The unprecedented tense battle of wits between Russia and the West

(Baonghean) - Since the crisis in Ukraine began to break out at the end of last year, there has been an extremely tense tug-of-war between Russia on one side and the US and the West on the other. The tug-of-war has not only taken place on the ground but also on the diplomatic front through statements and media to gain support from international public opinion. The heat of this tug-of-war and battle of wits is being followed step by step by the whole world, because it not only affects the relationship between Russia - the US and the West but can also change the political situation in Ukraine in the coming days.

“Military forces – believed to be serving Russia, walk outside the territory of a Ukrainian military unit in the village of Perevalnoye outside Simferopol on March 3, 2014.”

LThe continuous statements and actions of both Russia and the United States as well as Western allies have been released these days focusing on the hot spot of Ukraine and the Crimean peninsula. Meanwhile, the media have collided and argued with each other about the source and authenticity of the information. Each side has affirmed its own views and tough stance. This reality clearly reflects a Ukraine that is still in chaos before the recent major political upheavals, and also shows a great struggle between the great powers beyond the borders of this country. It is the geopolitical interests and regional interests of the great powers, with Russia on one side, the United States and Western countries on the other.

The struggle for influence in Ukraine has always existed, but it has suddenly heated up in recent days. This can be seen from the rapid and intense developments. First, there were accusations and criticisms from the US and the West against the Russian Senate approving the deployment of armed forces in Ukraine. US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a speech on CBS's "Face the Nation" program: "You should not act in the 21st century in the way you did in the 19th century when you invaded another country under completely fabricated pretexts."

Meanwhile, on the Russian side, contrary to Western concerns about a possible military intervention in Ukraine, in an interview with Russia's Rossiya-24 TV channel yesterday, the Speaker of the Russian Lower House, Sergei Naryshkin, clearly stated that the Senate's decision was to authorize the use of armed forces if necessary, but at present, this is not necessary. Mr. Naryshkin also criticized US Secretary of State John Kerry for being "shortsighted" when making statements about Russia's intervention in the crisis in Ukraine. Russia also denied information that it issued an ultimatum to attack Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.

But it is clear that the US cannot be assured with Russia's statements, shown not only by critical statements, but also by actions such as suspending upcoming trade and investment negotiations with Russia, and also suspending all military cooperation commitments with Russia. Then a series of US allies including the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Canada also made moves to oppose Russia. Specifically, the UK and France announced that they would not participate in preparatory meetings before the G8 Summit, which is about to take place in the Russian city of Sochi. Canada threatened to boycott the conference with the US. Meanwhile, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO issued a statement urging the deployment of international observers to Ukraine. The British press even published a secret document related to the European Union's plan to sanction Russia.

However, in response, the Speaker of the Russian State Duma, Mr. Sergei Naryshkin, said: "We are used to daily accusations of using force against our Ukrainian brothers. Plots to make us clash will not work"... It seems that the US and the West are trying to put pressure on Russia with a comprehensive strategy including both diplomacy and economics.

The back and forth words were not enough, the information on the ground also made the public dizzy and did not know what was true and what was false. On the Ukrainian side, according to the country's border guards, ships from the Crimean ports of Kerch and Sevastopol were transferred to Odessa and Mariupol, and at the same time, the situation on Ukraine's borders was declared stable, except for Crimea. According to the Ukrainian website kommersant.ua, citing information from a member of the UDAR party of opposition leader Klitschko, the Russian army attacked a Ukrainian naval base in Sevastopol, armored personnel carriers surrounded the entrance to the base of the 39th squadron...

However, Russia has maintained that it is only following the agreement on the stationing of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean peninsula, that Russia has the right to deploy up to 25,000 troops there... In a new development, the deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling on him to deploy troops to restore law, order and stability in Ukraine. However, the UK and France have stated that this is just a way for Russia to justify its actions.

It can be seen that the tension is getting more and more intense and it seems that all sides have not shown any signs of de-escalation. However, on the US and Western side, experts say that despite many strong statements to punish Russia, these countries are lacking feasible options to put pressure on Russia. Because economic sanctions will have little impact on Russia unless accompanied by other strong measures from major European countries, countries that have deep trade relations with Russia but are dependent on Russian gas.

According to former US ambassador to Ukraine and current advisor to the Brookings Institution in Washington, Mr. Steven Pifer said: "What the US can do alone is quite limited. The question is whether Europe can join forces or not." Sanctioning banks with Russia is also difficult to implement because the US still needs Russia's cooperation on issues such as Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Syria, the nuclear program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea... Currently, it is not known specifically how the measures of the US and the West will affect Russia, but clearly, the Russia-US relationship is falling into the most tense state since the Cold War. And it can be seen that Russia has also suffered initial damage, when the Russian ruble lost 2% of its value yesterday. Obviously, this will not be the final damage.

What is happening shows that the US and the West are eager to implement a similar Ukraine strategy in the Middle East and North Africa. As for Russia, it seems that this country will still stick to its non-intervention stance but is ready to protect its legitimate interests and protect Russian citizens around the world. Many scenarios for Ukraine have been put forward by the international press, in which the involvement of Russia as well as the US and the West is indispensable. However, perhaps any scenario is meaningless if not decided by the Ukrainian people themselves. And the race between the great powers will also have to have an insurmountable limit. Because if the bad scenario happens, not only will the contested country itself be hurt, but the great powers themselves will also have to pay the price for their actions.

Phuong Hoa