Ukraine quagmire

Tuesday 15 Oct 2024

Ukraine quagmire

 

THIS WEEK, the Ukraine war inched closer to its 1,000-day mark amid speculations over the possible involvement of North Korea. On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that intelligence information suggested Russia plans to involve North Korea directly in the war.

Zelensky accused Pyongyang of sending not only weapons but also soldiers to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. He also said that, in addition to North Korea, “other countries” are supporting Russia.

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war, which started in 2014. The invasion, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II, has caused hundreds of thousands of military casualties and tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilian casualties.

The war has forced a decline in Russian involvement in the Middle East after it rose significantly in the wake of the Arab Spring, particularly in Syria where Moscow had been directly present on the ground in support of the Syrian regime. It also brought Moscow closer to both Ankara and Tehran for military coordination in areas of Russian influence in the Middle East and for military purchases Russia has made, notably from Iran. Russia has also been less involved in managing the Palestinian-Israeli struggle.

Meanwhile, a Brookings article published earlier this month noted that this war has become a central and controversial topic in the 2024 US presidential campaign. As the brutal conflict shows no signs of ending, the article noted that if elected, Kamala Harris is committed to continuing the policies of US President Joe Biden, which involves supporting Ukraine militarily, economically, and politically, and maintaining the sanctions pressure on Russia. Biden has said that Ukraine must prevail in this war and that Russia will not win.

Former president Donald Trump, who claims the war would not have broken out had he been president in 2022, says he could end it in 24 hours after being elected, before he is even inaugurated.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 17 October, 2024 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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