'..Ukraine's authority over these provinces must be solidly unchallengeable .. the West should insist that Russia leave Crimea .. As this war shows, without a secure Ukraine, European security is unthinkable.'<blockquote>'..Not only must Russian troops fully leave Ukraine and the rebels be disarmed, but Ukraine's authority over these provinces must be solidly unchallengeable.
While Kiev should disperse power away from the center to provincial governments, creating virtually sovereign statelets that are vulnerable to future Russian annexation will hardly resolve the current crisis.
Second, the West should insist that Russia leave Crimea. The referendum in Crimea, which occurred under the shadow of Russian bayonets, was a sham, and Crimea is no more part of Russia than the New York neighborhood of Brighton Beach, where many Russian and Soviet émigrés live.
..
..we have seen that no neighbor of Russia is safe unless it is part of a solid security system like NATO or the EU.
Brussels, as part of its plan for the long-term reconstruction of Ukraine, should make membership available to Kiev, provided it follows through on the requirements laid out in the EU's Acquis Communautaire.
Even if it takes a generation to reach this destination, the failure of the Eastern Partnership demonstrates that only conditionality and the promise of actual membership in the EU will ensure meaningful and lasting reform..
Ukraine will not be safe as a buffer, especially if Crimea is not returned.
Building a Europe that is whole and free depends not only on the outcome of this diplomatic initiative but also on realizing the hard lessons of this war and driving them home to Moscow. Whatever emerges from Putin's attempt to leave the gaming tables, we cannot grant him undeserved and unsustainable rewards.
As this war shows, without a secure Ukraine, European security is unthinkable.'
- Stephen Blank,
Putin Cannot Afford the Frozen Conflict in Ukraine, January 29, 2016</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
'..Additional losses could be billed for the Russian-supported war in southeast Ukraine..''Russia .. has to withdraw from Ukraine to gain relief from Western sanctions..'</blockquote>
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