Lessons to learn in Ukraine
A Ukrainian service member walks past the vertical tail fin of a Russian Su-34 bomber lying in a damaged building in Kharkiv, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. (AP Photo)

Observations of the conflict in Ukraine suggest that the superpowers that seem to be at war have made a gentleman's agreement behind closed doors



The war between Russia and Ukraine has completed its second week. The Russian army is approaching Kyiv and has captured strategic points in the country. Despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy banning men from going abroad, millions of civilians are fleeing to neighboring countries. There is complete chaos in the country.

Zelenskyy, on the other hand, says to the West, the European Union and the United States every day: "You deceived me, you left me alone." It seems that Zelenskyy thought that ruling a country like Ukraine was just like acting in a TV series in which he is playing the president. He found it wise to make such a dangerous move as to threaten Moscow with his country's entry into NATO without any tangible] guarantees other than words.

All people, including voters, pay the price of the gamble they play. So much so that the best possibility for now is seen as the division of Ukraine into two. Moreover, Ukraine is not the only loser in the drama unfolding before the eyes of the world. No! As some commentators have said, I will not count Russia as one of the losers. After all, despite the new embargoes announced every day, rising natural gas and oil prices are in Russian President Vladimir Putin's favor. During the war, he increased gas sales to Europe. Some oil companies are also competing with each other to get special discounts from Moscow.

The U.S., which incited Ukraine by saying, "if the Russians harm a hair on your head, there will be World War III," does not have a problem. The low-intensity war that will continue for a long time in Eastern Europe has given life to the arms industry. The European Union will have to happily accept former U.S. President Donald Trump's request for a greater contribution to NATO spending.

The rise in oil prices

Moreover, the increase in oil prices is also beneficial for the U.S. They are also meeting with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom they tried to overthrow in 2019. With small gestures, Washington can happily mediate the distribution of the riches of Venezuela, which has the world's largest oil and gas reserves, in Europe.

There are claims that Venezuela's infrastructure is only compatible with Russian refineries. However, with a rapid modernization, it can be implemented as a more realistic project than the shale gas promised by the U.S. to Europe to replace Russian gas. Maybe there is hope for Germany and other European countries, which are connected to Russian gas, for the medium term.

And in the coming period, many countries other than the U.S. and Russia need hope more than anything else. Rising oil prices and embargoes against Russia have already begun to shake the economy of all of Europe, especially surrounding countries such as Turkey.

If I'm not afraid of being labeled a conspiracy theorist, I can easily say by looking at the big picture that the superpowers that seem to be at war have made a gentleman's agreement behind closed doors.

Is there any other reason why they will emerge victorious in any case?