I think what is causing some confusion here is that "sovereignty" is a bit of an innuendo in the Ukrainian context.
The contentious element of "Ukrainian sovereignty" is not the right of ethnic Ukrainians to rule themselves domestically, it's about Ukraine's right to join the Western block via institutions like the EU and NATO.
It's this element of foreign policy that Russia is concerned by and sees as a strategic threat - the loss of (somewhat) independent buffer states and Western domination of the Black Sea etc. Likewise, the Western block wants to pull Ukraine closer, and prevent it being dominated by Russia, for largely the same (mirrored) reasons.
So, when you see people talking about "Ukrainian sovereignty", remember that this is what we're really talking about. It has almost nothing to do with domestic rule, GDP growth or the welfare of the Ukrainian people. It's about Great Power politics and spheres of influence.
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I think what is causing some confusion here is that "sovereignty" is a bit of an innuendo in the Ukrainian context.
The contentious element of "Ukrainian sovereignty" is not the right of ethnic Ukrainians to rule themselves domestically, it's about Ukraine's right to join the Western block via institutions like the EU and NATO.
It's this element of foreign policy that Russia is concerned by and sees as a strategic threat - the loss of (somewhat) independent buffer states and Western domination of the Black Sea etc. Likewise, the Western block wants to pull Ukraine closer, and prevent it being dominated by Russia, for largely the same (mirrored) reasons.
So, when you see people talking about "Ukrainian sovereignty", remember that this is what we're really talking about. It has almost nothing to do with domestic rule, GDP growth or the welfare of the Ukrainian people. It's about Great Power politics and spheres of influence.
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