US and Russia Talks on Ukraine: A Return to Colonial Power Play?
The US and Russia have been holding secret talks about ending the war in Ukraine. This is unusual, as neither Ukraine nor European countries are involved in these discussions.
In February, a Ukrainian delegation was preparing for a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky to Saudi Arabia, while American and Russian negotiators were discussing Ukraine’s future in Riyadh, just miles away. This situation highlights the changes happening in the international order today.
The approaches of Russia and the US towards Ukraine do not signal a new “multipolar world.” Instead, they reflect a return to the principles of the Yalta system established during World War II.
In 1945, Moscow was granted more East European territory than it had before. This included Poland and the Baltic states. However, Stalin’s actions showed disrespect for the new international system. He smuggled Ukraine and Belarus into the United Nations as founding members.
After Germany’s collapse in 1945, other European empires lost their colonies. The Russian land empire also seemed to come to an end by 1989-1991. However, Moscow continued to defy international law.
Russia became a permanent UN Security Council member without following the usual process. They also gained Western sanctioning for “peacekeepers” in Moldova and Georgia, which were essentially under Moscow’s control.
For 30 years after 1991, both the US and Western Europe practiced a “Russia First” policy. This meant putting Russia’s interests ahead of those of its former colonies. The most scandalous example was the Russo-German Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project launched after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
In 2022, Germany and other Western European nations reversed their stance and recognized the legitimacy of Ukraine’s interests. Ukraine became a candidate for EU membership, but the US seems to be reversing its earlier liberationist stance towards Eastern Europe.
The Trump administration appears to be returning to a Yalta-like approach, where smaller states are sidelined. This contradicts the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Washington gave security assurances to Kyiv. It also conflicts with NATO’s 2008 declaration and Ukraine’s bilateral security agreement with the US.
Time will tell how far this American reversal will go, but it seems like a return to colonial power play.