OPINION: Serving Putin Some Ukrainian Territory Will Only Make Him Hunger for More

The result of the presidential election in the US has triggered a few new scenarios of a potential diplomatic ending to the Russo-Ukrainian War. Many experts believe Ukraine will be forced to concede some of its territory. Others claim that swapping land for peace is Ukraine’s sole option to withdraw from a horrific conflict and avoid a complete destruction of its country.

Whereas the above points are worthy of consideration, it is critical to ponder the ramifications of a decision giving Russia jurisdiction over vast areas of Ukrainian land. Should Kyiv be compelled to surrender eastern and southern areas in exchange for peace, Vladimir Putin will have validated his unprovoked full-scale invasion and his imperialistic greed will increase. Any temporary resolution achieved at a cost to Ukraine will be offset by Russia’s continued expansionist efforts which will only make it more expensive to stop an advancing Putin.

The idea that Putin would be content with a freeze of the conflict along the present eastern and southern frontlines in Ukraine shows a basic misconstruction of the imperialistic rationale behind the invasion. The Russian autocrat presently governs the biggest country in the world. His goal is not to add a couple of Ukrainian territories to Russia’s vast domain. No, Putin is on a very personal mythical quest that most Westerners cannot comprehend.

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Putin has dedicated his entire political calling to revive the Soviet Empire, resentful of what in his mind was an unjust collapse. Going back to the mid-1990s, Putin has been exasperated with the notion of an independent sovereign Ukraine, regarding the nation as a humiliating reminder of the mighty Soviet past. He certainly thought of Ukraine in 2005 when he labeled the Soviet Union’s crumbling as the “biggest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.” Since then, Putin has often overstated his opinion that Ukrainians and Russians are one people and that there should be no Ukrainian state.

Putin’s preoccupation with Ukraine is not only tied to his resolve to undo the judgment of 1991, but he also fears Ukraine’s becoming a democratic European nation a possible impetus for others to break away from the Russian Federation. Along with most of his Kremlin cronies, Putin came up through the declining years of the USSR, observing the fall of the Berlin Wall and the disintegration of the Soviet Empire in Central and Eastern Europe.

This explains why Putin is terrified of populist movements and his deep perception of Russia’s imperial frailty. Due to this background, it is no surprise that he was so strongly affected by Kyiv’s two post-Soviet revolutions and so unnerved by Ukraine’s measured yet successful democratization. In light of the Russian Federation’s diversity, Putin has long realized that Ukraine’s deepening democratic crusade and triumphant grasp of self-rule could influence insurgent movements and internal struggles within his authoritarian empire.

In Putin’s mind, an independent Ukraine is a risk of great danger to mother Russia. This explains why he has put everything on the line in order to eradicate Ukraine from existence. Suggestions that he could be placated by the overture of Ukrainian territory now occupied by Russian forces are an absolute joke. It is very evident that Putin cannot allow an authentic independent Ukraine to exist. His choices are two: the Kremlin must regain mastery over Kyiv or completely obliterate the Ukrainian state.

Naturally Putin’s imperialistic intentions do not stop with Ukraine. His regular description of the Ukrainian invasion as a mission to return “historically Russian lands” invites future moves of aggression toward other one-time subjects of the Russian Empire like Poland, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, the Baltic States, Finland and Central Asia.

Proof of this growing imperial hunger has already been seen.

Of course, provisional territorial compromises are still in play. Indeed, there is a greater realization in Kyiv and the West that Ukraine cannot be militarily liberated in the current situation.

However, it is paramount for Ukraine’s Western allies to comprehend that any compromise to end armed combat would not end the peril. All it would do is lead to the onset of the next stage in the conflict against Putin’s revived Russian Empire. This conflict demands endless attentiveness paired with major increases in Western defense expenditures. Most importantly, the West should pledge to the type of impervious security assurances for Ukraine that will truly deter Vladimir Putin from reinstituting his nefarious offensive in order to gain a prominent mention in Russian archives.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.