Kira Rudik
23 Feb 2024

Allowing putin to win or freeze the war is a mortal danger for Europe and the democratic world, — Kira Rudik for The Hill

If Ukraine loses this war, or if russia manages to freeze the conflict, mortal danger awaits not only Europe but also the entire democratic world. After recovering and drawing conclusions from the mistakes in the Ukrainian campaign, putin will move on. And the fact that he succeeded in this attack will encourage other dictators to act similarly. Ukrainian MP, «Golos» party leader, ALDE Vice President Kira Rudik insists on this in the opinion for The Hill.

«No one wants World War III, but avoiding it through fear of escalation is the wrong way. Dictatorships perceive this as a weakness, and this weakness encourages them to commit more and more crimes. Allowing putin to win now (and freezing the conflict for the kremlin would be also a victory) is not just an own goal for the US, as CIA Director William Burns wrote. This is a mortal danger for all of Europe», — the «Golos» leader emphasizes. Therefore, decisive steps are needed from Ukraine's partners not only in the provision of weapons but also in effective rehabilitation pressure and confiscation of frozen russian assets. «According to the new data of the IMF, the GDP growth forecast of russia for 2024 will be up to 2.6%, although earlier the same IMF predicted such growth at the level of 1.1%. Such figures are a big slap in the face of the introduced sanctions because it means that the aggressor uses the imperfection of mechanisms of economic pressure on himself and successfully circumvents everything», — the MP accentuates. Action should be taken immediately while the front line is in Ukraine, not in EU and NATO member states. «The world has a chance. Now the front line passes in Ukraine, but what will happen if it passes in Poland or the Baltic countries? Suppose you continue to delay supporting the Ukrainian army, use the Ukrainian issue for your own political and electoral ambitions, and bargain for preferences for yourself. In that case, I have bad news for the West: the war will come to them as well», — the politician sums up.