The West underestimated the intentions of the Russian leadership and left Ukraine in a geopolitical 'grey zone' following the 2008 Bucharest summit. This was stated by Robert Serry, the first ambassador of the Netherlands to Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrinform, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
The diplomat noted that the decisions of the Bucharest summit without providing a clear path to membership created dangerous uncertainty. In his view, the lack of concrete prospects gave the Kremlin a false sense of impunity regarding neighbouring states.
Errors of Western security policy
“We did not realize what Putin’s intentions really were,” Robert Serry said. At the same time, he emphasized that full responsibility for the armed aggression lies solely with the leadership of Russia.
The former ambassador added that Ukraine faced internal challenges such as corruption in the past. Because of this, Western partners did not take the state’s integration aspirations seriously enough for a long time.
Historical causes of aggression
According to the diplomat, the current confrontation has much deeper roots in the form of imperial ambitions of the neighbouring country. The Russian leadership uses absurd historical claims as a justification to restore control over territories.
The full-scale war became a logical consequence of Moscow’s policy, although diplomats tried to prevent such a scenario. The confrontation continues amid warnings about potential threats to other European countries.
Photo: Ukrinform
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