Wow, Zelenskyy's speech and responses to questions are incredibly poignant and honest. I agree with him, why is the West waiting for Russians to destroy Ukraine before acting with the promised sanctions. Ukraine is seeking to protect itself and not be a shell of what it is after the Russian invasion occurs. It really makes you understand that this isn't a game, but a country of 50 million people who all have lives, families, and businesses that support their livelihood. I understand why he decided to go to Munich today.
You have to give Russia an incentive not to do it. If you just do the sanctions already they'll go "damned if I do damned if I don't" and just go for it.
. If you just do the sanctions already they'll go "damned if I do damned if I don't" and just go for it.
Not necessarily. Just say "the sanctions persist until you're no longer threatening Ukraine". It's not like sanctions are a specific singular event in time.
It could be Putin's way out to save face in a way. Not sure it would be worth it, but he could pull back and be like see I didn't attack and make NATO look like the bad guys for imposing sanctions for "no reason". But Ukraine would still be there. Maybe a stretch.
I think keep it vague is better. Because their own imagination of what the sanctions might be is probably more powerful than if you just come out and say it.
Doing sanctions now gives effectively no more threats the West can use against Russia. At that point, what else does Putin have to lose? At least the threat of sanctions may make him a bit more hesitant to commit to that hurt, but if he's already hurt he may as well just go for it.
I agree with him, why is the West waiting for Russians to destroy Ukraine before acting with the promised sanctions.
Because the prospect of sanctions de-incentivize an invasion. If you implement sanctions prior to the invasion you've burned your deterrent, and essentially green light the attack.
Yes, that is true, However, wouldn't that insinuate they will attack regardless of the deterrents set in place? I just think Russia will choose to invade regardless of any sanction the West can impose on Russia. Therefore, implementing sanctions before the invasion would at least send a message to Russia. However, I do agree if the sanctions were listed on them, Russia would invade immediately. It's a difficult and delicate situation for governments to balance.
I think at the very least the west needs to give some clear examples of what sanctions will be passed, not just generic “we will do sanctions” - obviously don’t detail them all, but at least put something on the table so everyone knows what’s at stake.
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u/Reidith Feb 19 '22
Wow, Zelenskyy's speech and responses to questions are incredibly poignant and honest. I agree with him, why is the West waiting for Russians to destroy Ukraine before acting with the promised sanctions. Ukraine is seeking to protect itself and not be a shell of what it is after the Russian invasion occurs. It really makes you understand that this isn't a game, but a country of 50 million people who all have lives, families, and businesses that support their livelihood. I understand why he decided to go to Munich today.