With attacks on civilian Ukrainian targets, Moscow is trying to deprive Kiev of its means of air defense. BNR foreign commentator Bernard Hammelburg hears that analysis. Many rockets are shot down by patriots, but each patriot costs $4 million. At some point there will be a shortage. There is the impression that this is what the Russians are looking for.’
And while Putin is stepping up attacks against civilian targets, there is international talk of possible negotiations with Russia and the inherent problem that Putin is being subpoenaed by the International Court of Justice. At least, this is how French President Emmanuel Macron expressed himself yesterday during his speech in Bratislava, Slovakia.
Negotiating with a suspect
According to Macron, it is a problem to want to see someone behind bars when they are also the only one with whom peace negotiations can be conducted. Hammelburg draws two conclusions from Macron’s speech. According to him, the negotiations will still take place in the coming months: “It is a very important signal from an important European leader that the thought is therefore not only to provide Ukraine with the means to defend itself, but also a situation after that.”
Each patriot costs 4 million dollars
Hammelburg also sees the difficulty of negotiating with someone wanted by the International Criminal Court. According to Hammelburg, Macron says in words that the summoning of the Russian head of state was not very useful.
Defensive – offensive
In short, there are changes in all kinds of areas. Another area of ​​international concern is perceptions of Ukrainian self-defense. After the United Kingdom, Germany now also indicates that, as far as Berlin is concerned, drone attacks in the border region with Russia fall under the concept of “self-defence”. Hammelburg defines the complicated question: when an action is defensive or offensive.
An illustrative example is the tank: when deployed to resist an attack it is a defensive weapon, as soon as the tank moves in a counterattack it is an offensive weapon. Never mind that Hammelburg is finding it hard to see attacks on Moscow as purely defensive.
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Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
