What is NATO? How are NATO nations helping Ukraine amid growing fears of Russian invasion?

On January 28, 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a warning against the assumption that "there is war here" and international concern about Russia's confrontational approach towards Ukraine has grown steadily since then. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied any intention of an invasion. Moreover, contrary to his statements, Putin has amassed a force of over 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, and the US is preparing to send thousands of troops.

The United States (US) has also requested that the United Kingdom (UK) and other NATO partners send hundreds of troops to Eastern Europe. Putin has stated that he will step down if NATO refuses to allow Ukraine to join the alliance - a demand that has been rebuffed. Understanding NATO and its relationship with Ukraine helps in understanding the gravity of this ultimatum from the Ukrainian President.

What is NATO?

NATO is a military alliance made up of the United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and eight other European nations. NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, was established in 1949 with the primary goal of acting as a deterrent to Soviet expansion in Europe following WWII. Apart from that, the US saw it as a tool to prevent the rise of nationalist inclinations in Europe and promote political integration on the continent.

Since then, more nations have joined NATO, the most recent being North Macedonia in 2020. The group now includes 30 countries. On the suburbs of Brussels, NATO's 4,200 staff personnel and member country embassies are based. The alliance collaborates with the UN. The organisations, on the other hand, are not the same. NATO's military alliance is prepared to wage war if required. Peacekeeping, political discussions, and other methods are used by the UN to try to prevent war.

"Collective defence" is a core, traditional NATO principle. This means that an attack on one or more members is treated as an attack on the entire group. The United States, for example, sees NATO's military mandate broadly as the right to employ force if the interests of its members are threatened. During the Cold War, NATO traditionally responded to Russian military threats and served as a bulwark against future Soviet assault.

In the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine, countries might vote by consensus to respond with military force to protect members. However, because Ukraine is not yet a NATO member, this military force would not be able to immediately safeguard Ukraine under the collective defence principle.

Ukraine is not a NATO member but since 2008, when it applied for a Membership Action Plan, it has been a "partner country". It may be allowed to join the alliance in the future as a result of this. Russia is seeking assurances from Western powers that this will not occur.

Some NATO members have been delivering military aid to Kyiv as Russia has stockpiled over 100,000 troops along the Ukrainian border. While US and EU leaders have made diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions with Moscow, several of Russia's geopolitical objectives, such as NATO enlargement to former Soviet states, are seen as "nonstarters".

Since 2014, when Russia occupied and annexed Crimea, the European Union has provided loans and grants to Ukraine, and on February 1, 2022, it announced an additional financial aid of €1.2 billion ($1.35 billion) to assist the country amid the current situation.

NATO nations' support to Ukraine

Canada has pledged $340 million in immediate assistance to Ukraine, as well as the extension and expansion of Operation UNIFIER, the military training and capacity-building mission of the Canadian armed forces in Ukraine. The United States has sent 2,000 troops from the United States to Germany and Poland, transferred 1,000 troops from Germany to Romania, and offered a $200 million military aid package that includes 300 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 79 tonnes of security support.

​In support of NATO's long-standing air-policing operation in the region, Denmark sent a frigate to the Baltic Sea and four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania. After getting authorisation from Washington to transfer the weapons, Latvia and Lithuania also began transporting Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. In April, the Netherlands will send two F-35 fighter jets to Bulgaria to bolster NATO's air-policing operations in the region, as well as ship and land-based forces for NATO's Response Force.

​Spain is deploying ships to NATO's naval forces and may send fighter jets to Bulgaria. Moreover, ​Estonia is supplying Ukraine with Javelin anti-tank missiles. Further, Ukraine has already received anti-tank drones from Turkey. Anti-tank missiles, as well as personnel to educate Ukrainians in their use, have been delivered to Ukraine by the United Kingdom. ​Germany, on the other hand, is sending a field hospital to Estonia and has declared that 350 troops will be deployed to Lithuania to support a NATO battle group.

​The Polish government has given its approval for the delivery of air-defense weapons, ammunition, and drones to Ukraine's armed forces. With the transfer of 4006 152-millimeter shells in January, the Czech Republic sent artillery rounds to Ukraine.

While there has been much talk that European governments are split on the conflict, according to a January 2022 report by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), European citizens believe that Russia's invasion of Ukraine will raise serious security issues for Europe, such as energy and immigration. They also agree that Europe has a responsibility to respond to the crisis, with a majority of respondents favouring NATO and EU action.

Image: AP