Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun 
Ukrainians attend a memorial ceremony and lay flowers at the memorial for the victims of Russia's massacre in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv. February 24 (©Sankei by Ryosuke Endo)
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Three years have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin began his invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine.
Putin launched his unprovoked war of aggression out of his imperialistic delusion that "Russia and Ukraine are one people." It was an outrageous act that sought to change the status quo through force and a clear violation of the United Nations Charter. Once again, we strongly condemn this war of choice.
Russia's brutal attack has left 65,000 Ukrainian troops dead and 370,000 wounded in defense of their homeland. In addition, more than 40,000 innocent Ukrainian civilians have been killed or injured.
Out of a prewar population of roughly 41 million, around seven million Ukrainians have sought refuge abroad. Of those, around 2,000 are still in Japan.
We cannot help but sympathize with their plight.
Ceasefire Negotiations Must Be Fair and Just
In 2014 Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine. During these last three years, it has occupied and announced the annexation of most of four eastern and southern oblasts of Ukraine. (An oblast is a first-level administrative division.) Together they account for about 20% of Ukraine's total territory.
Such lawless behavior is intolerable. The Russian military must unconditionally withdraw from Ukraine. If Ukraine's territorial sovereignty is not preserved, that failure will itself shake the international order.
An Uninclusive US Approach
The inauguration of the Trump administration has brought about a major shift in US government policy. Out of his keen desire for a ceasefire, President Donald Trump has initiated US-Russia negotiations.
The war of aggression must certainly be ended. But Ukraine is unquestionably the victim in the conflict, and excluding Kyiv from the negotiations is utterly wrong. Europe, which has supported Ukraine alongside the United States, has also been left out.
This is no longer in an imperialistic era, where the chief military powers decide everything among themselves. We must have fair and just negotiations among all parties.
Wrongly Blaming the Victim
Whether in words or actions, blaming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for starting this war is twisted and wrong. Could President Trump really have fallen for Putin's self-serving claims?
After Zelenskyy expressed displeasure that the US has gone over the heads of Ukraine and the rest of Europe, Trump declared on a radio program, "I don't think he's very important to be at meetings." Then, on his social media platform, Trump labeled Zelenskyy "a dictator without elections."
He added: "Think of it, a modestly successful comedian, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, talked the United States of America into spending $350 Billion Dollars, to go into a War that couldn't be won, that never had to start."
"Ukraine should not have started the war," Trump declared. He also made the unsubstantiated charge at a press conference that Zelenskyy's approval rating in Ukraine was below 4%.
Russia's Guilt
It was only natural that Zelenskyy fired back that his actual approval rating is 57%. Ukraine's president added, "Since we are talking about 4%, we have seen this disinformation, we understand that it is coming from Russia."
Three years ago, Russia attacked Ukraine with elite armored and airborne forces in an attempt to seize the capital, Kyiv. If Ukraine had not resisted, it would have lost its independence. This reality is the exact opposite of how Trump apparently sees things.
Russian troops massacred Ukrainians in the streets and they even attacked hospitals and kindergartens. Acknowledging the evidence, the International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for the arrest of Vladimir Putin on allegations of committing war crimes. Specifically, Putin is suspected of ordering the abduction of around 20,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
Trump should not look away from Putin's atrocities. He needs to retract his abusive words and speak and act calmly.
European countries have reasonably pointed out that Putin, not Zelenskyy, is the real dictator and that Russia doesn't want peace. Is there any evidence that Putin has given up his ambition to wipe the independent state of Ukraine from the face of the map?
Invisible Prime Minister Ishiba
At the recent Munich Security Conference, Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said: "We must not allow the invasion to end in a way that leaves Russia as the winner. If we do not end it properly, it will send the wrong message to China and the entire world."
Iwao's statement is appropriate. However, it is problematic that Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has not displayed much interest in the Ukraine issue.
While the war in Ukraine may be unfolding in Europe, it is directly linked to the security of nations in the Indo-Pacific region. That includes Japan. Like in Ukraine, Russia is also illegally occupying Japan's Northern Territories. PM Ishiba should get more involved in the ceasefire issue.
Even if a ceasefire is reached in the days to come, we are concerned that it will merely be used to buy Putin time to renew his invasion of Ukraine. Unless conditions are created that will make it impossible for Russia to invade again, there can be no true ceasefire.
Europe and Canada, in coordination with the Trump administration, will need to organize forces to maintain the ceasefire and prevent Russia from invading again. Japan too must play its part for peace.
RELATED:
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Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun
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