Ariel Cohen: Russia Verifies Western Resolve to Help Ukraine

Russia verifies how far the West is determined to help Ukraine.

Ariel Cohen, a Senior Fellow of the Atlantic Council (the U.S.), stated during the 11^th Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv.

“Russia verifies how the West is determined or resolute to help Ukraine in its situation,” he said.

According to him, Ukraine and the Middle East “are just the theaters of war”: “the two theaters in larger conflicts”.

Cohen stressed that the pro-imperial feelings in Russia were very carefully and long prepared.

This being said, the expert brought a historical parallel with the collapse and decline of the Roman Empire, which fought at two theaters of war. “This leads to the weakening of an empire, but not necessarily there is a complete disintegration,” he noted.

“Russia wants to change the balance of power in the world by resorting to a competitive principle in various dimensions. Russians are not going to step back with this claim,” Cohen stated.

For reference:

The annual international event Kyiv Security Forum was launched by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation Open Ukraine in 2007 as a platform for high-level discussions on the current issues in Europe and the Black Sea region. The Forum aims at increasing security cooperation between the EU and the Black Sea region, raising awareness about regional developments among key regional players, promoting the role of independent and non-governmental actors in setting the security agenda in Europe.

The event is being held with the support of NATO Information and Documentation Center in Ukraine, the German Marshall Fund, The Victor Pinchuk Foundation, The Royal Institute of International Relations, Chatham House (UK), and The Regional Representative Office of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Ukraine.