As most will know, the world stands on the precipice of conflict at the moment. While the fighting is contained to Ukraine between two forces, there are always fears that conflict could spill out into neighbouring territories, escalating into a global war the likes of which haven?t been seen since the 1940s.
Of course, this is a situation that everyone will want to avoid, but tensions seem to be rising as Russia ignores calls for peace. The fact that the situation in Europe came so soon after the pandemic has likely left many world-weary as it seems that there has been no rest for anyone of late.
Many will know that the pandemic brought many challenges to people such as the loss of business or even the loss of loved ones, but there were also positive aspects to take away. Some would have used this time to access entertainment available from home, such as gambling. During this time, the number of people accessing non-UK licensed casinos will have grown, but others would have also appreciated spending more time with their families. Looking at the situation in Ukraine, it is hard to find any positives to take away as the situation really is a tragic event that need not have happened.
Fortunately, for the most part, the whole world has already shown its support for Ukraine, with many world leaders as well as celebrities coming out to condemn Russia’s aggression on the much smaller country. Recently, leaders from Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovenia illustrated their support with actions instead of words after making a dangerous journey by train to meet the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. There was no doubt that the president was delighted with this show of support, telling reporters “with allies like this we will win this war”.
The purpose of the meeting was to first demonstrate that Ukraine is not alone when facing Russia and to also suggest that a peacekeeping mission should be implemented within the region. Proposed by Polish deputy prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader said, “It will be a mission that will strive for peace, to give humanitarian aid, but at the same time it will also be protected by appropriate forces, armed forces”. The suggestion is certainly one to consider as it would allow allies of Ukraine to provide them with support and help them with more administrative duties while not providing them with direct militaristic support. As the latter could be viewed as foreign aggression by Russia, the suggested peacekeeping mission is a good middle ground.
Incredibly, the meeting took place in Ukraine’s capital which is being increasingly threatened by encircling Russian forces. This is something that Zelenskiy was notably aware of as he came out to say that the presence of the European leaders was a “powerful testimony of support”. The peacekeeping mission presented at the meeting follows other strategies devised by the EU, such as the recent fourth sanctions package that was targeted at Russian banks and oligarchs, including the owner of England’s own football club, Chelsea.
As the conflict continues, it’s likely that the foreign policy departments of each respective European government will be hard at work looking for a way to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict, rather than one that would end in bloodshed.
