Putin’s Yes To Separatist Independence; West Vows ‘Sanctions Barrage’, India ‘Deeply Concerned’

NEW DELHI: On ‘The Gist‘, Dr Maxim A. Suchkov, Director of the Institute for International Studies and the Centre for Advanced American Studies and Associate Professor at the Department of Applied International Analysis at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations(MGIMO) in discussion with StratNews Global Associate Editor Amitabh P. Revi.

The discussion centres around Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering troops into Donetsk and Luhansk—two separatist-held regions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine—after recognising them as independent states, his address to the nation post a National Security Council meeting, what Kyiv is doing, how the U.S., the West, Europe and NATO are reacting, the threat of severe sanctions, India’s balancing of two strategic partnerships—with Washington and Moscow, the Russia-China partnership and Beijing’s response, diplomacy to try and de-escalate the situation, Russia’s historical claims and security concerns, sovereignty issues, a United Nations Security Council emergency session and whether more conflict is inevitable.