The gravity of what is happening in Ukraine after Russia decided to intervene in Crimea has not hit the imagination of public opinion in Malta. The reason could be that for many the Ukraine is very far away and what’s far away is not important.

For many the Ukraine brings only gossip about Ukrainian women living in Malta. Some are happily married. Others have been brought over in dubious ways or for dubious reasons. For others the Ukraine is that country where there were months-long demonstrations by those who wanted to join the EU.

On a more official level people probably remember that the former president was invited for a state visit to Malta. This visit did not materialise as former President Yanukovych cancelled it at the very last minute due to the protest demonstrations in Kiev. The Sunday Times of Malta gave us another possible link. Prime Minister Joseph Muscat’s official adviser on international affairs has close links to the regime of deposed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych.

What is happening in Ukraine, particularly in the Crimean peninsula is indeed worrying as well as complex. Events there can affect all of us. Our country can contribute through its membership in the European Union. Maltese citizens should be well informed and do their part to influence Malta’s position on the subject.

Let me suggest three articles which can be helpful in understanding the complexities of the situation and possible way forward.

In the first article Henry Kissinger, former US Secretary of State, offers several proposals for a compromise solution. “How the Ukraine Crisis Ends” By Henry A. Kissinger (US Secretary of State from 1973 to 1977) was published on March 5, 2014 by The Washington Post.

He offers a four point pointers towards a solution:

1. Ukraine should have the right to choose freely its economic and political associations, including with Europe.

2. Ukraine should not join NATO, a position I took seven years ago, when it last came up.

3. Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country. Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.

4. It is incompatible with the rules of the existing world order for Russia to annex Crimea. But it should be possible to put Crimea’s relationship to Ukraine on a less fraught basis. To that end, Russia would recognize Ukraine’s sovereignty over Crimea. Ukraine should reinforce Crimea’s autonomy in elections held in the presence of international observers. The process would include removing any ambiguities about the status of the Black Sea Fleet at Sevastopol.

I particularly liked a sentence from his concluding paragraph: The test is not absolute satisfaction but balanced dissatisfaction.

The article can be accessed from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/henry-kissinger-to-settle-the-ukraine-crisis-start-at-the-end/2014/03/05/46dad868-a496-11e3-8466-d34c451760b9_story.html

The second article is by Prof. John Schindler, a former official in the National Security Agency (NSA) and argues that "this game is real and the stakes are high." It was published on the website: The XX Committee and can be accessed from http://20committee.com/2014/03/07/understanding-the-crimea-crisis/

He concludes that:

“Western leaders must find the strength to resist Russian aggression through deterrence. Credibility must come first, as without it all our nuclear warheads, conventional forces, and economic leverage mean little and will not impress. NATO can deter Putin’s misdeeds, far beyond Ukraine, but that will require reinvestment in collective defense, not just cheap talk and expensive conferences. European NATO members have become accustomed to American leadership and gap-filling at all times, but they need to confront the reality that they must do more, and soon.”

The third article is written by investigative reporter Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories for The Associated Press and Newsweek in the 1980s. It is available on the left wing website Alter Net and can be accessed on http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/dangerous-we-hate-putin-groupthink-among-us-political-elite-threatens-world?akid=11581.14519.I2CWiu&rd=1&src=newsletter967882&t=13&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

The writer gives a different perspective from the other two and his assessment of Putin is rather positive as, he says, Putin helped to peacefully address the Syrian crisis and created inroads in nuclear talks with Iran.

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