NEW YORK, Septemeber 4 (RIA Novosti) – Western leaders meeting at this week’s NATO summit have based their policy towards Russian President Vladimir Putin on false assumptions, analyst Nicolai Petro told RIA Novosti Thursday.
“Moscow has responded to popular aspirations in eastern Ukraine very differently from the way it responded in Crimea. These differences, however, have been ignored by many Western observers, who base their analysis on three assumptions,” said Petro, a University of Rhode Island scholar.
“First, that despite his disavowals, Putin is in fact supporting the rebels with weapons and money. Second, absent this support, the rebellion would collapse for lack of popular support. Finally, that once the rebellion is suppressed, Ukraine will engage in political and economic reforms to stabilize the country. Because each of these assumptions is quite far from the mark, not surprisingly, so is Western policy toward both Ukraine and Russia.”
NATO leaders gathered in Wales on Thursday for two days of talks focused on Ukraine and the rapid rise of Islamic extremists in Iraq and Syria. They have criticized Russia for its “destabilizing” influence on the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
