Russia's Defense Minster Sergei Shoigu has ordered thousands of Russian troops back to base and away from Ukrainian border. BBC. 100,000 troops had massed near the border with Ukraine and in Crimea. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky welcomed the move and hoped that the tensions would lower. Minster Shoigu said that the goals of the exercise, showing that Russia was capable of defending the country, were met.
My Comment:
Looks like tensions with Russia are decreasing a bit. They seemed extremely high for awhile there. Russia was activating 100,000 troops near Ukraine and they were also threatening to confront US ships if they entered the Black Sea. Plus they have been aggressive with their bomber forces, leading to confrontations with US forces.
I think Joe Biden deserves much of the blame for the heightened tensions. He sent a pretty clear diplomatic insult when he called Vladimir Putin a "killer". It's probably true, but it's not like Biden is any better and it's not something that is done in diplomatic circles without consequences. For all the handwringing about President Trump insulting people, Biden has not been any better. Indeed, I think the tensions of the past few months have been higher than any time in the Trump presidency.
Tensions have decreased after the phone call that Putin had with Biden. I am not sure what was said in the meeting and I know that it followed up with new sanctions but after that the tensions have decreased. My guess is that it had less to do with what Biden said and the fact that Putin realizes that Biden is senile and not a huge threat.
As for Ukraine I am not sure what Zelensky will do. He ran on ending the war in Donbass but has totally failed in doing so. He's also under major pressure economically because Russia's new pipeline to Europe bypasses Ukraine and will cost the country millions of dollars.
The right thing to do would be to turn Ukraine into a federal republic, giving more rights to their Russian minorities in Donbass. That would end the war and stop the main criticism that Russia has for Ukraine. The anti-Russian laws that Zelensky's predecessors put into place were nothing short of racism and ending the war will require assurances that the people in Donbass won't have to deal with that again.
Will the war in Ukraine flare up again? Awhile ago I would have said yes but with this new move from Putin I am not so sure. It's still possible that cooler heads will prevail and a diplomatic solution will be found and the fighting will not escalate to all-out war.
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