Obama asserts Russia's war is 'far from over'; calls for steadfast support to Ukraine

Former American President Barack Obama, on Friday, warned that Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine is far from over and would have far-reaching consequences. Addressing Copenhagen Democracy Summit on Friday, Barack Obama reckoned, “Make no mistake, this war is far from over. The costs will continue to mount." Furthermore, calling for “strong and sustained" aid to Ukraine, he underscored that the trajectory of the war remains unpredictable. 

His remarks came as the Russian invasion of Ukraine transcended 100 days. Lauding the fierce resistance of the Ukrainian soldiers and civilians against the military aggression, the former US President said that it was because of the indomitable “courage” that Russian President Vladimir Putin had still not been able to achieve his desired strategic objectives within the eastern European country. 

Obama said, "They (Ukrainians) have united to defend not just their sovereignty, but their democratic identity. Their actions have rallied much of the world behind the values of self-determination and human dignity — it's inspiring."

Obama had slapped sanctions on Russia during Crimean invasion 

Notably, Obama was the serving US President when Russia first annexed a part of Ukraine and declared Crimea as a State in the year 2014. During the Crimean war, he had slapped sanctions on the Russian Federation, however, they were mild as compared to the embargoes under the Biden regime. Earlier in the war, Obama had said that he was 'encouraged' by stringent measures and sanctions on Moscow and Russian oligarchs by countries, quintessentially Western democracies and that it would not be easy to get countries' reactions to the Russia-led war eight years ago. 

"Russia did so not because Ukraine posed a threat to Russia but because the people of Ukraine chose a path of sovereignty, self-determination, and democracy," Obama had said at the outset of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. "Ukraine now faces a brutal onslaught that is killing innocents and displaying untold numbers of men, women and children," he had added. 

On the pretext of carrying out a 'special military operation', Putin began explosions and bombings across Ukraine on February 24. Dismissing all international orders and warnings, the Kremlin continued its offensives and caused fear across Kyiv over its highly-anticipated alliance with NATO. As days passed and countries announced heavy sanctions on the Russian economy, an unperturbed Putin launched incessant military offensives in Kyiv for a week.

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