His goal is to eliminate Ukraine as a nation-state by transforming it into a mere administrative region within a wider Russian empire. Putin wants all this history rolled back. (He might also have condemned Joseph Stalin, who allowed Soviet Ukraine to be a founding member of the United Nations after World War II.) Putin has stated explicitly that he sees Ukraine as comprising “historically Russian lands,” and that Vladimir Lenin made a profound political mistake by allowing a Ukrainian state to emerge after World War I. Where Hitler expressed concern for German speakers in Danzig, Putin does the same for Russian speakers in Donbas. One should always be careful with historical parallels, of course but the similarities between Hitler in 1939 and Russian President Vladimir Putin today are obvious. Hitler wanted to eliminate the independent Poland that had re-emerged after World War I, thereby paving the way for Germany’s eastward expansion. But such rhetoric was always just a smokescreen to divert attention from the real objective. Did Adolf Hitler have a “territorial dispute” with Poland when he launched his blitzkrieg against his neighbor in September 1939? Hitler himself sometimes framed matters in these terms, such as when he spoke of his duty to protect German speakers in Poland. History can help us sort out whether there is any merit to DeSantis’s description of the conflict. But the argument remains in circulation, and DeSantis is hardly the only one peddling it. Following immediate, heavy criticism and a drop in his approval numbers, DeSantis sought to roll back his remarks. presidential candidate – recently created a stir by describing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a mere “territorial dispute” that does not bear on America’s core strategic interests. STOCKHOLM – Florida’s Republican governor, Ron DeSantis – a prospective U.S. The opinions expressed in our op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. The following article was published by Project Syndicate on April 21, 2023, and has been republished by the Kyiv Independent with permission. Editor’s Note: Copyright, Project Syndicate.
0 kommentar(er)
