New Delhi | Jagran World Desk: Russia’s declaration of war on Ukraine and subsequent destruction of Kyiv’s military installations has led to broader ripple effects all over the world, particularly for NATO countries. Several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv have come under attack with many fearing the fall of capital as well.
Ukraine-Russia crisis: What is Russia's reasoning to start the war?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which came into being in 1949, is believed to be the primary irritant for Russia which stoked Russia-Ukraine crisis. Before the breakout of war, Ukraine had categorically declined to deny the possibilities of it not joining the NATO. President Putin on Thursday had reasoned the expansion of NATO up until its borders as one of the reasons behind ‘special military operations’ inside Ukraine.
How NATO came into being?
Soviet forces following the end of world war two, refused to withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe. Soviet troops encircled Berlin in 1948, prompting the US and allied nations to form a military alliance. The US along with 11 other member countries founded NATO in 1949. The other founding members were Britain, France, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Iceland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, and Denmark. Today, NATO has 30 member countries.
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As per NATO’s founding principles, if a NATO country is invaded, it is considered an invasion of all NATO member countries. All NATO member countries, thus, act against the invasion.
Why Russia finds NATO against its National interests?
The US and the Soviet Union were two superpowers after the end of World War two. Following the end of Cold War, on December 25, 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed into 15 new countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.
After Soviet Union’s collapse, the US remained the only superpower in the world in what scholars later defined an era of Pan-Americanism.
NATO’s expansion continued in the era of Pan-Americanism. The countries that came out of the Soviet Union began joining NATO.
Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania joined NATO in 2004. Georgia and Ukraine were offered NATO membership in 2008 but could not due to Russian resistance.
If Ukraine becomes a NATO member, there will be total encirclement of Russia by NATO which Putin deems unacceptable.
What Russia wants from NATO?
Russia wants NATO to stop its expansion in Eastern Europe. Putin is demanding a guarantee from NATO that Ukraine would not be given NATO membership. He also wants NATO to retreat to pre-1997 status and stop deployment of weapons in Russia’s neighbourhood.
Ukraine got independence in 1991 after disintegration of the Soviet Union. There are two parts of Ukraine eastern and western. Ukrainians living in the eastern part consider themselves closer to Russia and those in the western part are aligned to European Union. In 2014, Russia had annexed Crimea in east.
Russia-supported rebels have control over large swathes of eastern Ukrainian territories. In this region, Russia has recognised Donetsk and Luhansk as separate nations.
Under the circumstances, Ukraine indicates that it needs a military organisation that can guarantee its protection.