Swiss newspaper: Russia regained its status as great power
As a result of a special military operation, Russia has regained its status as a great power, and it’s time for the West to recognise this fact and seek a compromise with Moscow on Ukraine – as noted by Eric Gujer, the Editor-in-Chief of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ) newspaper, TASS reports
In the article, he pointed out that during the conflict in Ukraine, Russia confronted Western countries with the fact that it had ‘become a great power again’ and that ‘the West should recognise this’. In particular, Russia has already achieved one of its military goals, namely to stop NATO’s advance to the east. According to the journalist, ‘Russia’s return to the circle of great powers is a strategically decisive fact’ as a result of the special military operation.
“[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has made it clear that Russia is once again a major player in Europe. The country is once again occupying the place it conquered with blood and iron on the Poltava field 300 years ago,” the NZZ Editor-in-Chief noted.
He noted that NATO countries now face a choice: to continue to contain Russia or ‘to accept it as a great power and try to integrate it into the European security system’.
Mr. Gujer considers the first option unrealistic, not only because of US President Donald Trump’s efforts to resolve the conflict, but also because of the unreported interests of countries such as Hungary, Spain and Germany. The author therefore focuses on the second option, suggesting that NATO should officially give Moscow a guarantee that the alliance will not expand any further.
“If you don’t have the will or the strength to defeat Russia, it’s time to find a compromise,” Mr. Gujer concluded.
