A banner with the symbols of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on the roof of a building in the center of Donetsk. File photoROME, Feb 22The decision of the Russian authorities to recognize the independence of the republics of Donbass was the only possible way to contain the conflict, Igor Pellicciari, professor of international relations at the Italian University of Urbino and the Higher School of Economics, believes. On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin, after an extraordinary large meeting of the Security Council, addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation, said that he considers it necessary to take the decision to immediately recognize the sovereignty of the LPR and the DPR, since those who embarked on the path of bloodshed, violence and lawlessness did not recognize and do not recognize any other solution to the conflict in the Donbass, except for the military one. Immediately after the appeal, the president in the Kremlin signed decrees recognizing the LPR and the DPR.
"That was the only possible solution to the way the situation turned out. Everyone was a little stuck in their positions: anyone who took a step back would have lost a lot in a geopolitical way. Having made this decision, Putin followed the Caucasian scenario of 2008: in this way, it will be possible to avoid a total war and limit itself to a clash at the regional level, which has already existed since 2014", Pellicciari told RIA Novosti.
According to him, recognition of Donbass may push Ukraine to join NATO. Related to this is the question of the future governments of Ukraine, which, as Pellicciari noted, will pursue an increasingly anti-Russian policy. «The West will respond with sanctions, but this has already happened after Georgia and after Crimea. From the point of view of international law, this (a referendum in Crimea) looked worse. This solution looks like a de-escalation, containing the conflict within the current borders. Another solution would be to escalate or lose face not only in connection with the situation in Ukraine, but in future scenarios,» the political scientist said.
Expert: US violated world order long before Russia recognized DonbasPosted by: Nikita Brykin