Why?

- e.g. 1941: Invasion by Hitler (+ numerous other times that Russia was invaded by Europe in HISTORY)

- 1990 - 2014: NATO expansion to the east

2. The West betrayed Russia:

- In 1990: Oral promise to Gorbachev from the West

- If you approve the Unification of Germany, NATO will not expand to the east. (= how bigger NATO -> bigger threat to Russia)

- 1990 - 2014: NATO expansion to the east

o Also states of the former communist bloc

- 2008 Bucharest treaty: the West and Russia came together in Bucharest

- Another promise: NATO promises to Ukraine that it can join NATO

- However: no deadline....

- Putin angry: Red line for Putin -> he warned he would take action and take Crimea + start war

So why did they invade Ukraine?

3. For the future security of Russia:

- 2014: Russia annexes Crimea (= small peninsula that was first part of Ukraine)

- 2022: Russian invasion of Ukraine

===> Goals: demilitarise Ukraine, stop 'aggressive' NATO expansion (Ukraine borders with Russia and if Ukraine becomes a part of NATO => threat!!)

- Conspiracy theory: NAZI's are back (the Ukrainians are seen as NAZI's)

What is the Western perspective?

1. Russia is an aggressor: (e.g.)

- 1999s: Brutal invasion of Chechnya

- 2008: Brutal invasion of Georgia

- 2014: Annexation of Crimea

- 2015: Russian intervention in the Syrian Civil War

Result: Countries want to join NATO to protect them against Russian attacks <=> NATO 'expansion' in the east

2. The West was betrayed by Russia

-1994: BUDAPEST memorandum

- Ukraine was part of Soviet Union => they still had nuclear weapons of Russia

= Russian safety guarantees for Ukraine in exchange for transfer of Ukrainian nuclear weapons to Russia

- 2014: Russian annexation of Crimea

- Russian support for separatists in East-Ukraine

3. 2015: Minsk Accords

- Peace treaty between Ukraine and separatists in East-Ukraine

- Russia kept secretly weaponizing and supporting the separatist influence and broke the treaty

- Russian invasion (of Ukraine) in 2014 and 2022:

o Violation of international law

- Russia abuses its veto power in the UN Security Council