
KUALA LUMPUR — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statement that his country needs to accept the fact that it will not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) will probably make room for negotiations that bring peace.
An analyst from Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, Prof Ruhanas Harun also thinks it is important for Ukraine to adopt the principle of neutrality like Switzerland and Austria to help end the war that had lasted for more than a month. “It will help to bring about peace because this is what will satisfy Russia’s sense of security, that is, there is a buffer state between Russia and NATO or the European Union (EU).
“If they (Ukraine) agree, this is the path to peace. I don’t see any other way. Otherwise, war will continue,” she said. The programme organised by the National Council of Professors (MPN) titledRussia-Ukraine War: Implications for Asiawas broadcast live on the MPN Facebook page.
According to Ruhanas, although Russia is faced with many sanctions, the country is able to survive and will only cease its military operations if it gets assurance that Kyiv will not be hostile to Moscow.
“President Vladimir Putin when asked how long Russia can last, he said as long as it is necessary to restore stability and provide security to Russia,” said the academic from UPNM’s Faculty of Defence Studies & Management.
On concerns that Russia’s military action against Ukraine would prompt a major power like China to take similar steps in Southeast Asia, Ruhanas said China would not do so. The United States (US) will never give China a chance to take over this region (Southeast Asia), trade can but not in terms of geo-political dominance.

“China will remember that it still does not match the military strength and political influence of the US here. What China needs is a peaceful international environment in this area,” she explained.
Prof Dr Mohd Kamarulnizam Abdullah from the Institute of Malaysian and International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia also agreed with that view and opined that China would not risk facing sanctions.
“China is still dependent on world trade. If China takes an approach like Russia and if sanctions are imposed, its economic system will collapse because of its dependence on the world trading system,” he said.
He added that Russia was still able to survive despite the sanctions because some Western European countries like Germany were still reluctant to impose full economic sanctions, such as what the US wants.
“This is because of the dependence on Russia which will have implications on the economy. Inflation will go up, because 40 per cent of oil and gas are imported from Russia,” he said.
Russia’s military operation on Ukraine, which began on Feb 24, met with international opposition, with the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom as well as several other countries imposing various sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,151 civilians have been killed so far in Ukraine and 1,842 injured while more than 3.87 million have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the United Nations (UN) refugee agency.
— BERNAMA
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