Bond: The war in Ukraine started in 2014; there are differences between Kosovo and Crimea

Former British diplomat Ian Bond said that the war in Ukraine had actually started in 2014 with Russia's invasion of Crimea, and added that there were differences between Kosovo and Crimea, Danas reports.

Bond, who is now the head of the organization Center for European Reforms, at the beginning of the conversation with journalists from Serbia, recalled the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin to former American President George Bush: "Ukraine is not a country."

Asked when he expected the war to end, Bond replied that it was a difficult question, "because neither side is investing enough to stop the war".

"For Ukrainians, this is a fight for survival. I think the war will certainly continue for some time," Bond said.

He said that the Ukrainian army had been bad in 2014 and 2015 and that regardless of everything, Putin still believed in NATO, and that was why he did not attack those countries that are members of the Alliance, such as the Baltic countries.

"When Russian soldiers entered Crimea, the West asked both sides to refrain. The Ukrainians didn't fire a shot, but that's why the Russians occupied Crimea and the West did nothing," Bond says.

According to him, what provoked Putin was weakness, and that's why he attacked Ukraine because he had thought it had been weak.

"However, for now, Putin is stopped," Bond points out.

He states that Ukrainians who spent the previous year in the basement will certainly not feel closeness to Russia.

According to him, Putin would like to cut off Ukraine from the sea, to destroy their economy.

Bond does not expect the West to send planes to Ukraine, but adds that it could send helicopters.

"Putin has done terrible things. Ukrainians are the victims here. Putin is a gambler, he will make some new moves and see what happens," Bond says.

When asked where Putin's red lines were, he said that it could be a Ukrainian attack on Crimea, or on any other Russian territory, that is, on territory that Putin considered Russian.

"Any loss of Russian territory could put Putin in a corner. But I don't see the possibility that he would use nuclear weapons. Neither Russia nor the West," Bond emphasizes.

When asked to compare Kosovo and Crimea, he replied that there were differences in how "Kosovo got here and how Crimea got here".

"It would be legitimate to say that under international law, Kosovo is part of Serbia, and Crimea is part of Ukraine. A more difficult argument would be that Kosovo should be part of Serbia, and Crimea should be part of Russia. Moscow would like to make that argument," Bond points out.

As he explains, Serbia needs to decide whether it wants to be a part of the EU, and that would then mean implementing the EU's policy.

"Perhaps it would be easier for Serbia to make those choices if EU enlargement were real. If I were Putin, I would try to offer the Western Balkans an alternative to the EU, but he only has gas and oil to offer," Bond explains.