Cold War has renewed between Western countries, Russia: Expert

The recent military operation by Russia in Ukraine has renewed the Cold War between the Western countries and Russia, Srikanth Kondapalli, Dean of School of International Studies at JNU said on Friday.

He also cautioned that the Russian actions in Ukraine may embolden China in initiating Galwan like incident.

Referring to the military operations by Russia in Ukraine and the announcements of new rounds of sanctions by the Western countries on Moscow, Kondapalli said, "the retaliation, counter retaliation has led to the renewal of the Cold War between the western countries and Russia."

Kondapalli discussed the impact of the military action of Russia on the world while addressing an online event organised by Red Lantern Analytica, an international relations observer group based out of New Delhi.

Highlighting the constant deployment of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops and heavy machinery close to the Russian borders since 1999, he said, "NATO membership of the former Soviet Union republics has made sure that the Cold War between West and Russia continued even after the collapse of USSR."

"Russia argues that Ukraine has been violating its sovereignty and integrity. They think that Ukraine may be conspiring to counter Russia and hence the Russian security interests are threatened," he said.

Emphasizing on the close cooperation between China and Russia, he said, "With Russian actions in Ukraine, we may also see China getting emboldened in initiating another Galwan like incident."

Talking about India's potential course of action, Kondapalli asserted that India has to look at "which countries have supported India in the security council."

This comes as the Russian military continues to advance in the capital city of Ukraine, according to media reports. Explosions in parts of Kiev were heard on Friday as Russian forces approached the city, CNN reported on Saturday.

Videos from eyewitnesses show explosions taking place in the Ukrainian capital city as some media reports said Ukraine and Russia are discussing a place and time for talks.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Later, Putin ordered special military operations "to protect" the people in the Donbas region.

Several countries including the UK, the US, Canada, and the European Union have condemned Russia's military operations and imposed sanctions on Moscow.

( With inputs from ANI )