Watch above: a Saskatchewan professor says western military help for Ukraine may happen after the downing of Flight MH17
SASKATOON – The downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH 17 over Ukraine could push western nations to provide military help to Ukraine.
That’s according to Professor Bohdan Kordan, a political studies professor at the University of Saskatchewan, and director of the Prairie Centre for the Study of Ukrainian Heritage.
He told Global Saskatoon’s Morning News that the downing of the jet – likely by Russian separatists – may be a “game-changer” in how western countries view the conflict.
“You have Dutch citizens who are victims of this crash, and so the Dutch government is in a position to call on its European allies to ask for justice,” he said.
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Kordan said the Canadian government has been clear that the conflict has a much wider implication than just Ukraine, and added the Obama administration has also been hoping that European countries will take a more forceful stance with Russia.
“This may be the game-changer, because at the core of this is the moral implications of what kind of environment will play out in Europe,” he said.
“The Ukrainians have indicated what they require is intelligence, reconnaissance, and they require ultimately the kind of sophisticated technology that would put an end to the struggle. The United States and European allies have indicated they are reluctant to do this,” he said.
“But this again, in light of the unwillingness of both Russia and the separatists to cease the conflict, this may very well be the outcome.”
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