It’s the most serious military crisis since the Cold War, says professor on Ukraine tensions

Amid growing tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border and the imminent threat of a full-scale invasion, 14 countries have already asked their citizens to leave Ukrainian territory.

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to have a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin this Saturday (12). The phone conversation between the two will be the first since late December.

In an interview with CNN This Saturday (12), USP’s International Relations course coordinator, Felipe Loureiro, said that the situation on the Ukrainian border and the tension between Russia and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is “the most serious militarized crisis between major powers since the end of the Cold War”.

“We are facing a historic moment,” he added.

The professor explains that, at the beginning of the week, hope had been created that the crisis would be pacified and resolved through a diplomatic solution. Loureiro cites French President Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Moscow.

“It was not an easy way out, but a way out that could be built. But in recent days, the signs have been very negative and the possibility of a conflict has unfortunately increased,” she points out.

He argues that a war would generate losses for all sides.

“Russia is an economy that is very integrated with the West. Economic or financial sanctions would certainly spill over quite significantly in Europe and even the United States,” she said.

Therefore, in the professor’s point of view, the way out for NATO is to convince Putin of the economic consequences of a military invasion.

“It is very important that, in this Saturday’s talks, Putin understands that the costs of an invasion are much higher than that of a non-invasion”, said Loureiro.