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The Lieutenant-Governor does not believe a swift resolution is likely in Ukraine, since President Putin is “not a rational actor”, and a stalemate in the conflict is likely.
Richard Cripwell CB CBE told a Chamber of Commerce lunch that one of the biggest issues is western nations failing to “persuade non-aligned countries that it’s in their best interest” to oppose Putin and the invasion.
He said there are several countries which have benefitted from millions in investment and aid from developed nations which are yet to formally oppose the military action or be convinced that a hard line should be adopted.
It’s also very hard to predict what Russian President Vladimir Putin will do next, he said.
Regardless, the rule of law, democracy and freedom are at stake, and Ukraine should serve as a case study into how quickly those can dissolve for other nations, according to Lt.-Governor Cripwell.
“Zelensky needs to keep the west on board for long enough,” he said. In the meantime, “people will continue to die on an industrial scale – that’s the truth of it.”
Pictured: The invasion began over a year ago.
Lt.-Governor Cripwell has four decades of experience in Britain’s armed forces, working between junior, intelligence, and diplomatic roles.
After explaining his career and alluding to some of the terrible things he witnessed, he was resolute in the belief that political violence and warfare is sometimes necessary.
But this should only be when diplomacy and other non-violent interventions fail: “When all else fails, and I mean all else”.
Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 25 2022. The moment was marked by a minute silence across the Bailiwick last Friday.
Guernsey followed the UK in imposing a similar sanctions regime against Russian oligarchs and individuals close to President Putin, as well as freezing linked assets worth around £0.5m.
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