RUSSIA has launched a devastating attack on Ukraine. Bombs rain down on cities and hundreds have died already.
What is the reason for these attacks?
Russia is resisting the movement of Ukraine in the European Union (EU) and the West’s defensive military alliance, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Russia is accusing NATO of threatening its historic future as a nation.
Way back to the early 1990, NATO and Ukraine developed into one of the most substantial partnerships. Their partnership is mutually beneficial especially when it comes to defense and related security reform.
Is this a threat to Russia?
NATO is a defensive alliance of 30 countries from Europe and North America. It is open to any other European state in a position to further the principles of its Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.
It promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defense and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict. When it comes to military alliance, it is committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes. If diplomatic efforts fail, it has the military power to undertake crisis-management operations.
NATO is committed to its principle of collective defense that an attack against one or several of its members is considered as an attack against all.
Its core tasks are collective defense, crisis-management, and cooperative security.
But it should be noted that Ukraine is not a NATO member. Ukraine is a NATO partner country, which means that it cooperates closely with NATO. It is not covered by the security guarantee in the founding treaty.
Since the partnership of NATO and Ukraine, the former is helping to coordinate the country’s requests for assistance. Its member countries are sending weapons, ammunition, medical supplies, and other vital military equipment to Ukraine. They are also offering humanitarian aid to civilians and opening their borders to Ukrainian refugees.
One of these was when NATO helped to train, fund and reform Ukraine’s armed forces and defense institutions when Russia illegally and illegitimately annexed Crimea in 2014. Thus, Russia wants NATO to remove its forces and military infrastructure from Ukraine. Additionally, it doesn’t want NATO to deploy strike weapons near Russia’s borders.
Russia considers itself and Ukraine as one nation. According to its president, Vladimir Putin, modern Ukraine was entirely created by communist Russia. He is compelling it not to join an association treaty with the EU and even accept back up from NATO.
What now?
We have to brace ourselves for the worst. As of the moment, there is no diplomatic way out even if there are talks./PN
