The Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade (IFAT) in collaboration with The Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) organized an online roundtable event “Ukraine Crisis and International Prospects – Perspectives from Japan, Perspectives from Europe” on 11 March 2022. Ms. Junko Chano, Executive Director of Sasakawa Peace Foundation delivered her opening remarks along with Márton Ugrósdy PhD, Director of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade. The discussion has been moderated by Bonji Ohara, Senior Fellow of Sasakawa Peace Foundation.
Peter Stepper, senior fellow of the Institute for Foreign Affairs and Trade highlighted that 24 February has been a very tragic day which reminded everyone of the days of using brute force in power politics. He argued that both parties suffered serious losses during the war. The capabilities of the aggressor has been overestimated by some experts, but Russia had its limits to operate in the territory of Ukraine. First and foremost it is because of the hardships in logistical supply and troop’s mobility. He argued that Hungary is interested in peace negotiations and immediate ceasefire, because every day of such a war causes serious damages for the Ukrainian society, economy, and led to a humanitarian crisis. Budapest is ready to help the refugees from Ukraine and support EU sanctions against Russia.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jun Nagashima, Former Commandant of the Air Command and Staff College JASDF highlighted the problems of modern warfare in Ukraine, but also reflected upon the global military balance of great powers. US presence in key areas are essential to deter rivals, such as Russia and China, so he argued it is essential to learn from this war in order to prevent another one.
Prof. Ken Jimbo from the Keio University started his presentation with a global outlook related to the Ukraine crisis and highlighted the potential consequences of the recent crisis on the world order. Japanese experts are deeply worried about the peace in the Asia-Pacific, especially related to the island of Taiwan, which is basically defended by US forces only.
Peter Wagner argued that it is too soon to make any conclusions from the conflict we could witness in the past few weeks. Russian forces might not be as powerful as Western powers expected, but the plans did not seem to go well for President Putin so far. Mr. Wagner raised the issue of parallel diplomatic negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Keeping the dialogue open is an important step to solve the conflict peacefully.
For the full recording please click on the link below or visit our YouTube-channel!
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