The invasion of Ukraine by Russia is an unequal fight and a David vs Goliath contest, journalist and political scientist Fareed Zakaria said in an exclusive interview with India Today on Saturday.
Zakaria said that Russia has a very strong army and the odds are stacked against Ukraine. "President Vladimir Putin rebuilt the Russian army from the collapse of the USSR, they operate very well," he said.
Responding to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin's objective in Ukraine, Zakaria said that his priority would be a regime change in the country and to set up a puppet regime.
"He (Putin) talks about ridding the country of Nazis and drug dealers, which is absurd. The President and Prime Minister of Ukraine are both Jews," Zakaria said.
The invasion by Russia isn't only about the Soviet Union but the Russian empire, the journalist said, adding that Georgia and Ukraine seem to be the crown jewel of old Russian empire.
While Russia's action on Georgia was a calculated move, the Ukraine invasion seems much larger and much more of a gamble, Zakaria added. "He [Putin] sees himself as a Tsar. All great Tsars added more territory to the Russian empire," he said.
Responding to a question about India's decision to abstain from voting on a UN Security Council resolution condemning Russia's "aggression" against Ukraine and demanding withdrawal of Russian forces, Zakaria said the decision hasn't been received very well globally.
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Calling the invasion of Ukraine by Russia the greatest diplomatic crisis for India since the end of Cold War, Zakaria said India has to figure out its strategic vision. He said India's strategy for a forseeable future would be based on the rise of China and it should figure out where does its national interest lie.
Asked if the invasion by Russia would embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a bid for Taiwan, Zakaria answered in affirmative.
"It would be embolden him because you are seeing the fraying of this rules-based order. That's all that is restraining him in a certain sense because he knows that their military has the capacity to do it. What is stopping him is the moral, political and perhaps economic cost that China would pay in doing it," Zakaria said.
However, Zakaria said that both the countries are different and with its actions in Georgia, Syria and Ukraine, Russia has turned into a "geopolitical rogue" state.
On the other hand, China is not a declining power desperately searching for some way to pump itself up into a kind of moment of glory. It is a rising power which continues to rise economically and technologically. It is looking for greater political influence that comes out of it, he added.
"China has so far been fairly rational and calculating in what it does. There is no example like Georgia or Ukraine that you have seen with regard to China. But without any question, this would embolden China, make China feel that there are no restraints left. The barriers to entry for bad behaviour in the international system have been lowered and that's one of the reasons why I think India should think very long and hard. Does it want to live with a China for the next 30-40 years that is far more powerful than India and feels completely unrestrained by international law and international legitimacy," Zakaria added.
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