It appears that some kind of agreement has been reached between Russia, Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States with respect to the situation in Ukraine. If it is a good agreement and if it works, that is great. But there is no reason to get excited yet.
And even if it does work, what has happened over the last several months shows the need for NATO to ramp up its game. As long as Crimea remains occupied by Russia, and as long as Vladimir Putin remains President of Russia, any country that used to be either part of the Soviet Union or within what the Soviet Union thinks was its proper sphere of influence, is at heightened risk.
It would be almost criminal negligence to, if this agreement works, assume that the problem has been solved and go back to where we were before. I think it is clear that NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, understands this. He has been a strong voice for a realistic policy in NATO. European countries need to start spending more money on defense. Better plans need to be put in place to defend those members of NATO who either border on or are uncomfortably close to Russia.
Europe, and the United States, need to start figuring out a way to wean Europe from its dependence on Russia oil and gas. It was always dangerous, but the recent crisis has shown us just how dangerous it is. Even if the situation in Ukraine is resolved, actions need to be taken to reduce that dependence before the next crisis arises.
If the agreement works, fine. But, whether it works or not, we need to recognize the danger that exists and use whatever time we have been given to reduce that danger in the future.
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