Gérard Araud – Lessons from the Ukrainian crisis

NOTe are living, in Europe, a moment which is all the more astonishing as it elicits only rare comments from experts and that it is received with the most perfect serenity not to say indifference by the Europeans. Not only has Russia gathered, with great noise, an army on the borders of Ukraine, but it has presented the United States and NATO with a draft security treaty accompanied by an ultimatum.

In this case, the word ultimatum is not too strong since Moscow saw fit to specify that if its objectives were not achieved by negotiation, “technical and military means” would succeed. Meanwhile, the official Russian press is working to prepare public opinion for the worst by blaming the West. We can’t imagine the ab …