Ukraine’s problem

The Ukrainian conflict pitting Washington against Moscow may get out of control unless some kind of grand meeting, along the lines of the Helsinki conference, is held by the major powers to contain it.

It will be recalled that the conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe held in Helsinki, Finland, in 1975, aimed at improving relations between the then-communist bloc and the West.

Now is the time to repeat that endeavour in view of the escalating of tensions between Moscow and the West.

As is, the international community now sees Russia 

increasingly fearing that parts of the defunct Soviet Union is fast developing into outposts for NATO, encircling it from many directions.

This fear needs to be addressed since it is genuine and real.

On the other hand, former Soviet Union member states have the right to decide their destiny and choose the direction in which they wish to go.

Some middle course can be arrived at to address the two opposing, legitimate, views.

A Helsinki-kind of conference might allay Moscow’s anxieties and, at the same time, allow countries neighbouring the Russian Federation to determine their future freely and without intimidation.

Moscow may be disturbed by the prospect of having NATO powers encircle it after having been surrounded by friendly nations for many decades.

These countries’ joining the EU would not pose a threat to Moscow; joining NATO would, however.

Russian President Vladimir Putin may have gone the wrong way to address his country’s interests by resorting to open military intervention, first in Crimea, in a direct way, and indirectly in east Ukraine.

The Russian-speaking Ukrainian people in the east of the country have, of course, a legitimate concern to preserve and protect their cultural and linguistic rights.

It is a sizeable number of people whose ethnic and minority rights must be protected.

Kiev, on the other hand, has the absolute right to preserve and protect the territorial integrity of the country.

A balance of sorts can be struck between the two rights by promoting greater autonomy in parts of Ukraine for minorities.

A conference might reconcile issues in a peaceful and constructive way before the two countries find themselves drifting into uncharted waters and a larger military conflict becomes the only way out of their deadlock.