US President Barack Obama literally drew a line in the sand in delivering a verbal blast to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. During his keynote United Nations speech, Obama asked Putin to mend the damage that he has caused — thanks to his unbridled ambitions.
Deep rifts have been caused by Russia in Europe and the West in general as countries stand divided over the Kremlin’s adventures in Ukraine and Crimea. From this standpoint, Obama’s message to Putin, asking him to reassess his policies, or face the consequences, was stern. The US president’s tone was a throwback to the confrontational communications of the Cold War era.
In asking Putin to make a thorough review of his strategies, Obama also urged all countries to make a considered choice about which side of the fence they were on and take a decision on whether Russia should be sanctioned further. Putin’s ego and ambition have paralysed the operations of United Nations, an organisation that came into being after the Second World War with the aim of working towards maintaining global peace, harmony and stability. His annexation of Crimea and attempts to split Ukraine, have the ingredients to destabilise Europe and pose a threat to an already strained world order.
Russia is now left out in the cold in the league of nations. It is limping towards regaining lost credibility and cannot be a reliable stakeholder in any global campaign, be it the fight against terrorism or even attempts to contain Ebola. To this end, Obama is right in asking Putin to reconsider his actions so that he can be an equal ally in important global challenges. Putin must reevaluate his position, given his standing in the UN Security Council, and strive to return to the Group of Eight from where Russia was purged. His priority must be to assist in a total ceasefire with Ukraine and rule out arming separatist forces. With Russia already facing sanctions, the costs for further noncompliance could be intensified, leaving Putin with very little room to manoeuvre politically.
