UN Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield Says Everyone Is Talking About Ukraine, but Is Anyone Listening? – Opinion

While the globe continues to observe the swirling energy around Ukraine, statements made by the United States of America, Russia and Ukraine offer vastly differing narratives.  Each side offers a unique interpretation of the events.

America’s Song

The United States focuses on Russia’s positioning of over 100,000 troops in Crimea, Belarus, and Russia hemming Ukraine in on three sides.  The drumbeat is to emphasize the question: If they don’t intend to invade, why are they there?  Linda Thomas-Greenfield, UN Ambassador to the United Nations, said this in an interview on MSNBC with Andrea Mitchell:

“Why would you put 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine if you had no intention of invading that country? And it’s more than 100,000. Belarus was also included in the 30,000 additional troops. So it is up to them to explain what their troops are doing and what their intentions are.”

This fact is being used by the Biden Administration as a basis to take over the confrontation between Vladimir Putin and the Biden Administration. They have built a coalition with military response in the neighboring countries to Ukraine, along with economic sanctions to Russia to force Putin to withdraw from Ukraine’s borders.

Russia’s Song

Russia is instead focusing its attention on how the West has failed to respond to long-standing demands that it be made about NATO’s eastward expansion into the independent states of former Soviet Union.

Putin seeks a Western guarantee that Ukraine won’t be permitted to join NATO.  The US and EU have replied that’s a non-starter because, in the long run, it’s up to the right of self-determination of Ukraine to choose their future.

Putin doesn’t agree that they should have such a choice and continues to position troops on the border hoping to coerce the West into dashing Ukrainian hopes, thus presumably tipping the balance of sentiment in the former Soviet state to rejoin the motherland.

Ukraine’s Song

In the center of the donut hole, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has chosen to take a page from Douglas Adam’s “Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” and take the position of refusing to panic about having a new Cold War ramping up around his nation.

Ukraine’s position is that the Russians have been around in bulk ever since taking Crimea and, despite the large numbers of Russian troops, nothing has really changed since 2014.  The Russians are still posturing about wanting NATO to declare it has halted its march to the east and Ukraine doesn’t see that being settled anytime soon, so no need to panic.

Awkward Harmony

The Ukrainian stance has proven to be a bit awkward for the United States because the country in need of saving is telegraphing, they aren’t the target of Russia’s actual power and policy demands with the West. The Ukrainian’s seem to believe they are more of a convenient lens through which Putin is asking the West his question.

Zelensky does have a point, provided Putin doesn’t decide at some point that he’s done with playing around and it’s time to halt the encroachment of NATO by having his troops on the actual borders with NATO, which are on the west side of Ukraine.

Thomas-Greenfield admitted to the awkwardness of her comments:

“I can’t speak for the president of Ukraine. We have been in intense talks with the Ukrainian government. I spoke with President Zelensky and the foreign minister. The Ukrainian ambassador in New York was there yesterday. I met him and requested that the meeting be held in writing. So, I think we’re on the same sheet of music in terms of what we’re seeing. We have a different narrative. Our rhetoric is a little different.”

Talking is better than talking right now

Thomas-Greenfield said in the interview that none of us have made an active decision to be open to listening to others. Officials are content to have talks for now. She expresses a willingness to talk but clearly, actual talk isn’t happening yet. It’s all about posturing for the time being.

“Our meeting at the Security Council yesterday, we were very pleased to have that meeting, and to get the Russians on record on what they are doing in Ukraine and have them hear from a unified council our recommendation, our push for them to pursue a diplomatic solution. And we have also made clear to the Russians that we’re willing to sit down and talk to them about their security concerns. We are willing to also address Ukraine’s security concerns. There are 100,000 soldiers at the Ukrainian border. NATO doesn’t have these types of forces. NATO is a defence force. But we’re willing to discuss with them the security concerns that they have.”

The next step?

Two options exist for increasing tension. Russia could attack Ukraine or the US could place sanctions against Russia. Any move on the board creates a new Cold War. Other than that, it’s a lot of noisy status quo.

I’m very curious to see where the rest of Europe weighs in as this continues to evolve. Zelensky might be right to say that no one wants NATO to invade Russia. Russia is upset about NATO’s west border.  He’s the “neutral zone.”  The question in my mind is how many other European countries would be happy with that?  Is it possible for Ukraine to be excluded from NATO and not be eligible for NATO membership? What in exchange for the West’s support? For what from Russia?  Is this a sign that other NATO members may want to follow the same trend?  Germany?  Turkey? Any other language for which English is second?

It is clear that diplomacy will only get in the way of talks. There are more alternative options.