solana138_Jakub PorzyckiNurPhoto via Getty Images_EUukraine

Ucrania y la Unión Europea, indispensables para la seguridad en Europa

Jan 21, 2022 Javier Solana

MADRID – Ninguna región del mundo posee un sistema de seguridad como el europeo, dotado de un complejo entramado de tratados, reglas e instituciones. Sin embargo, la sofisticación del sistema de seguridad europeo no puede llevarnos a concluir que se trate de una obra finalizada, sino una en constante revisión.

La seguridad en Europa se ha construido a lo largo de varias décadas de forma gradual. Las bases del sistema de seguridad europeo se asentaron con la Conferencia de Yalta de 1945, donde el presidente norteamericano Franklin D. Roosevelt, el primer ministro británico Winston Churchill y el líder soviético Iósif Stalin dividieron Europa en esferas de influencia, garantizando al concierto europeo una cierta estabilidad y previsibilidad.

Tres décadas más tarde, en 1975, la Conferencia de Helsinki sentó las bases de un periodo de distensión en la Guerra Fría. En los años 90, la Conferencia dio paso a la Organización para la Seguridad y la Cooperación en Europa (OSCE). Estos acuerdos fueron de gran trascendencia para la seguridad en Europa, pero no la eximirían de retos futuros.

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Globalizing European Security Politics

Globalizing European Security

Javier Solana argues that the EU's Common Defense and Security policy should play a key role in ensuring global stability.

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Stabilizing Ukraine Politics

Stabilizing Ukraine

Javier Solana identifies three issues that must be addressed in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea.

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 6 Comments on this article

Henk Crop Jan 31, 2022

After the day the Cold War ended, the West began to neglect Russia.
They also began to exploit the weakness it had at the time.
Obama declared that Russia now was just a local power.
When the West interfered in Syria, they neglected that Russia was its longtime alley.

The Russians had freed themselve of Communism.
Without that ideology there was no reason for them anymore to expand their country.
Russia is not the USSR.
They were eager to open up to the World and even suggested to join NATO.
But they received a cold shoulder instead.

In the mean time NATO was being expanded.
Some suggested the NATO should station a fleet in the Black Sea.
Whatever the arguments you apply, you can simply conclude that NATO moved closer to the Russian border.
The EU attempted to make an agreement with Ukraine, by which Russia would lose its important Naval base. So they occupied the Crimea before the EU could.
The EU had prominent parliamentarian Verhofstad in Kiev yel. You Ukainians are the real Europeans.
Alltogether Russia apparantly observes a security risk and wants to discuss that.
The West refuses to discuss it.
As they claim that they will never attack another country, despite their offensive behavior over the past thirty years.
Putin seems to have no other option than to drive around with tanks to make Western leaders listen.
As a scholar of European history I try to be unbiased.
My advise to Western leaders would be, try to do something about your arrogance and hypocricy. Try to develop normal relations with Russia, instead of handing out all these humilations and shipping more weapons.

More on this topic, see. PS, Orenstein, the Russians are coming
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Constance Underfoot Jan 25, 2022

The Fundementals to European security involves not engaging in involved alliances with small states that have no strategic importance to other nations and the region as a whole. That's how we got WWI. Since a buffer state of Ukraine serves both NATO & Russia, why on earth would anyone ever want Ukraine into NATO?

Drop off a couple thousand anti-tank missiles and zero US troops and say no NATO. Not only isn't it our war, there's no scenario that this works out for the US if there is one. Thousands of Ukrainians will end up dead, we'll have a humanitarian crisis that France & Germany won't fix, and we'll be stuck rebuilding Ukraine.
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Greg Daniels Jan 25, 2022

Europe may have a strategic interest in Ukraine, but the U.S. does not. Recklessly pushing NATO's boundaries up to Russia's border has led to a predictable response.
- Constance Underfoot Jan 25, 2022
  
  Bingo. This has been a slow-moving predictable train wreck.
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NM Wander Jan 25, 2022

Europe and the USA remain fixed to a worldview that has not adapted to the 21st Century. We insist that its still "Post WW2" or even worse..."a return to the Cold War".
The borderlines that we have drawn and accepted are based on centuries old battlelines between aristocrats, nomads, vikings, and Islamic invaders...etc, etc.
Can anyone tell me what exactly IS the difference between a "ukranian" and a "russian". More pertinent to the issue....what exactly is a "ukranian"???
....
Decades ago, Sergei Lavrov suggested that it was time to "redraw the lines' and was mercilessly mocked and scolded by the typically myopic US Press Corps....
But....now almost 30 years later.....I suspec that Mr. Lavrov had a very good suggestion.
....
As Russia insists that much of Ukraine was taken from historic Russia.....Russia needs a reminder that RUSSIA in turn has taken territory from Poland(NATO).....to wit......Lviv/Ternopil(ie...."Western Ukraine") and Kaliningrad(once known as Koenigberg, Poland and now home to the Russian Baltic Naval Fleet).
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Kevin Neal Jan 23, 2022

So you wish to convene the group put in place after the invasion. This group was not created to manage the matter beforehand but after the invasion had already occurred.

In addition, your solution based on France and Germany alone shows the "weak hand" approach at this point. Nord 2 for Germany and Macron's already stated goal of negotiating with Putin without the US.

History is clear in negotiating with those threatening to take unwarranted action. Once you begin negotiating you lose position and become the weak hand. A simple reaction function based upon someone taking action that is criminal is clear enough.

The outcome is already in place. Invasion of Ukraine or a change in government to Pro-Putin. Germany has already put the levers in place.
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Ucrania y la Unión Europea, indispensables para la seguridad en Europa

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