The view that the escalation of the war in Ukraine is culminating in the emergence of dangerous developments on the international scene is gaining ground with each new day in the international press. The American press is expressing strong concern about the nuclear dimensions of the big showdown, while British analysts make no secret of their anxiety about the latest developments in Ukraine. Italian and German analysts and journalists focus on the impact of the escalation of the war within the Western front.
For their part, Russian analysts choose to place the latest developments in a broader, European context. From their point of view, the war in Ukraine comes to modify the balances in Europe that emerged after World War II and the end of the Cold War.
Finally, this week, the Ukrainian press is focusing on Kiev's losses in the eastern part of the country. The Ukrainian press is attempting to send reassuring messages to the Ukrainian public by stressing that the big showdown with Russia is ongoing and involves the entire Ukrainian territory.
Fears of nuclear and escalating crisis
"Putin's threats highlight the dangers of a new, more dangerous nuclear era" is the title of the analysis by David E. Sanger and William J. Broad, published on 1 June in the American newspaper "The New York Times". The authors put forward the view that "The old nuclear order, rooted in the results of the Cold War, began to fray before Russia invaded Ukraine. Today, it is giving way to a looming era of disruption unlike the previous period. Russia's regular reminders over the past three months of its nuclear power, even if largely remaining at the level of rhetoric, are the latest evidence of how the (nuclear) threat has re-emerged in a more tangible and dangerous way (on the international stage). (The Russian side's wording) It was enough for President Biden to warn Moscow. It is a tacit recognition of the fact that the world has entered a period of increased nuclear dangers." Going a step further, Mr. Sanger and Mr. Broad relate the new threat to China by emphasizing the following: "For decades, Beijing has been content to possess a few hundred nuclear weapons. (However) when satellite images began to show new intercontinental ballistic missiles deployed at the edge of the Gobi Desert last year, the Pentagon and US intelligence agencies began a debate about what China's leader intended, especially at a time when we seemed headed for a confrontation over Taiwan. The simplest theory is that if China is to be a superpower, it needs a superpower-sized arsenal."
In contrast to the American press, choosing to keep its attention focused exclusively on the unfolding war in Ukraine, the British newspaper The Guardian, in an analysis by Peter Pomerantsev published under the headline "Ukraine must negotiate from a position of strength. But the world's attention is fading" on 29 May, warns that "As we work to minimise Russia's threat on a practical level, we can also get to something bigger: a set of security, humanitarian and economic interface (agreements) that will redefine the way we reduce aggression. The first place where Russia's threat must be minimised is in Ukraine itself. This will be achieved on the battlefield. (However) Ukraine is still at a numerical disadvantage in both men and weapons." Pomerantsev also adds the following: "We started (against Russia) a form of economic warfare, with no commitments. This is absurd and allows the Kremlin to manage public opinion. It would not be difficult to attract the attention of the Russians. A short video of Arnold Schwarzenegger addressing his Russian fans and condemning the war received millions of views. The Russian internet firewall is weak: you can still use radio, WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube. The greater the understanding that the Kremlin has led the people to a stalemate, the greater the impetus there is for the elites to change the direction of the country."
An article by the English service of the German "Deutsche Welle", entitled "German Chancellor Olaf Scholz defends weapons delivered to Ukraine", published on 2 June, comes to accompany the above article by "The Guardian". According to the article, Ukraine needs more Western weapons in addition to support for the communication side of the war. And Berlin, understanding the seriousness of the situation with remarkable delay, is now moving in this direction. "The German government, which presented its budget on Wednesday, has faced criticism for its perceived reluctance to deliver heavy weapons to Ukraine. Ahead of Schultz's speech, the opposition leader asked the chancellor to set aside his prepared text and clarify to parliament what weapons he plans to hand over to Ukraine. Defending Germany's position, Scholz said that Berlin started sending weapons to Ukraine shortly after the war started. He said Germany has so far sent 15 million bullets, 100,000 grenades and more than 5,000 mines. In the coming weeks, Scholz said Germany would provide more weapons, the IRIS-T anti-aircraft systems," the German publication said, adding: "The announcement marked a major policy change after decades of German military restrictions rooted in Germany's bloody 20th century history. Immediately after Russia invaded the neighbouring country, the head of the German army said his troops were not adequately equipped for military action and that he was 'fed up' with the German army's neglect."
