Future relations with Russia
March 17, 2022
With Russia invading Ukraine, future relationships between Russia and any NATO ally will be very different from before. Vladimir Putin’s move to try to invade Ukraine as of currently has been an enormous disaster. Primary news sources like CNN, MSNBC, and Fox said that the military thought they would conquer Kyiv in a maximum of 4 days. However, the people of Ukraine have greatly exceeded any expectations placed upon them and were underestimated by the Russian military. Putin greatly underestimated his enemy.
The war that Russia has started will have significant consequences for them and how they are viewed internationally. Almost every country in the world agrees with this unfair invasion, aside from Russia’s allies, and is trying to help out without getting themselves drawn into the conflict. Relationships between NATO allies are incredibly high. This needs to happen so they can protect themselves if Russia tries to expand this war to the west. The Russian economy has already seen very harsh sanctions by numerous countries, and the rouble is seeing its worth drop every day. The Russian ruble has dropped to be worth less than a United States cent and will likely keep decreasing as more countries pose heavier sanctions on Russia. I think that we will be more hesitant to make deals and negotiate with Russia due to knowing that they go through with their threats. I still think that we will have a relationship due to political reasons, but it won’t be a strong or friendly relationship. — Aiko Busby, freshman
This can be a significant concern for the future as two countries with a combined total of over 11,000 nuclear warheads can decimate the Earth. Freshman Aiko Busby said, “I think that we will be more hesitant to make deals and negotiate with Russia due to knowing that they go through with their threats. I still think that we will have a relationship due to political reasons, but it won’t be a strong or friendly relationship.”
Russia’s main exports are petrol and energy. Petrol and fuel are also essentially what Russia is being taxed on, and many countries refuse to buy petrol from Russia to help Ukraine. In turn, oil and gas prices have significantly increased, greatly affecting everyone worldwide. Freshman Heidi Weise, speaks about the increase in oil prices “The high gas prices affect me because I have to use the bus to get everywhere. The gas prices are too high for me to drive where I want to.” The problem of high gas for the entire country is only getting worse as the U.S is refusing to buy petrol from Russia.
World sports organizations have also extensively fought back against Russia. Russians will not compete in Formula 1, FIFA, ice skating, 2022 Winter Paralympics, and many more.
Whether Russia wins or loses this war, the consequences will last a long time and have a tainted spot with many other countries around the globe. Problems in the future will be significantly different because of their invasion into Ukraine and the loss of trust from democratic countries. Countries worldwide are concerned about their possible loss of freedom if they live under an authoritarian regime.
