2023-04-01T14:28:00+03:00 Politics 2024-05-15T05:04:34+03:00

Ukrainian news

Ukrainian news

Putin making efforts to form anti-Western coalition – ISW

Putin making efforts to form anti-Western coalition – ISW

The President of the Russian aggressor country, Vladimir Putin, against whom an arrest warrant was issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, changed the concept of Russian foreign policy on the eve of the Russian presidency of the United Nations Security Council for future efforts aimed at forming an anti-Western coalition in UN.

This is stated in the text of the next issue of the analytical note from the analysts of the Institute for the Study of War from Washington.

In particular, ISW noted that on March 31, Putin approved a new concept of Russia's foreign policy aimed at the Kremlin's promotion of an anti-Western coalition.

According to the report, the new foreign policy concept portrays the West as an anti-Russian and international destabilizing force. It states that the U.S. and its "satellites" have unleashed a hybrid war to weaken Russia.

"Putin used meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping on March 20-22 to step up efforts to rhetorically rally the rest of the world against the West, and the new document is likely intended to support the Kremlin's efforts to step up non-alignment proposals to form a more coherent anti-Western bloc," experts remind.

The institute believes that Putin's proposal to form an anti-Western bloc during Xi's visit to Russia was not received well because Xi refused to bring China into the geopolitical conflict that Putin envisioned with the West.

Analysts suggest that the Kremlin probably decided to publish a new foreign policy concept on the eve of the UN Security Council presidency to create informational conditions for future efforts in the Organization aimed at forming an anti-Western coalition.

The report also states that Belarusian President Oleksandr Lukashenko continues to use loud public statements to portray Belarus as a sovereign state, even though Russian troops de facto occupy it.

Experts note that Lukashenko repeated the standard rhetoric that he is Putin's equal partner in defense of Russia and Belarus.

The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, used comments about the introduction of peacekeeping forces into Ukraine to continue information operations that portray the West as escalating.

Experts suggest that Medvedev was probably reacting to Viktor Orban's March 31 statements regarding alleged European discussions on the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine and stated that Russian troops would be a target for hypothetical peacekeepers.

Medvedev claimed that the Western-led peacekeeping mission in Ukraine would end in tragedies reminiscent of Yugoslavia and other conflicts.

However, the review said that apart from Orban's comments, there is no indication that Western officials are seriously discussing such a proposal. Medvedev likely used Orban's comments to create a false narrative to portray the West as trying to escalate the war in Ukraine.

Key findings of ISW as of March 31:

- On March 31, Putin approved a new Concept of Russia's foreign policy, which is likely to support the Kremlin's efforts to facilitate the creation of a potential anti-Western coalition.

- Lukashenko continues to use loud public statements to portray Belarus as a sovereign state, even though Russian troops de facto occupy it.

- Peskov categorically rejected Lukashenka's proposal for a ceasefire and noted that the Kremlin is uninterested in negotiations.

- Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmytro Medvedev, used comments about introducing peacekeeping forces into Ukraine to continue information operations that portray the West as escalating.

- Russian troops continued ground attacks along the Svatove-Kreminna line. They also achieved success within Bakhmut, and Ukrainian troops regained their positions in the Bakhmut area. In addition, the occupiers continued offensive operations on the Avdiyivka-Donetsk front line.

- Ukrainian strikes on the concentration points of Russian troops in the south of Ukraine will likely force the Russian group to change tactics to avoid the risk of strikes.

- Russian officials continue to state that Russian forces are not planning an official second wave of mobilization.

- Officials of the Russian Federation continue to send Ukrainian children to camps in Russia.