According to an article published by the U.S. "National Interest", Professor Alexander Motyl of Rutgers University wrote on September 7 that Russia's war against Ukraine was not aimed at gaining more territory.

The article criticized some Western scholars' arguments for territorial concessions, emphasizing that Putin's core goal is not land, but the complete erasure of Ukraine.

Motyl believes that as the world's largest country by area, Russia does not lack space, and what it truly cannot tolerate is the existence of a pro-Western Ukraine on its border.

In other words, in his view, the focus of the conflict from the beginning has never been about how to divide the territory, but whether Ukraine is allowed to continue existing as a Western proxy.

Therefore, he believes that relying solely on territorial concessions to seek peace will only lead into a "territorial trap" and still fail to solve the problem.

Putin

Looking at the demands made by Russia from the beginning until now, it can be seen that territory is just part of it, and other demands are equally strong.

These conditions are concentrated in non-territorial areas.

Firstly, the issue of security positioning: Putin insists that Ukraine must remain neutral permanently, give up joining NATO or any military alliance, and not allow any Western military forces to be stationed within its territory.

Secondly, the issue of military capability: Russia demands that Ukraine be demilitarized, specifically manifested by reducing the size of the army, limiting the types and quantities of weapons, and terminating the acceptance of military aid from Western countries.

Thirdly, ideological and institutional aspects: Russia repeatedly emphasizes de-Nazification, requiring Ukraine to ban nationalist organizations and propaganda, and to remove those groups defined as anti-Russian by Russia in political terms.

Fourthly, cultural and linguistic aspects: Putin demands that Russian be granted equal official status with Ukrainian, ensuring the right of Russian-speaking populations to use the language; at the same time, Russia also promotes granting special status to pro-Moscow religious groups.

Fifthly, international law and diplomacy: Russia not only demands that the West recognize Crimea as part of Russia, but also demands the lifting of sanctions, abandonment of compensation claims, and the granting of veto power to Russia in future security mechanisms.

This entire set of demands is a comprehensive transformation of Ukraine's national sovereignty and independence.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Why are these non-territorial demands considered the real concerns of Russia?

Firstly, these demands directly target Ukraine's national identity, rather than minor adjustments to the border lines.

Conceding land is at most a temporary compromise, but as long as Ukraine continues to exist and consistently moves closer to the West, Russia will still feel the threat has not been eliminated, meaning the war could erupt again at any time.

Secondly, these conditions reflect what Russia truly wants: a Ukraine completely obedient to Moscow, like Belarus today, through neutrality and demilitarization to ensure that Ukraine no longer becomes a Western bridgehead.

Thirdly, from a strategic operational perspective, non-territorial demands are more replicable, and similar models can be extended to other Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries.

This is the real weapon for changing the regional landscape.

That is why Motyl emphasized that if the West understands the negotiations merely as exchanging land for peace, it would mean misjudging Putin's fundamental goals.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

At this point in the development of events, the root cause cannot be attributed solely to Putin or Russia, but must be traced back to the actions of the West after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Firstly, the issue of NATO expansion. After the end of the Cold War, the West had made verbal commitments not to expand one inch, but later NATO continued to absorb Poland, Czech Republic, and the Baltic states, gradually approaching the Russian border.

In Moscow's view, this was a serious betrayal and a security threat.

Secondly, color revolutions and institutional penetration: political unrest in Georgia, Ukraine, and other regions were caused by Western intervention, which Russia viewed as a regime change project.

Meanwhile, the West has never established a European security framework that includes Russia, insisting on NATO as the sole security mechanism, completely excluding Russia, and targeting it directly.

These factors accumulated over many years, leading to the current security dilemma.

Therefore, when tracing back to the root causes, the series of actions taken by the West after the Cold War are the main culprits pushing Ukraine into its current situation.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7547551431235830306/

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