The Ukrainian crisis refers to the Euromaidan protests from 2013 to 2014 associated with the emergent social movement for the integration of Ukraine into the European Union. The Crisis began on the 21st of November 2013 when the former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych suspended preparations for the implementation of an economic deal with the European Union and decided to accept a $15 billion Russian counteroffer instead. The decision sparked mass protests from supporters of the agreement that escalated over three months and led to the deaths of some 100 protestors. Western emissaries flew to Kyiv to resolve the crisis. On February 21, the government and opposition struck a deal that allowed Yanukovych to stay in power until the new elections were held but it immediately fell apart and he fled to Russia the next day. The USA backed the coup and the new government in Kyiv was pro-western and anti-Russian (Mearsheimer 2014).
The expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) were major causes of the crisis. When NATO began expanding in the 1990s it brought in many different countries and Russia saw this as something that would provoke a war between itself and NATO. In April 2008 NATO considered admitting Georgia and Ukraine and Putin maintained that this would represent a ‘direct threat’ to Russia because Ukraine shares a border with Russia and Putin would not want it to be influenced by Western ideas. The EU provoked Russia’s reaction by moving eastward and in May 2008 unveiled a program to foster prosperity in countries such as Ukraine and integrate them into the EU economy. Russian leaders were against this because it did not go according to their interests and they were worried that Russia might be next.
The almost simultaneous expansions of the two organizations and the similar interest in incorporating Ukraine in their ventures is what sparked a fire with Putin because he feared that Ukraine would get engulfed by Western ideas and not recognize Russia anymore. It was part of the Russian empire; later part of the Soviet Union and was perhaps the most important Soviet republic after Russia (Parallels 2020). Putin’s reaction was out of fear that if Ukraine agrees to be part of NATO it might get into deals that are beneficial for it to a point that it does not need to keep its relations with Russia tight. “Attempts had been made to tear states which had been parts of former USSR [Soviet Union] off Russia and to prompt them to make an artificial choice between Russia and Europe”, said Vladimir Putin to Egypt’s al-Ahram newspaper (Express 2020). This shows that the crisis was Putin’s reaction to knowing that a country that used to be his satellite will be joining hands with the West.
This crisis is a mode of reeling back Ukraine into Russia’s nest as though it were part of it and not sovereign. It is a result of Putin’s dictatorship rule, denial, and game plan all in one; hence he feels the need to control it. The West did not seize to push Putin’s buttons because they backed up the coup and a leaked telephone recording revealed that Nuland, the USA ambassador in Ukraine advocated a regime change and wanted Arseniy Yatsenyuk to be prime minister of Ukraine and it turned out to be that way. This pushed Putin to order Russian forces to take Crimea from Ukraine and soon after that incorporated it into Russia. Taking away Crimea was a warning sign, proof of Putin’s rage, and evidence that Russia is willing to take action against any perpetrator. All in all, the Ukrainian Crisis was terrifying because protests and army violence were involved. However, the expansion of NATO and EU were baby steps to its build-up. Initially, Putin stated that if the expansion included Ukraine, it would provoke him to act negatively and he stuck to his word.
References
Parallels, npr (Express 2020). 2020. Politics and Policy. Accessed November 26, 2020. https://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2014/02/21/280684831/why-ukraine-is-such-a-big-deal-for-russia.
Express, Express: Home of the Daily and Sunday. 2020. News: World. Accessed December 28, 2020. https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/557065/Ukraine-Vladimir-Putin-West-caused-crisis.
Mearsheimer, John J. 2014. 'Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West's Fault.' The Liberal Delusions That Provoked Putin 77-89.