War against russia: how Ukraine is doing what NATO was once created to do
Today, Ukraine is fighting russia not only on the frontline, but also in the political, economic, and cultural spheres. Find out how the fight against russia is going on at the diplomatic level and what other tools have helped in this war
The outcome of the fight against the russian invaders and the russian federation is primarily decided on the battlefield. And the Ukrainian Armed Forces are doing this task better than anyone else. After all, the Armed Forces showed unprecedented results in the first days of the full-scale war, during the defense of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Bakhmut regions, as well as during preliminary measures to launch a counteroffensive.
However, the effectiveness and lives of the defenders depend not only on their actual skills and motivation, but also on the foreign policy activities of the Ukrainian government. After all, it is their diplomatic struggle that has allowed Ukraine to receive very significant military, financial, and political support from partner countries.
Let's see together how the fight against russian narratives and russia is going on at the diplomatic level, and which tools have been most effective in the international arena.
Sanctions pressure as a tool to destroy russia
On the eve of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was already actively working to create the basis for sanctions pressure on russia. For example, on February 24, 2022, an event was to be held in Amsterdam to discuss the need for preventive sanctions to prevent a full-scale invasion. But it did not take place, as the russian army crossed the Ukrainian border in the morning.
However, Ukraine did not give up and on the same day began work on creating a sanctions' coalition in the EU. After all, whatever one may say about the effectiveness of the sanctions already imposed against russia, the instrument of sanctions pressure itself is one of the most important in modern diplomacy.
Thus, Ukraine has been the legislator and the main driver of sanctions changes at the international level. It is also important that Ukrainian diplomats and politicians were able to unite Western leaders and put them at the same table to discuss sanctions against russia. Moreover, it was thanks to their efforts that in the spring of 2022, during the G7 vote, Ukraine received an official invitation and membership in the G7 Plus format.
At the same time, it should be noted that this process was not easy. And unfortunately, fundamental changes in the political position of some Western countries occurred only after the tragic and horrific events in Ukraine. For example, the state received heavy artillery only after the public disclosure of the events in Bucha.
Read more about which countries provide support publicly and which hide the supply of weapons here.
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The impact of propaganda and russian narratives at the international level
russia's propaganda network is spread all over the world, and it is pointless to deny the fact that russia has been quite successful in using this tool against Ukraine even before the full-scale invasion.
Thus, in 2022, there were three most common russian narratives in the EU:
● Ukraine should not be given Western weapons. The only way to resolve the conflict is through negotiations and concessions to russia.
● putin started the war, russia has nothing to do with it.
● There will be no winners in the war, because we are talking about fraternal nations.
However, today we see real progress and changes in the worldview of Western leaders. For example, in February 2022, Ukraine was given 3 days, and a little later 2 weeks. Later, politicians began to say that "russia should not win this war," and after a while the rhetoric changed to "Ukraine should not lose this war". Today, the main narrative of the collective West is "Ukraine must win this war."
And everyone should understand that this is not a one-day change - it is a regular targeted work that involves not only leveling russian influence and crossing out their narratives, but also forming a new worldview supported by facts and real actions. Because the only effective tool against propaganda is the truth, not counter-propaganda.
What other tools does Ukraine use in the war against russia?
In addition to the actual diplomatic steps taken by Ukraine in the international arena, psychological factors play an important role. For example, Volodymyr Zelenskyy's approach to communicating with Ukrainians and the world, as well as his determination and direct statements, and sometimes accusations, which two years ago were considered impudence and unacceptable behavior for any diplomatic representative, took a special place in the collective West.
In addition, the visits of Western representatives to Ukraine, who had the opportunity to see the face of russian aggression with their own eyes, played a crucial role. The impressions brought by these visits, meetings, conversations, and even the atmosphere in Ukrainian cities made Western leaders look at the situation from a different perspective and get rid of the idea that negotiations with a terrorist country were necessary.
And the main thing is that Ukraine is the only country fighting for European values on the battlefield and paying for it with blood and lives. And today, Ukraine is doing what NATO was once created to do - protecting the world from russian expansionism and fighting for the right to live the true values of humanity, which russia brazenly neglects.
We remind you! On the evening of June 25, the Ukrainian authorities announced that the russian plan for the attack on the ZNPP had been fully developed and approved. We explained why the situation at the plant is called critical and what to expect from russia in our previous article.
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