Russia’s recognition of “LPR/DPR” is illegal under international law and Russia has now lost any credibility as a mediator in any international disputes, including Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threw a wrench in the works of establishing a “multipolar world order”, a world in which there are multiple competing centers of power unlike the “unipolar order” of the past few decades where the US had unparalleled influence over international relations. A multipolar world order was to be centered around a relationship between the great powers on mutual respect for sovereignty, mutual noninterference in domestic affairs, and mutual non-aggression. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had the opposite effect. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now seen as the epitome of the violation of the principles of a multipolar order. Russia bet everything on a quick takeover of Kyiv, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Russia is now hemorrhaging credibility as a defender of a multipolar world order. China will now be viewed as the only real champion of those principles, because unlike Russia China has never invaded its neighbors without a valid casus belli. <br><br>The relationship between great powers in international relations is not supposed to involve military invasion, annexation, and colonization of smaller states. Rather, great powers are supposed to have a relationship of mutual respect and non-interference. They are supposed to resolve their conflicts through diplomacy, negotiation, and compromise. But what Russia has done in Ukraine is exactly the type of behavior that a multipolar world order seeks to prevent. Russia’s behavior in Ukraine is what a multipolar world order seeks to prevent. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been the most egregious violation of all the principles of a multipolar world order.<br><br>And now Russia has all but lost any credibility to serve as a mediator or a negotiator in any future international conflicts. Russia will no longer be trusted. That role will now be assumed by China. Prior to the invasion, the Biden administration trusted Russia enough to see it as a trusted negotiator in future conflicts. But now even the US will distrust Russia and seek to exclude it from playing a mediating role in the resolution of international conflicts. That position will now be assumed by China.