Has the West Learned from Its Mistakes After Years of Neglecting Ukraine to Cooperate With Russia?

The Yalta European Strategy Annual Meeting, September 10, 2023
Moderator: Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, Editor of Foreign Affairs
Speakers:
- Radoslaw Sikorski, Member of the European Parliament, Chairman of the EU-USA Delegation
- Zanny Minton Beddoes, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist
- Yehor Cherniev, Member of Parliament, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine
- Lesia Vasylenko, Member of Parliament, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine

[@scottbuchanan9426]

I'm sorry, but Lesia Vasylenko is a wild absolutist. I understand that her country has been brutally molested by Russia, but the idea that it can be forcibly relieved of its nuclear arsenal as part of a reparations program (as she seemed to suggest) is a dangerous fantasy.

[@James-rl5tj]

Thanks for the repost with clean audio!

[@ams.78643]

Thankyou for uplaoding this time with a good sound quality 👍

[@Aussie-Mocha]

Thanks for this forum . It’s a real shame these discussions can’t go for longer because there was so much knowledge to share collectively in that room.

[@MrTaxiRob]

thank you for fixing the audio and reuploading

[@danielmartin7838]

I have a more cynical opinion on the wests desire and ability to assume the majority of the blame for actions that have remained in the hands of Putin, leaving the majority of the responsibility to lay in his lap. The fact that the Soviet Union spent unimaginable resources in preparing for a nuclear conflict with the west immediately after the end of the Second World War and the subsequent stockpiles of their endeavor can not be overlooked, under any circumstances. The wests position and attempts to include Russia in our collective vision were not only right but admirable. The problem was and is Putin.

[@Interactive-gp8xf]

Some experts are shallow enough to argue about russia not being destroyed by economic sanctions. Well, who told you that it would? Sanctions have been pretty mild, and foreign companies were paying year long salaries to russian employees after they left russia. Sanctions were just an alarming sign, intended to stop russia from making suicidal mistakes. Victory may be won only in battle fields, and that’s why West should give Ukraine all what they need, or western countries will spill their own blood, because russia will not stop if Ukraine loses‼️

[@DMBisAwesome]

Why does everything that Zanny Beddoes says sounds smart?

[@michaellemke5698]

What a nice collection of prejudices and bubbled looping of arguments … Not in the mood for defending empires at all but always pointing to double standards thinking. Its becoming evident, the conflict driven story telling looses its legitimacy more and more

[@ArturoFernandezTeruel]

I thought a discussion was bringing people with different points of view. If all of the ponents are ukranians and have the same discurs, where is even the point of this theater?

[@mitchyoung93]

Neglecting? We sponsored two color revolutions there, US senators visited way back in 2017 including war monger McCaine, we provided all sorts os weapons and training before this phase of the war. Some 'neglecting'! Maybe if we let the Ukraine work out a reasonable position to its large neighbor and its large Russian speaking population on its own it would be better off today.

[@peterabild1123]

Very interesting and very good comments from qualified audience.

[@conallgeneral8136]

Some key voices missing makes this an unbalanced debate - where was the US State Dept view and where was the Russian Gov or even any Russian perspective or view ? Without these perspectives these speakers are inhabiting a vacuum.

[@landedinlukla]

HOW does Radek think that Navalny is any better than the avg Russian? JFC

[@georgine321]

Yes, Navalny is only one man, but Putin is also only one man. I’m not suggesting that everything will be white and fluffy once Putin is removed, but it’s a start and can change the entire equation.

[@JigilJigil]

Great discussion.

[@UnderSurveillance335]

Some of the speakers here talk with a level of determinism that Karl Marx would be proud of. There is a lot more chance of a different Russia emerging than those people give credit for. Thankfully Radek and Zanny have a more nuanced opinion

[@rikitikitavi2885]

One thing is supporting Ukraine but exactly why are you giving a platform to Vasylenko a member of Parliament from a 4% something party currently ongoing dissolution that further more has extreme positions and proposes completely unfeasible solutions. The fact that she speaks good English is not reason enough.

[@TheExard3k]

4% still represents a lot of people. I personally did hear more than 20x from Zelenskys party than I did from HOLOS. So smaller parties get less public attention than their amount of votes would suggest. From what I've seen in media at least....and if I want to learn about Ukraine, I'd like to get an impression of all parties. Ukraine is not a one-party state and shouldn't be treated as such.

[@Guy-Lewis]

Cherniev's utter distrust of P00ti's Ruscia is understandable, but his determinist negativity displays tunnel vision.

[@BlueBaron3339]

Thank you for posting *this* version without the overlapping translation audio. Plenty of circular arguments. Many of them sound. But the best case scenario remains, sadly, the ongoing proxy war. Meaning the near endless payment in Ukanian blood. With no Nuremberg afterwards. Soul wrenching.

[@trickbaby8441]

The United States is literally occupying 1/3 of Syria (Oil Fields) and all of Iraq. Double Standards much?