Italian journalist Furio Colombo, in his intervention entitled "As if Vladimir Putin is not to blame," focuses on the inner workings of the Western camp and the controversial attitude of some politicians at a time when the war in Ukraine is intensifying. In the article published on 2 June in the Italian newspaper "La Republica", Colombo says that in the Western camp, such as in Italy, there are politicians and analysts who claim that "the weapons [USED IN UKRAINE] are American and without these weapons the world would be peaceful. The issue is passionately argued by some Italians who parachute into talk shows and theatres in time to declare that they know with certainty that the US is responsible for the destruction Russia is causing. We are all living in a bad moment (you know how it starts, but you don't know how it ends and if everything starts in an absurd way, as in our case, the danger is great). But there are those who tell us that they see the danger almost only in the dirty hands of new, special, incredible weapons of the Americans, and while the Russians bomb cities and villages day and night to leave bodies on the side of the road the peace protests often target America."
The English-language Arabic newspaper "Gulf News", based in the United Arab Emirates, shares the pessimism of "The New York Times" about the turn of events on the international scene. In an editorial published on June 2 titled "US and EU with new moves may escalate Ukraine conflict" it warns that "ecause the world is looking for ways to end the conflict in Ukraine, already in its fourth month, in the last two days the United States and the European Union have taken decisions that are supposed to 'punish' Russia. These are decisions that will escalate the conflict and widen its scope." The article goes on to stress the following: "The new Western moves are unfortunate. They directly contradict the stated goal of seeking an end to the war which, according to the United Nations, has left nearly 4,000 people dead and forced more than 14 million people to flee their homes. We hope that Russia, the US and the EU will adopt a rational stance in a conflict that is tending to become, because of these increasingly aggressive moves, another world war."
Russia and Ukraine are preparing for the worst
"Who is threatened by the emergence of the largest army in Europe?" is the title of Peter Akopov's analysis published on the website of the Russian news agency "Ria" on May 31. "To German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's resounding statement that 'Germany will soon have the largest conventional army in Europe within NATO', Moscow reacted. Sergei Lavrov said that (the German chancellor's) words shed light on the revival of Germany's 'ambitions'," Akopov said, adding the following: "The entire post-war Atlantic world order, the entire unity of the West, is based on a simple formula: Keeping the United States in Europe, Russia out of Europe, and Germany under control. As long as Germany is dependent on the Anglo-Saxons, at least militarily, no pan-European army is realistic. (However) as Scholz said in late February, it is 'time for Germany to grow up', not only by abandoning energy cooperation with Russia, but also by increasing defence spending and strengthening its military presence in Eastern Europe. The next step was his declaration of the largest army in Europe. The Germans are ready to increase their army because they do not want to lose control of the European Union."
Eugene Dykyi in an article published in the Ukrainian newspaper "Gazeta" entitled "It is a fact that we are retreating in Donbass. But there is no question of destruction" on 29 May, puts forward the view that "The temporary surrender of towns and villages to the conquerors is an extremely unpleasant but inevitable part of the great war". The columnist, in the shadow of the latest developments in the eastern part of Ukraine, states the following: "The key thing to understand is that the stakes of the war are not solely in Donbass, but in the whole of Ukraine. And the battles, losses and retreats there must be analysed only in the context of the whole great war. The battle for Donbass frees up time and resources for the other parts of the front, and the main resource is time gained. One important aspect: the retreat is carried out with a speed that allows civilians to leave battlefields and cities that the enemy can occupy in advance."
Source: CNA
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