Posted at 6:00 a.m.
Q. Some argue that this is a proxy war between East and West. Is this your opinion?
R. Not at all. This was the case of the Vietnam War, where the Soviets supported the North and the Americans, the South. In this case, Russia has invaded Ukraine, which is trying to defend itself and has struggled to convince the West to help it survive.
Q. Some political scientists argue that Ukraine – with its not reassuring neighborhood – would have had every interest in remaining perfectly neutral and not seeking to get closer to the West or to join NATO. Would it have been more prudent? Could it have avoided this carnage and all its national and global consequences?
R. First, Ukraine is a sovereign country and Russia does not have to tell it how to govern itself. Would it have been more prudent for Ukraine [de ne pas se rapprocher de l’Ouest] ? No. The Baltic States which are part of NATO were not attacked by Russia.
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, ARCHIVES SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Maria Popova, professor of political science at McGill University
On the other hand, Georgia, as well as Ukraine, twice, in 2014 and in 2022, have been attacked. If the West is afraid of escalation, this is also true for the other camp: Russia knows the price it will have to pay if it attacks a NATO member country.
Q. Critics are rising saying that the whole world and the media only care about this war while others continue to rage elsewhere, often with indifference. What to think?
R. All wars deserve great attention. But what’s special about this one is that it’s exceptionally clear. It clearly violates international law. It is a war of conquest, with Russia seeking to plant its flag where it gains territory. This represents a very serious threat to the free world: if Russia wins, the precedent is serious and would mark the return of the wars of conquest.
Q. Some note that the West, especially the United States with its recent war against Iraq, is far from having an impeccable track record.
R. Since World War II, countries can no longer wage wars of conquest. They can only wage preventive wars or defensive wars. In 2005, the United States was partly motivated by regime change, but argued that it was a preventive war necessitated by the building up of an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction. [par Saddam Hussein]. The fact remains that this war in Iraq was illegal in several respects and that it was a huge mistake by the United States.
Q. In February, many pairs of eyes were looking at China and wondering what position China would take. It’s not much about it anymore…
R. China wants to pursue its economic development, which this war is hampering. From a pragmatic point of view, she does not see this war in a good light, but it is not only that. This brutal war displeases him.
Q. As the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, particularly points out, we will have to talk to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and find a way to peace. How can all this stop?
R. If Ukraine continues to be successful in repelling the Russian military and agrees to a settlement whereby it regains the territories it has lost since February, then Putin could save face by claiming to emerge victorious, with his propaganda that his goal was to “denazify” Ukraine and that’s done. But if Ukraine seeks to take back the territories under Russian control since 2014 – which are its own and which it could legitimately take back – the stakes will be complicated because Putin would then suffer a defeat that he could not disguise. in victory.