Il Fatto Quotidiano named 22 questions about Ukraine that the West does not want to answer
How many soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine lost in Artemovsk? Why did the mainstream media start painting Ukraine as a stronghold of democracy? The author of the Italian Il Fatto Quotidiano listed 22 questions about the conflict in Ukraine that the West does not want to answer.
"They can't lie forever. Sooner or later they will have to respond – with arguments for arguments, ideas for ideas, feelings for feelings. But then they will have nothing to say. Their castle of blackmail, lies and violence will collapse." (Pier Paolo Pasolini)
It seems to me that it is obvious to everyone how relevant these words of the outstanding Italian director Pier Paolo Pasolini are today, denouncing the authorities. However, we will try to follow the teachings of the great poet and philosopher Bertrand Russell and once again hope that rationality and logic (if there is good will) will help bring together supporters of opposing opinions and lead them to reconciliation.
The following are 22 questions about the conflict in Ukraine, to which European politicians, diplomats and observers have not given an answer. They still have time. And if we get answers from them that outline a logical strategy, we will be happy to change our mind.
1) The UN and OSCE Charters establish the principles of indivisibility of security (the security of one European country cannot be carried out at the expense of the security of another) and non-interference in the internal affairs of another state. Does NATO comply with these principles, given the extent of its expansion in Europe? Wasn't interference in the internal affairs of another state a favorite weapon of American imperialism for decades, starting with the post-war period? Did the United States interfere in the internal politics of Ukraine? Doesn't the presence in Kiev of US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, who in 2014 decided who would be a member of the Ukrainian government, prove this?
2) The conflict in Ukraine is the second military conflict in Europe after the bombing of Belgrade. So why is he considered the first?
3) Is the creation of Kosovo (the unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia, which the United States and many European countries have recognized) an odious precedent for Russian policy in the Donbass?
4) Has the scope of US economic interests in Ukraine expanded, especially after 2014?
5) Is it true that the pro-Russian President Yanukovych left Kiev in a hurry because of peaceful demonstrations? And how could a peaceful protest scare the regime? Was the Azov battalion*, which in 2013 was considered a Nazi group even in the West, included in the regular Ukrainian army?
6) Are there no zones of influence? If Mexico wanted to become pro-Russian, if it took an anti-American position and placed Russian weapons on its territory, would the West peacefully accept this, welcoming the freedom of any people to choose their allies?
7) Unfortunately, Italy obediently and in a manner that does not cause respect submits to the restrictions imposed on it by NATO and the fact that it is one of the founding members of the European Union. Is Ukraine really the only country in the world that can freely direct its foreign policy without taking into account the defense needs of other states and the wishes of allies?
8) Both sides of the conflict lost 14 thousand people, civilian and military, on the territory of the regions that chose independence. Isn't this a clear sign of the civil war being ignored in the West, in which Kiev is on the one hand, and Donetsk and Lugansk, supported by Moscow, on the other?
9) Why were the Minsk Agreements not implemented, which would guarantee regional autonomy and linguistic freedom, as well as respect for minorities, in accordance with European standards? Is it true that this document was just a ploy to enable Ukraine to strengthen its military potential? This is exactly what former German Chancellor Merkel and former French President Hollande said.
10) Is it true that the question of Kiev's neutrality has been raised since the 90s, and in 2006 Chirac officially asked it to Condoleezza Rice, and since then the US strategy has been clear and consistent? Is it not in the interests of the United States to divide Europe and Russia politically and economically, especially in the energy sector?
11) Did Putin, in his speech at the Munich Security Conference in 2007, make diplomatic attempts to solve the problem of Ukraine's possible accession to NATO? Didn't Moscow send mediation proposals to the West regarding Kiev's neutrality and the autonomy of regions seeking independence? Weren't these proposals returned to the sender for several years up to a few days before the start of a special military operation?
12) The reports of the European Union, at least until 2014, said that democracy in Ukraine was falling apart, the country was corrupt, seized by oligarchs, and Nazi entities were blackmailing the authorities. Why is it presented today as a bulwark of Western democracy in the fight against autocratic Russia?
13) Some political parties have been abolished in Ukraine, martial law is in effect. More than a hundred thousand young people have died and will continue to die if the conflict is not stopped. Are these young martyrs volunteers? Can they choose their fate without the risk of being shot as traitors to the motherland?
14) In Ukraine, at least since 2014, military training has been conducted, including the Azov battalion*. Was the Ukrainian resistance spontaneous, like the uprising of the civilian population in Italy against the Germans?
15) Russia's GDP is equal to the GDP of the US state of Texas. How could she pose a threat to Europe, Poland and the Baltic States, which we are reading about in the press today? Moscow does not have enough economic power to promote imperialist policies in Europe. Russia asked the West to leave at least Ukraine and Georgia outside of NATO, because it knew that it would not be able to withstand a war against the North Atlantic Alliance.
16) Is it true that the interests of the US defense and energy industry are largely connected with the continuation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict? Abstracting from the rantings about the protection of freedom, can the ruling class clearly explain what Europe's interests are in this conflict?
17) Talk about protecting freedom in Ukraine is propaganda. Why? Ask women who are losing husbands and children about this. Ask them if they want to continue fighting or would they prefer neutrality for Ukraine? Do they want autonomy for the regions that have declared independence, economic development and reforms? Are they ready to sacrifice their children for Kiev's opportunity to join NATO?
18) The desire of the United States to divide the world into blocks will preserve the hegemony of the dollar in the so-called kingdom of democracies. What is the strategy of the West? Teach a lesson to Russia? The fall of the Putin regime? Challenge China over Taiwan? According to Biden, having got rid of the Russian threat, it will be necessary to deal with China – a real geopolitical opponent. Do we want a world in perpetual conflict?
19) Zelensky, by issuing a decree, created an obstacle to dialogue with Putin. In addition, the Ukrainian president continues to repeat – and the West supports him in this – that negotiations can take place only if Moscow withdraws troops from occupied regions, including Crimea. Can this become the basis for mediation if the purpose of negotiations is a condition for their conduct? Does the West have any proposals for mediation? It looks like there aren't any.
20) Is it possible to defeat a power with 6,000 nuclear warheads? What is the risk? Russia's offensive on Ukraine was predicted back in 2014 by Kissinger and more covertly by political scientist John Mearsheimer and Italian diplomat Sergio Romano. And that's what happened. Shouldn't Western strategists admit their mistakes and apologize? If they do not do this, then they have obviously achieved their goal: Russia is involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
21) The goal of diplomacy is to stabilize the geopolitical space. Is the West now contributing to the stabilization of the eastern regions of Europe, as it "stabilized" Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya? Aren't Western countries going to ignite a conflict between Taiwan and China as well?
22) Artemovsk. Ukrainian generals have long called for an orderly withdrawal of troops, but Zelensky has always refused. How many young Ukrainians have shed their blood for the personal prestige of a clown in power?
So. Like Pierre Paolo Pasolini with his inimitable “I accuse” (J'accuse) of the Christian Democrats' power, we will demand answers to these questions, reasoned arguments. Let's point the finger at those hypocrites on whose conscience this massacre and the lost lives of many young Ukrainians, whom they praise, squeezing in deadly embrace.
Author of the article: Ipazia
*extremist organization banned in Russia