[@vilijarailaite422]

Such a clear and well-grounded statement by Zanny Minton Beddoes, proving yet again her strategic insight and in-depth understanding of the matter, as well as extremely good insights by Mr Sicorsky and other speakers of the panel. Well, it's a matter of luck we live in democracies in this very small part of the world, wishing we maintain this. And yes, the West has to admit the failures of thinking and look for capable thinkers and doers and leaders to shape the dialogue about the present and the future.

[@user-oc6dh2yp2w]

I can't see how allowing Russian Federation to remain a single polity will bring peace. Russia is irredeemably imperialist. The West should aim to bring about the dissolution of Russia into smaller more manageable states. If allowed to remain a single state it will seethe and smolder much like Serbia after the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

[@MarkMark]

I feel like we need to talk about the failure of the United States to protect itself - its business community and investment ecosystem, its government, its population - from the corruption, disinformation and psychological warfare conducted by Russia. It seems like the “confusion” that we are now witnessing is the consequence of the damage that we took.

[@wernertognetti5956]

Thank you very much for this very interesting and high-quality discussion. In contrast to 10 or 15 years ago, Ukrainian representatives from civil society are now finally being invited, who bring a different, complementary perspective and experience to the view that is sometimes too focused on Western Europe. We stand with Ukraine ❤️🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇦❤️

[@jaymacpherson8167]

Best spectrum of views, all with value, in one setting that I’ve seen to date. Thank you all who spoke. Sadly, the Kremlin only respects force.

[@arktseytlin]

Cheap energy from Russia, protection from US and market in China was such a prideless equation for Germany. The French definitely did better in this.Too bad the Germans are learning the lesson at the expense of Ukraine. And the Ukraininan reps need to up their game. Their arguments sound like high school''s 11th grade.

[@jonathangilmore3193]

The USA’s capacity to creatively design Russian foreign policy is hampered IMO by its lack of moral courage, fear and timidity to nuclear threats. In other words, we lack the adult emotional resilience to “stand up” to violent bullies who care little about more than their imperial colonial ambitions. If we believe in freedom for all citizens as the best means of assuring peaceful international relations by governments that believe in democratic forms, we need to “grow up” from past international behavior exemplifying our hypocrisy, business-as-usual and magical Russian thinking. In short, we need to realize there are worse alternatives than war with Russia. It would be a shame to learn this by “folding” each time we are challenged by Russia.

[@christopheryellman533]

There is general agreement among these panelists that Ukrainian victory on the battlefield is a key part of the solution. To judge the success of that strategy, we must watch the events unfold on the battlefield, and we need accurate reporting.

[@cgaud1n69]

You must be kidding. We in the West delude ourselves on how much more civilized and sophisticated we are compared to Russia. With that approach, Russia will ALWAYS have the upper hand. We need to deal with them as britally and antagonistic short of nuking them. Russia counts on our civility to trample over all rules previously agreed on. We hope they change, but they never will.

[@giselapfeifer4666]

Russia is not an enemy - it is the neighbouring country of Europe. The American policy want's to exclude Russia from Europe (keep Russia out of business)!

[@yvonbonnemaison8039]

...what are you talking about ?? I'm not Russian, neither pro-russian, but enough is enough. To start with : after the collapse of USSR, and during the stripping of its assets by oligarchs backed up by their USA friends, Yougoslavia and Serbia were dismantled by NATO and was achieved by the creation of an Albanian state named Kosovo on the Serbian territory in total contradiction with international laws, and this after bombing illegally Serbia, supposed to be friendly with Russia. When Poutine was elected, he faced the impossible task to rebuilt his country. During that time, NATO moved on to the eastern European countries, regardless the USA commitment made to the Soviets, and then Russians, not to do so...then, the orange revolution in Kiev 2004, financed by NGOs of George Soros, in order to get Ukraine later into NATO. Later, NATO (USA) planned to install missiles anti missiles in Czech Republic and Poland, supposed to be against Iranian missiles...which don't exist...a joke. Then, President Bush in 2007 declaring Ukraine and Georgia future NATO members...the Soros NGOs are already working in Georgia... pushing to invade Ossetia. Big blow of Russia....defeat. we carry on with the coup in Kiev of 2014, organised by NGOs of the inevitable Soros and victoria Nuland. 5 billion USD invested. The Dombass is uprising, in view of the emergency of the situation, Russia annexes Crimea and help the Ukrainians of Dombass, bombarded by the Ukrainian army and Ukro-nazis up to 2021. 14 000 deads. the Minsk agreements were supposed to be the solution, agreed by the UN. But no, the west violated it deliberately, to reinforce the Ukrainian army by weapons, military NATO advisors, etc. Last, in December, Russia proposed to NATO a general security agreement, which was refused, As I said before, enough is enough.

[@Interactive-gp8xf]

The name of this video is ambiguous. Did West really ‘neglect Ukraine to cooperate with russia’? Probably, you wanted to say: ‘West has years of neglecting Ukraine and years of wrongful cooperation with Russia’. Next time, Foreign Affairs, think twice about what you write😡