“The western world should have been speaking with a single voice...”

“The western world should have been speaking with a single voice...” | CAITLIN OCHS

Jason MoorePalma25/02/2022 10:31
TW
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It was the worst kept secret in the world...Russia´s invasion of Ukraine has been a nightmare waiting to happen for at least three months. Yesterday, it happened and the Western World rushed to introduce new economic sanctions. Russia flexed its military muscle and the West flexed its economic power.

Many Western leaders have been saying for weeks now that Russia would invade so why weren´t the economic sanctions introduced earlier? Why did Western leaders hold their fire until Russian tanks were crossing the Ukrainian border? Now, it is probably too late.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but if sanctions had been introduced earlier then Vladamir Putin may have had second thoughts. The invasion could have been delayed or even cancelled. The Ukrainian government is right, do not continue to do business as usual with the Russian government. They have broken international law and should be made to pay the price, in financial and economic terms.

There are many lessons to be learnt or in most cases relearnt from the Russian invasion. The western coalition was formed too late to make a valuable contribution to stopping the attack. European leaders (Johnson and Macron included) shouldn´t have attempted to “go it alone” and try and find a diplomatic solution with Putin.

The West should have been speaking with one voice and the heavyweight of the Western World, the U.S. and President Joe Biden has failed miserably in his first big test.