Richard Branson calls for business to stand behind Ukraine

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson released a blog
post called, “My thoughts on Ukraine and Russia” on Jan. 27. Branson stated
that as a long standing opponent of war, he had brought Ukrainian and Russian
businessmen together in 2014 to become “advocated for a peaceful resolution” of
the conflict at that time. He noted that even Russian businessmen who agreed
with him would not sign a document calling for peace because of their fear of
the Russian government.

Branson said that it’s a war that Russia cannot win,
and that the Russian people would come to this realization, especially after
the “inevitable Ukrainian insurgency” begins and military casualties mount, as
they did in Afghanistan.

He ends the post with: “For business leaders, this is
the moment to come together and stand up for Ukraine’s sovereignty. Even if it
comes at a price, all of us should send a clear message that unilateral
aggression is always unacceptable and that the global business community will
support the full range of sanctions against any nation that seeks to violate
the sovereignty of another.”

James Hydzik: Branson’s call for business to stiffen its resolve is commendable.
Will it sway anyone? It might, if there’s a large enough shift from the status
quo. However, the likelihood of a creeping build-up, of small steps and slices,
is more likely than a blitzkrieg. Global businesses would understand massive
sanctions in the event of a massive invasion. Convincing them might take more
work.