Who was there and what was said about Germany, Ukraine and Russia during a seminar of the ISPI, the Institute for International Political Studies
Russia’s war in Ukraine was to be a ” special operation ” flash for give the enemies time to escape and the Kremlin to install a new government friendly to Moscow . Things are not going exactly like this and the Russian army is now on its sixth day of fighting. The sunset of the blitzkrieg
“Moscow’s plan did not work partly because the Ukrainians demonstrated a force of resistance that the Russians had underestimated and partly because of a series of Russia’s logistical problems”, to speak and Andrea Gilli, Senior Researcher, NATO Defense College and Affiliate, Stanford University, during the ISPI event “ Ukraine, tests of endurance ”. “Many soldiers deployed are volunteers, they weren’t prepared. Due to their complexity, modern wars require motivated and trained personnel. And also a series of tactical and operational reasons “. The Russian army, due to the need to arrive as soon as possible in Kiev , has left some pockets of resistance active. “The Ukrainian defenses are still functioning – continues Andrea Gilli -. The Russians have these extremely vulnerable long lines of logistics on their flanks ”. Disrespect to human rights
“As many feared, Russia is not particularly respectful of human rights, civilians and collateral damage – continues Andrea Gilli -. What we saw in Kharkiv is a bombing of civilians, which contrasts with the desire to reach a negotiated peace. Among other things, in a city with a Russian-speaking majority. I think it will be difficult for Russia to conquer Kiev shortly but I think there will be a bombing of civilians ”. Russia, therefore, continues to move in the wake of that done in Syria: to weaken the resistance with bombs. Cultural sanctions
The images of gutted buildings and people taking refuge in the undergrounds of the subwayshave sparked a wave of emotion around the world. “We were amazed by a solidarity that came from outside – underlined Serena Giusti , Senior Associate Research Fellow, ISPI and Assistant Professor, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna -. There have been street demonstrations in Moscow and St. Petersburg , although it is difficult to do so. Added to this is the stance of some famous Russian personalities living abroad, manifestations and collections of goods in many European cities and also in Italy. A cultural sanction is being implemented“. The Kremlin’s reply can only be military. “We can expect stronger and stronger attacks to weaken the psychological, physical and moral resistance of the Ukrainians – continues Dr. Serena Giusti -. The way out is very difficult to imagine, at this point an annexation or a puppet government would not be acceptable ”. The compactness of the European front
This war will go down in history as the first that managed to compact the European front. “ The European Union has managed to give an incredibly strong and rapid response – says Marco Bresolin, correspondent from Brussels of the newspaper La Stampa -. He had worried about the incremental approach of sanctions when Russia had already invaded Ukrainian territory. Instead, the EU unanimously approved extremely heavy sanctions ”. Zelenski: the battle of communication Ukrainian President Zelensk
i is playing a very important media game through a constant flow of communications. “Zelenski is a showman – adds Marco Bresolin -. Zelenski’s media pressure has put some pressure on European leaders. But what has moved the great of the earth towards unprecedented decisions, some of which go against the very history and philosophy of the EU, I believe is the unprecedented situation that has arisen: a world power invading a sovereign country. Faced with this, the EU has flattened all its internal differences and acted united ”. Germany invests 100 billion euros in defense
Historic and it was Germany’s decision to go back to investing in weapons . One of the legacies of the Second World War was the demilitarization of the country from which, in twenty years, the two world wars that ravaged the 1900s had started. Russia’s attack on Ukraine has called upon Germany to write a new page in its history . “We are experiencing an epochal turning point. The world is no longer what it used to be “. The German ChancellorOlaf Scholz , has drawn a U-turn in German defense policies and has allocated 100 billion euros, in debt, for military expenses and has promised that Germany will spend “at least” 2% of its GDP on defense . A commitment that had been made by all NATO partners at the 2014 summit in Wales, but which Berlin had always refused to comply with. Germany leads Europe in the new European history
“The position of Germany guides and directs the position of the EU – explains Marco Bresolin -. Increasing military spending and sending weapons to Ukraine has meant that the EU, which has one of its most solid and untouchable principles in the defense of peace, has decided that the efforts of the various countries it will sendweapons in Ukraine can be financed with EU money , and something new ”. What changed the German position
“Olaf Scholz and his first test, the first great world crisis that the EU faces without Angela Merkel . The Scholz government – continues Bresolin – , which has the Green Party within it, last week decided to block the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and did so in a difficult context. These are difficult decisions and to make them you have to be very strong, vice versa there is the risk that, if you are too weak, you will be carried away by the decisions of other countries ”. We are one step away from the common European defense
The gravity of the current crisis has brought together the positions of theMember States on various fronts, from the decision to impose sanctions to military spending. “I think it is important to underline the position of Hungary which was among the countries closest to Russia – explains ISPI researcher Serena Giusti -. The country led by Orban has distanced itself by regrouping the European front strengthened also by the absence of the United Kingdom , which has constituted an obstacle in the development of a European defense that was more autonomous than the United States “. Perhaps the unilateral US decision to withdraw from Afghanistan has allowed EU countries to reflect on their role in foreign policy.
