A solution to the Ukrainian crisis is within reach

Re: NATO must resist Putin’s ambitions — Jan. 13

It’s uncertain which is more dangerous: Vladimir Putin’s ambitions or his paranoia. The latter, however, would offer the better hope for a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian crisis.

A glimpse at a map reveals several things: Why Russia will never cede the Crimea back to Ukraine; why Russia can’t allow NATO membership for Ukraine (or for Belarus); and why a successful Russian invasion of Ukraine would be immensely unsettling for NATO leaders.

A Russian diplomat has suggested a form of “Finlandization” — a term used by NATO countries in the 1970s to disparage Finland’s close ties with the Soviet Union despite access to the Western economies. But Finlandization made Finland wealthy. Think of ultra-modern oil refineries built by Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum in Finland with access to all the Siberian crude they could handle. Everyone benefited economically; no one was hurt.

Surely, sane minds could work out a peaceful and just resolution to the Ukrainian crisis founded on a solid neutrality.

Arvo Ranni

Kitchener