Munich Policy: Expert Explains Why the West Tried to Appease Putin for So Long

Professor of Political Science at the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy,” Oleksiy Haran, stated that the West had long adhered to a Munich-style policy of appeasing the aggressor in relation to Putin — but Ukraine changed that, Politeka reports.

He shared these insights during the program Free Media Space.

“The Munich betrayal. Since then, the word ‘Munich’ has come to symbolize the policy of appeasement toward an aggressor. Yes, because that was exactly what it was — a policy of appeasement. We give him as much as he wants, we turn a blind eye just to avoid war. So ‘Munich’ is a synonym for that kind of policy. This term is frequently used in international relations, even before the events in Ukraine,” Oleksiy Haran explained.

Given Putin’s actions, he noted, we can see that the world once again failed to mount a proper response — and the aggressor interpreted that as encouragement to continue. In this sense, parallels can be drawn with Hitler. As the guest reminded viewers, Putin first launched a war in Georgia, creating the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Then came Syria, Crimea, Donbas — and finally, due to the lack of a strong international reaction, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“This is a continuation of the Munich policy. The West imposed sanctions, supported Ukraine — but it was all insufficient. The West did not act decisively enough. Especially after Georgia — it wasn’t tough enough. After Syria, after Crimea — and Putin drew his conclusions,” Haran stated.

According to the professor, today, it is obvious that many in the West now see the parallels between Putin and Hitler — although even before 2022, many scholars, political scientists, and historians had spoken about this, it just hadn’t gained enough traction. But after February 24, 2022, he notes, the West’s perspective began to shift. There has been a significant evolution — particularly in Germany, in the United States — and gradually, the West began to act more firmly and to give more support to Ukraine.

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