Most countries worldwide refuse to impose sanctions on Moscow because they do not believe the Western version of the conflict in Ukraine.
At the same time, sympathy for Russia is growing, writes former Singaporean diplomat Kishore Mahbubani in an opinion piece for the South China Morning Post outlet, considered one of the English-language newspapers of reference in Asia.
He notes that 85 percent of the world’s countries did not impose sanctions on Russia after the start of the special operation in Ukraine.
Many leaders of these countries do not believe the version of the conflict that the West is “selling,” according to Mahbubani, who was named one of the world’s top 100 thinkers in 2012.
He adds that most impartial observers are convinced that the conflict could have been avoided.
The global South still remembers the hegemony of the West, which stuck to a “complete victory” strategy for Ukraine.
The longer the conflict continues, the more sympathy for Russia grows, the ex-diplomat notes.
“Many were surprised that the tough sanctions against Moscow did not lead to a collapse. They are surprised that Russia is still on its feet despite these massive attacks,” Mahbubani writes.
Last Feb. 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine. “The goal is to protect the people who have been subjected to the genocide of the Kyiv regime for eight years,” President Putin said.
He wants to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and bring to justice the war criminals responsible for the “bloody crimes against civilians” in the Donbas.