Ep. 389: What Russia’s invasion of Ukraine means to Canada
Guest: Jeffrey Simpson, journalist
On Thursday, February 24th, 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian army to invade Ukraine.
Jeffrey Simpson, renowned journalist and Russian expert, says, “It was a combination of irredentism, great Russian chauvinism and authoritarian rule in play and they have forced us to recast our thinking” – forced us to reshape our perception of the post-Cold War era.
That is an era that saw the spread of liberal democratic policies push east through Europe to the western borders of Russia. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, NATO has accepted membership from a unified Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Then in 2005, talks began with Ukraine to join NATO. While that has not happened, many other countries that encircle the Russian western front have joined the alliance. Putin has had enough and last Thursday, he shot back by attacking Ukraine.
The attack exposed a myriad of geopolitical and international trade issues that are unraveling as the Russian army continues to advance on Kyiv. Stuart McNish invited Jeffery Simpson to join him for a Conversation that Matters about what Russia’s invasion is about and what it will mean to the world – and Canada.
