Ever since the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, many commentators, especially in the US and the West, have portrayed Russia as an aggressor and Ukraine as a victim.
They say that Russia wants to impose its values on Ukraine, and Vladimir Putin wants to become a sort of emperor.
Yet if you thought critically about this conflict, without biased lenses, you may ask:
Who really benefits from this war? Is it Russia? Is it the United States and the West that are the major backers of Ukraine?
Since the war started, Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, have become so close to the US and the West. Zelensky has made more than 10 trips to the US and countless others to Western capitals drumming for support and aid for his country.
In a way, without realizing it, he has become geo-political tool for the likes of the US that want to use every opportunity to discredit Russia and Putin. They have used this conflict to try to weaken Russia economically by imposing sanctions and to isolate it on the global stage.
Of course, some say that Ukraine, being militarily weak, had to run to the US and the West for support, but when you look at what has happened in the last four years of the conflict, there is evidence that the war serves the interests of Zelensky, the US, and the West more than ordinary people in Ukraine.
Look at the large scale of the US and the West’s involvement. They have provided Ukraine with tens of billions of dollars, military equipment, and, in some cases, diplomatic support at meetings of international bodies like the United Nations.
Companies in the US and the West that manufacture these weapons have made a killing. So would the US and the West want the war to end, yet their companies are benefiting? Of course not.
Secondly, they have used the war to try to weaken Russia, which they have long viewed as an adversary. One Western commentator said that the war has helped stretch Russia’s financial and military resources. So in his view, a weak Russia is perfect for the US and the West because it gives them the space to dominate other nations like Ukraine.
At the start, some European countries like Germany did not want to sever ties with Russia because the two did a lot of business together. Remember, Russia remains the largest supplier of gas to much of Europe. It is a shame that Germany later changed its stance and now gets most of its oil and gas from the United States, according to media reports.
The war also seems to have reawakened NATO, an alliance that critics once described as dead. Smaller countries like Sweden and Finland joined the alliance when the war started, hoping to get some security. US president Donald Trump also bullied other NATO countries to increase their defence spending, which, in the long run, benefits the US because the NATO countries will now have to buy more weapons and equipment from US manufacturers. All this is because they perceive Russia as a threat.
Therefore, the war has restored America’s superiority over other countries, including its allies in the West. You can see in Trump’s body language at international meetings. He degrades other countries and acts like a bully. He often threatens to impose high tariffs on countries that don’t want to toe the American line.
Russia, on the other hand, is treated like a leper. No one wants to get close to Putin.
Some say this has been the plan of the US for a long time, and the Ukraine war has given it the perfect excuse to flex its muscles. The US has long wanted to control the world and, along with it, determine how crucial mineral resources are shared. In most of the deals the US makes withy mineral rich countries, they insist on their companies investing in those countries.
As for Ukraine, one can say it is a pawn in a long and complicated diplomatic chess game. While the US and the West may shield it from Russia, it has borne the brunt of the war. It is its people who are dying, and it is its infrastructure that is being destroyed.
Besides the war, some say, has led to an increase in corruption in Ukraine. Several businesspeople said to be close allies of Zelensky have been linked to fishy military deals since the war started.
Zelensky has said that its is true there is corruption and has even instituted investigations against some senior officials. However, critics argue that the sheer volume of money and weapons flowing into Ukraine from the West has created a fertile ground for graft.
There have been reports of particular contractors given deals to supply food, fuel, uniforms, and reconstruction services. Such allegations do not cast Zelensky in a good light. In addition, what can he tell the ordinary Ukrainians who are living in hardship, as money is being stolen?
There has been speculation that some people inside Ukraine and outside do not want the war to end, even when they say the opposite. To them, the benefits of the war outweigh the costs incurred.
In the West and the US like we said, firms that manufacture weapons would not want the war to end.
For Russia, the US and the West have used the war to portray it as a dictatorial state that wants to destabilize Europe. They slapped sanctions on its senior leaders, businessmen, and even companies with the aim of crippling its economy.
Yet interestingly, Russia has withstood all this. In fact, it has strengthened ties with allies like China, India, and even African countries. The diplomatic pressure aimed at limiting its global influence appears not to have succeeded. Even Trump met Putin in Alaska last year, amidst criticism, a testimony to Russia’s staying power and influence.
So, as we come to the end, one can say the longer the war continues, the harder it will be to separate the interests of the US, the West, and Ukraine. What do the US and the West really want? Do they want the war to end? What is the endgame for Ukraine? Will it accept a deal proposed by Russia, which will lead to annexing part of its territory, if this will end the war?
Does Zelensky want peace? Is he prepared to hold an election that was postponed due to the war, to subject himself to the will of the people? Will it fight on to the end and hope to win the war? At what cost?
For some of us who live and work in Africa, the Russia-Ukraine war is just another battlefield for the US and the West to flex their imperialist muscle. Of course, in the beginning, the war disrupted trade supply chains, and this affected us.
Yet we all know that for the war to end, Ukraine will have to accept some compromises and Russia will have to play a big role in this. The US and the West will have to swallow humble pie and relegate their imperialistic ambitions.
In the end, peace in Ukraine will benefit all, even those who are not on the frontline.