More Pressure on Russia: Let Putin Know He’s Wrong

The situation in Ukraine has become more serious as atrocities committed by Russian forces have been revealed one after another. The U.S., Europe and Japan must unite and intensify pressure to make Russia pay for their senseless aggression.

In the suburbs of Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, as well as the cities of Bucha and Hostomel, from which Russian troops have withdrawn, a large number of residents are missing. There are strong suspicions that Russian soldiers systematically killed, abducted, tortured and assaulted women during the occupation.

Russia’s state news agency carried a commentary that Ukrainians who rebel should be “completely cleansed.” The actions of the Russian military are not only war crimes, but may amount to genocide (mass murder), an attempt to eliminate a specific population.

Behind the barbaric actions is the fact that the invasion is not progressing as expected due to the counterattack by the Ukrainian army. Russia is prepared to put off controlling Kiev for the time being and launch an offensive in the eastern and southern parts of Ukraine. There are no signs that it will cease its tactics of inducing fear in the population and forcing them to surrender.

All the blame lies with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a dictatorship that tolerates no dissent, he may not receive accurate information on the state of the war or sound advice from his close associates. It can be said that President Putin is putting himself in a situation in which it is difficult for him to make normal analyses and judgments.

As the situation is expected to drag on, the international community needs to do everything possible until Putin admits his mistake and withdraws his troops completely.

The U.S. has announced additional sanctions on Russia’s largest banks, freezing their assets in the U.S. and banning them from doing business with companies and individuals. The United Kingdom has put a halt to imports of Russian coal and natural gas, and the European Union is coordinating on a coal embargo.

The sanctions are intended to make it more difficult for Russia to obtain foreign currency and manufacture and procure weapons, thereby reducing its ability to wage war. Although those imposing sanctions will also feel the pain of soaring resource prices, the sanctions should be handled from the perspective of a “war between the international community and Russia.”

Expanding military assistance to Ukraine is also important. The future of ceasefire negotiations is directly related to the war situation. If Ukraine can continue to repel Russian forces, its position in the negotiations will be strengthened and the possibility of extracting concessions from Russia will emerge.

In Belgium, the Group of Seven industrialized nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization held a series of foreign ministers’ meetings. Foreign Minister Hayashi also participated in the NATO meeting for the first time as a partner country.

NATO is also increasing its awareness of the threat to China. Japan would like to make use of its cooperative relationship with NATO for the stability of the Indo-Pacific region.