It has come to my attention that many of you have pick up my page, FOUNDATION, and have noticed my posts about Ukraine, among other subjects.
I would like to reach out to all of you, and offer a plea for peace.
First, you have noticed my posts about Ukraine, and their desire to join the west, of at least western Ukraine.
I am fully aware that the people in eastern Ukraine, or at least in Donetsk and Luhansk are mostly of Russian origin and many want to become part of Russia, or at least ally with them. In this issue, I support both the East and the West.
I know Crimea was always Russian territory until 1956, when Khrushchev, on a whim, decided to give it to Ukraine as a gift, against the will of the Crimean people. I know that after all these years, these people wanted to remain Russian and return to Russia’s fold.
I am also aware of the majority of the people in eastern Ukraine, or at least in the two easternmost provinces, also want to return to Russia’s fold, either as part of Russia, or an independent country allied with Russia.
I can sympathized with you, even support your position; but I also support the people of western Ukraine in their desire to join the West and become a part of the European Union. We, in the United States and Europe did not encourage them to do so, nor are we encouraging them to shun Russia, your country. They themselves made this decision, and whether you like it or not, you have to respect them for it. Each country must respect any desires of a neighboring country, whether the neighboring country likes it or not. This equally applies to the U.S. in the affairs and both Canada and Mexico.
I also know that Ukraine is a cleft country, and that the eastern Ukrainians are of the Orthodox faith (religion does matter), the same as you, and that they are mostly ethnic Russian and want closer relations with you. That also has to be respected.
What should be done is simply have a free and fair referendum in Eastern Ukraine, with international observes, for the people to decide for themselves what they want. They can either vote 1) remain a part of Ukraine; 2) secede from Ukraine and join Russia; or 3) become an independent country, call it East Ukraine and ally with Russia. Should they decide #2 or #3, fine. We can live with it. In return, Russia should let the rest of Ukraine go its own way and compensate Ukraine and its people for the land they’ve forfeited such as debt cancellation and supplying them with free natural gas from Russia for a certain number of years.
All this can, and should be achieved peacefully, with both sides having mutual respect for each other. Ukraine and the European Union pose no threat to your country whatsoever.
What I am trying to say is that the present situation in Ukraine is not an excuse for your president, Vladimir Putin, to station troops along the Ukrainian border and threaten to invade Ukraine, even if the people of Donetsk and Luhansk desire it. War, invasion, or any other form of hostile action is not the answer, and isn’t helping your own people any, even if you benefit by uniting the Russian people and acquiring more land. What Putin is doing isn’t making things better for you, it’s making it worse, and he is aliening all of you from the rest of the world, at great expense to Russia itself.
Should Putin order an invasion, you will lose more than you’ll gain, even if Russia wins militarily. What Putin will be doing, in simple terms, is leading your country down the road to perdition, beginning with a deteriorating economy put on by sanctions, and a loss of international standing, and I know you do not want that.
Russia is a great country with a great people, having an amazing history. Just by itself, without Ukraine, Russia is a giant landmass. You are the largest country in the world and you have land stretching from eastern Europe all the way to the Bering Strait, along with an abundant amount of natural resources that have yet to be developed.
If you were to develop all your resources throughout the country, can you imagine how much of an economic powerhouse you would be? Your country and people would acquire more wealth, your standard of living would greatly increase, and you would provide intense competition for Europe, Japan, the United States, and China, without any need for the military. Your people have great potential, and you have the ability to achieve a greatness, much more than you have already acquired throughout your entire history.
With all of this, you have no need to acquire any more land or invade any other country, and no other country wants to go to war with you. In regard to your history, your borders today are safe. What we all ask is to respect the sovereignty of your neighbors, as you expect them to respect yours. Equal and mutual respect is the key, and should a problem arise, you should be able to settle it peacefully, without any need for your military. That is all we ask.
What President Putin is doing right now isn’t helping you or Russia, it’s making your situation worse, and the world is distancing itself from you. Should President Putin give the order to invade Ukraine, he will only make things worse for your society, and he will lead you and your country down the road to perdition; in what ways, I don’t know, but it will happen. What is really sad is that Putin knows this, but he doesn’t seem to care. It hurts me very much to have to say this.
Is it worth it? I don’t think so. Do not allow this to happen. Do not let Putin become like Adolf Hitler in 1939, when he invaded Poland, and I do dare to say that. Please stand down and rejoin Europe, and the rest of the world. I feel that by doing this, we can work together, and get through this crisis by finding a fair and peaceful solution that will be to everyone’s satisfaction. It is only by achieving a win-win situation that we can have peace and prosperity for all.
Alastair Browne
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