ICHEOKU says Russian President Vladimir Putin can easily and quickly bring the crisis over Ukraine to a swift end right this very minute; if only he can just recognize and acknowledge the indisputable fact that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent nation. And that Ukraine has a full vested right to make its foreign affairs decisions, including which international organizations or blocs of influence to join and which countries to maintain diplomatic relations with. If Russia does not like any decision Ukraine makes, they can only appeal to regional sentiments and try to persuade Kiev or even lobby them for a change of mind.
This is how international relationships work between countries, using the power of diplomacy and the purse to persuade preferred outcomes which are favorable to countries seeking to influence it. But the petite putative tsar of Russia does not seem to understand this and/or refuses to appreciate that Ukraine is a sovereign independent country with exclusive rights to conduct its foreign affairs matters. He apparently sees Ukraine as a Russian territory which must be reunified with mother Russia, just like China is smarting over Taiwan, the reason he has adopted the current use of force approach.
The guy is obviously stuck in the stupidity of restoring a past glory of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics, forgetting that he cannot turn back the hands of time, particularly the time that has lapsed since the 1989 collapse of the former Soviet Union. What President Vladimir Putin is demanding is akin to former Great Britain wishing in vain to restore its former empire by threatening the use of force to yank all its colonial territories back. It did not happen with other empires of yore either, including the Greek empire, Roman Empire, Ottoman empire, as well as West Africa's Songhai empire. Therefore, it will not happen with the former USSR, no matter how Putin desires and covets such outcome.
The former Union of Soviet Socialists Republics is in the rearview mirror and history books of the world until hell freezes over. Daydreaming about it will not change what is and is simply delusional to even contemplate. The West will not let it happen and Ukrainians would rather all die, fighting to defend their independence and freedom from Russia, with or without the help of NATO, than yield to such a very retrogressive change of their fate as an independent sovereign country.
How any self respecting President Vladimir Putin thinks that he can force an independent, sovereign country into a Russia-loving country by exacerbating hostilities inside the country's borders, defies every logic. Donbas, Crimea and all the other now occupied territorial space of Eastern Ukraine, by the proxy of some so called separatists, belong to Ukraine. They need to be returned back to Ukraine and a well meaning President Vladimir Putin should be seeking for ways to make amends by returning those territories to their Ukraine owner rather than embarking on the course which he is currently on.
International friendship between countries is earned through mutuality of interests, respect for each other and diplomatic niceties; but is never imposed by force. Even conquered or occupied territories usually remain restive until their oppressors are forced to withdraw or eventually booted out. Ukraine will not be an exception regardless of whether the current crisis ends or is resolved. If Russia wants to see an improved relationship between them and Ukraine, first they have to start treating Ukraine as a respectable independent sovereign country and stop treating them as their vassal state. And giving back those occupied Ukrainian cities and territories will equally help.
Countries should be at liberty to choose who their friends are. If another country was doing the same thing to Russia as they are doing to Ukraine, would Vladimir Putin accept it? Why does the Russian air-force often scramble fighter jets to escort other countries' strayed air planes and fighter jets away from Russia airspace. The same happens when any Russia's maritime border is breached by vessels and ships, including the recent encounter they had with the British navy ship in the Black Sea when Russia fighter jets dropped some bombs so close to the front of the ship to force it to change course.
What Russia is demanding of Ukraine and also doing, by proxy of those separatists, in Donbas and Eastern Ukraine is raw intimidation, by a bully on a weaker and less strong neighbor. Russia must not be allowed to continue to get away with their actions on their neighboring countries. If it will take a war to stop Russian hostilities in that region, it is an undertaking which NATO should seriously consider taking. ICHEOKU strongly doubts that Russia will be able to prevail over such a war and in victory, the West should compel Russia to cough-up of Crimea, Donbas, South Ossetia and Abkhazia
Why the world allowed Russia to get away with those its previous aggressions is unfathomable. Possibly the world did not want to provoke Russia and thought that if they allowed him to just take those places that they would be done with his imperialistic demons. But unfortunately, the West is now finding out that the only way to put a bully out of bullying, is to confront him. It is like with every other human want, it is insatiable; he got those territories and now simply wants more. His calculation is that the world did not try to stop him then and will probably not stop him now.
So, the question now is whether the West is prepared to surprise President Vladimir Putin by proving him wrong by not allowing him to take another inch of Ukraine. But with the woke virus which has eaten Europe inside out, it is debatable whether there will be enough good and brave men and women, who, in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine, will courageously shed the needed blood required to permanently put President Vladimir Putin in his place.
It cannot just be only Ukraine that is in his sight and if he is allowed to take Ukraine, he will someday also make a move for other former Soviet Socialists countries. Even the fact that socialism has since been replaced by capitalism throughout these former Soviet territories, including Russia, still doesn't faze or seem to deter his quest to cobble back these countries.
President Vladimir Putin spoke about existing agreements and understanding reached with the West following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but has largely, deliberately remained silent on and refuses to mention the agreement reached with Ukraine, before their nuclear weapons stockpile were taken away from them. So, why is Vladimir Putin not honoring the denuclearization agreement the West and Russia reached with Kiev before they surrendered their nuclear weapons stockpile, so that Moscow will not be belligerent to Ukraine?
President Vladimir has lost the world, including many people who used to defend him and some of his positions on issues, such as this writer; by his current deceit and attempt to manipulate the narrative over Ukraine. A man with so little credibility that his words of assurance really does not mean anything and he has a habit of invading countries and seizing their territories. He lied to the world when those balaclava-wearing and machine gun toting men were seen on the streets of Crimea before he forcibly seized the Ukrainian city, that they were not Russian special forces.
So which foolish person would now believe his latest lame assurances that he is not planning to invade Ukraine; and that he is only moving his troops around within his country as he has the right to do. Why then move such a huge number of troops and military equipment at a go, and only to the border with Ukraine?
Anyway, thanks to aerial satellite photographing capabilities, such maneuvers are now easily detectable, the reason the West is presently where it is, aware of what President Vladimir Putin is up to and at the cusp of fighting a war with Russia in defense of Ukraine's sovereignty. Those orbiting surveillance satellites will remain laser-focused on Russia's border with Ukraine and for however long it takes, until President Vladimir Putin makes up his mind, one way or the other.
His only real choice in the matter is to either wake up from his delusion grandeur and call back his dogs of war to their barracks, or to stupidly order them into action in Ukraine. If he chooses the latter, the fireworks will begin and he cannot be allowed to accomplish what Adolf Hitler was unable to accomplish, a German speaking Europe. Europe will not fall under Russian jackboots and he needs to also be reminded that Turkey is still a member of NATO. Russia defeating the combined firepower of NATO will be an impossible task to accomplish, nuclear weapons or no nuclear weapons; and luckily enough Russia does not have exclusive access to the atom bomb.
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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