Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put NATO in the biggest test of its 73-year history.
This conflict is being fought on the eastern borders of NATO member countries. Many NATO allies fear that this will be Russia's next target.
The NATO alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, France and Germany, is sending more troops to Eastern Europe.
However, the United States and Britain have said they have no plans to send troops to Ukraine.
What is NATO?
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was formed in 1949 as a political and military alliance for the joint defense of its member states in the early stages of the Cold invade.
In addition to the United States and Canada, the main purpose of this alliance, formed by 10 European countries as a result of World invade II, was to deal with the then Soviet Union.
After emerging as a victor in the conflict, a large number of Soviet troops were present in Eastern Europe, and Moscow had established considerable influence in many countries, including East Germany.
The German capital, Berlin, was occupied by the victorious armies of World invade II, and in mid-1948 Soviet leader Joseph Stalin began the blockade of West Berlin, which was then jointly under American, British and French control. Was
The confrontation in the city was successfully avoided, but the crisis accelerated the formation of an alliance to counter the Soviet power.
 |
| The NATO alliance was founded in 1949, early in the Cold invade |
In 1949 the United States and 11 other countries (Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, Iceland and Luxembourg) formed a political and military alliance.
Greece and Turkey joined the organization in 1952, and West Germany joined in 1955.
On the other hand, in 1955, Soviet Russia formed a separate military alliance of the communist countries of Eastern Europe to counter NATO, called the Warsaw Pact (Warsaw Pact).
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, many of the countries in the Warsaw Pact switched allegiances and became members of NATO.
There are currently 30 countries in the NATO alliance.
What is Russia's problem with NATO and Ukraine?
Ukraine is part of the former Soviet Union, which shares borders with both Russia and the European Union.
It has a large Russian population and close social and cultural ties with Russia. The Kremlin sees Ukraine as its closest ally, and recently Russian President Putin called Ukraine part of Russia.
In recent years, however, Ukraine has had high hopes for the West. Joining the European Union and NATO is part of its constitution.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO but its 'partner country', which means that Ukraine is allowed to join the alliance at any time in the future.
Russia wants assurances from Western powers that this will never happen, but the United States and its allies say Ukraine, as a sovereign state, should have the freedom to decide on its security alliance. They cannot stop Ukraine from joining NATO.
What other concerns does Russia have?
Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Western powers are using the alliance to encircle Russia and wants NATO to suspend its military activities in Eastern Europe.
He has long insisted that the United States rescind its 1990 guarantee that the NATO alliance would not expand in the East.
The United States has said no such guarantee was given.
NATO rejects Russia's claims that a small number of its member countries share borders with Russia and that it is a defense alliance.⬇️
What has NATO done in the past with regard to Russia and Ukraine?
When Ukraine ousted its pro-Russian president in early 2014, Russia annexed the southern Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. It also supported pro-Russian separatists who occupied much of eastern Ukraine.
NATO did not intervene directly, but for the first time, it responded by sending troops to Eastern European countries. These forces are designed as a "trip wire" in the event of a Russian attack on NATO countries.
The alliance has four multinational combat groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, and one multinational brigade in Romania.
NATO has also stepped up its air policing in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe to prevent any Russian aircraft violating its member states' borders.
Russia wants to withdraw its forces from the area.
What has NATO done so far in the current crisis?
The United States has sent about 3,000 troops to Poland and Romania to protect NATO's eastern borders, and has ordered an additional 8,500 troops ready. However, the United States has no plans to send troops to Ukraine.
The United States has also shipped 200 200 million worth of weapons, including the Julian anti-tank missile and the Stinger anti-aircraft missile. The United States has also allowed other NATO members to supply US-made weapons to Ukraine.
The United Kingdom has provided 2,000 short-range anti-tank missiles to Ukraine, as well as 350 troops to Poland and 900 to Estonia.
Britain, along with other NATO warships, has sent more aircraft to Southern Europe and the Royal Navy's RAF to patrol the Eastern Mediterranean.
The United Kingdom has also ordered 1,000 troops to be ready to help with the humanitarian Crisis following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Some NATO members, including Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands, have also sent fighter jets and warships to Eastern Europe.
What is NATO preparing to do now?
NATO has alerted hundreds of warplanes and ships and will increase troop numbers along its borders with Russia and Ukraine.
It can activate its response force of 40,000 troops. In addition, NATO could form additional combat groups in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia, as the alliance has four multinational combat groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, while Romania already has a multinational brigade.
Also read : How was Nagasaki chosen to drop the atomic bomb?
Follow please
0 Comments