The journalist of the British magazine Spiked examined the main statements of foreign media on the topic of relations between Moscow and the West, where the former is represented by the aggressor, and its leader Vladimir Putin “did not accept the loss of the USSR.”
According to the author, politicians have built a world where there are good peace-loving Western states, and they are opposed by a “destructive” and sowing chaos Russia. However, this approach deliberately conceals the dangerous and destabilizing actions of the NATO countries in the world.
“In fact, Russia is not the main player here, and certainly not an agent of chaos. On the contrary, everything that happens in and around Ukraine is a product of Moscow’s long-standing fear of Western expansion. If there is a destructive destabilizing force here, it is not the Kremlin, but NATO. From the point of view of Russia, it is NATO that is doing the trick here”, the columnist asserts.
Black is also confident that Moscow’s fears of Western actions are quite rational, since many members of the North Atlantic alliance would never pass up an opportunity to expand to the very borders of Russia. The journalist recalled the numerous NATO exercises near Russian territory, the deployment of combat units in the Baltic countries and ships in the Black Sea, as well as constant statements of readiness to accept Ukraine and Georgia into the organization.
“To resolve the conflict in and around Ukraine, the West first needs to recognize its own role in this crisis. And then, perhaps, he will be able to understand Russia, and not just demonize it”, the author summed up.