A Ukrainian woman holds a sign reading "Nato wake up" as another demonstrator holds an Ukrainian flag during a demonstration in solidarity with the Ukrainian people in Bayonne, southwestern France.
NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, is united against Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But that has failed to deter Vladimir Putin from pursuing his war plan.
Where does it taking the current crisis? A ceasefire is unlikely in coming days and the present remarks and actions by the NATO and other allies are only adding more fuel to fire because whether we buy it or not, Putin's recent statement "sanctions are declaration of war" has some sense.
Talks are the only solution, before and after war
Centuries of experience have taught us there is never a solution if you don't talk, the dialogue has to happen. Before Putin launched his 'Special Military Operation' against Ukraine, US and EU have been urging Moscow to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis but ended up putting the first sanctions against Russia, which triggered its offensive.
And ever since then, as the intensity of the Russian attack has increased manifold, so are the US, European, and other ally nations' attempts of isolating Russia with sanctions.
Russia entered hot war, opponents entered a cold one
Though there is no justification for Moscow's military operation against Ukraine, destroying a beautifully developed country, when time and talks could have resolved the matter, it seems the West is too making the same mistake.
Instead of sitting at the negotiation table, it's flashing its power to further increase its dominance and the situation is getting grim. Once again let's remember Putin's statement -- sanctions are a declaration of war.
A look at some proposed fresh attempts by West to pressure Russia:
- The US has requested proposals from companies to integrate the Baltic states into the NATO air defense system. Around 3,000 American volunteers on stand-by to confront Russia in Ukraine as part of an international battalion.
- UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statement of continuing to increase economic pressure on Russia from his 6-point agenda.
- Biden administration attempts to further "intensify efforts to separate Russia from its remaining international allies"; to name a few.
Will Putin take all this?
The Russian President has already launched a war, not a solution at least in this era, but the West, EU, NATO -- who pretend to be 'mature' -- do not seem acting like one.
Negotiations are a two way process. Even the leaders know that in the end only talks will resolve or at least halt the crisis, so till a point when the situation really touches the brink, let's try to take as much as benefits one can. This means isolating Russia, diplomatically, economically, the US seems to gain from it the most and when the stomach becomes full, then they will get on the negotiation table to digest.
But, it may be too late then. If there is any right time then it is now. The NATO allies must sit together with Russia to solve the crisis because Ukraine is facing one of the worst humanitarian crisis if not a military one.
Putin does not care about sanctions, and they know it, why make Ukraine suffer more.
Amid all this, China has also slammed US, NATO, EU saying they should pay attention to the negative impact of NATO's eastward expansion.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the “evolution” of the situation in Ukraine is “something China does not want to see” in a phone call with US Secretary of State Blinken, according to a statement from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported by CNN.
Wang Yi called on the US, NATO, and the EU to “pay attention to the negative impact of NATO’s continuous eastward expansion on Russia’s security."
The present crisis is actually a conflict between the West, NATO, EU vs Russia. Ukraine has just been made a scapegoat.
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