The International Community Must Protect Civilians and Restore Order in Ukraine

Ukraine

As the conflict in Ukraine continues to escalate, the international community must move quickly to protect civilians and restore order. This means following international humanitarian law and the UN Charter. As well as helping the displaced, EU members must also ensure that aid agencies have access to the population in need. The world must also prepare itself for a worst-case scenario. The European Union must welcome its neighbors fleeing the conflict in Ukraine, provide proper reception assistance, and guarantee that asylum seekers are fully protected.

Putin’s claims about the former Soviet Union’s borders are simply wrong. Moreover, the region in question was never part of the Soviet Union, and even today many Ukrainians and Russians do not recognise the border. Putin has even described the south-eastern part of Ukraine as ‘New Russia’, implying that it has always been a part of Russia. This claim is untrue, as the border was drawn without consideration of the ethnic composition of the population.

The country’s terrain is largely mountainous, with mountain ranges ranging from 2,000 to 6,500 feet high. Mount Hoverla, the highest mountain in Ukraine, is 6,762 feet tall. In the northeast and southeast, there are low lands that rarely rise above 1,000 feet. But, despite its bleak geography, Ukrainians have a diverse and enticing landscape. In fact, some parts of the country are more akin to a snow-covered continent than to any other place in the world.

The situation in Ukraine is far from over, but the conflict continues to affect the supply of food to Europe and the rest of the world. Further violence will destroy Ukraine’s infrastructure, resulting in severe fuel and food shortages. Similarly, the Ukrainian health system is fragile and the economy has plummeted drastically, and the public services will be severely damaged. As a result, a full-fledged humanitarian response is needed to protect the population.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has impacted the geopolitical map of Europe, and the war in eastern Ukraine will inevitably alter the future of Europe. Russia’s occupation of Crimea is a pretext for reshaping Europe, and Ukraine’s geopolitical position may be compromised. The current situation will also affect the negotiations to contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. While it is too early to determine how the war will affect the world, NPR provides comprehensive coverage of the conflict and daily updates on the country.

Ukrainian public support for membership in NATO has increased significantly in recent years, with a poll showing 46 percent in April 2017 in favor of joining the organization. During the previous three years, support for membership in NATO barely exceeded 25 percent. Now, however, the Kremlin is reluctant to offer Ukraine any form of membership perspective, and Ukraine is unlikely to become an EU member until it has resolved the Donbas conflict. A further obstacle to normalization is the enclave in Crimea.

The largest highland in Ukraine is the Dnieper Upland, which lies between the middle reaches of the Dnipro and Southern Buh rivers. There are several river valleys in this region, but none are more than ten square miles in size. In addition, a small number of saltwater lakes can be found along the coast and in the Black Sea Lowland. Then there are artificial lakes, called limans, which are formed at hydroelectric dams and the Dnieper cascade.