Making sense of the 'Ukraine crisis': origins, interpretations, and (possible) consequences

In his presentation, Mykola Riabchuk, 2021-22 fellow of the Paris IAS, argues that the Russo-Ukrainian conflict is essentially irresolvable for two reasons:

1) Russia is stuck in the imperial vision of its history, geography, and identity that leaves Ukraine neither any space in the past nor any legitimacy at present,

2) Moscow pursues a revisionist policy aimed at carving up Europe for allegedly “legitimate” spheres of influence.

All this is perceived in Ukraine as an existential threat to both its identity and sovereignty, and pushes the country further away from its neighbor.

All the attempts in the past two decades to engage Russia in a meaningful dialogue and cooperation having failed, it is time for the West to recognize the rogue nature of the current Kremlin regime and to focus on its containment rather than engagement. Russian elite, unlike Iranian or North Korean, is deeply integrated into the West at a level of property ownership and leisure practices, and should therefore be very vulnerable to the real – coherent and comprehensive – personal sanctions applied with due determination.

The presentation is discussed by Françoise Thom (Sorbonne University) and Philippe de Lara (Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University)