Russia-Ukraine war: Which country is on which side? US, Germany, China, India & more

With Russia going all-out in its war against Ukraine, the world has been divided into two parts for the first time since the Cold War. Several countries have already announced heavy sanctions on Moscow after it ordered troops into the rebel 'republics' of Ukraine and more stringent actions are expected as it declared a full-scale invasion on Thursday. 

But, sanctions will cut both ways. It may be noted that Russia is not just a major player in the oil and gas sector, but also a big player in a number of other commodities and minerals. Even if these are sourced from elsewhere, there will be a price spike leading to global inflation. In such a situation, how much loss will the West be willing to incur in order to 'punish' Russia?

Russia-Ukraine War: Who will support whom

The European countries of NATO - Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States have come out in full support of Ukraine. The US and UK have emerged as the biggest supporters of Ukraine since the beginning of its tensions with Russia.

Germany and France had tried to defuse the controversy by making a speedy visit to Moscow, but after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway Ukrainian regions and ordered Russian troops to deploy there, Germany halted approval of the key Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was followed by sanctions from other Western nations.

Japan, South Korea, Australia, Canada are also supporting Ukraine and have announced additional sanctions on Russia after it began the invasion of Ukraine.

Which countries can side with Russia in the war against Ukraine?

Russia will get the strongest support from China which had already announced that NATO is doing arbitrariness in Ukraine. Ever since Western countries have turned their stance against China, Russia has supported its Asian neighbour. 

Cuba, a close ally of Russia, has sharply criticized the US for imposing the progressive expansion of NATO towards the Russian borders and called for a diplomatic solution to preserve international peace.

Pakistan gets a special mention as its Prime Minister Imran Khan could think of no other time to visit Moscow but now when Russia is in the middle of a war against Ukraine.

Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Belarus once a part of the Soviet Union are expected to support Russia due to the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) agreement signed between the six countries. This means that in case of an attack on Russia, these countries will consider it an attack on themselves. However, President Lukashenko announced on Thursday that Belarusian troops are not taking part in Russia's operation in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan may also avoid rising against Russia in case of a conflict, keeping in mind that Putin had brokered a truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan in its fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region last year. In the Middle East, Iran is one country that can back Russia as it supplied arms to the country and cooperated in the Syrian War.

Russia would also get wholehearted support from North Korea in its war against Ukraine. Not to forget, China and Russia had recently blocked America's attempt to impose sanctions on North Korea at the UN, following a spate of missile launches in the peninsula. 

India maintains neutral stand on Ukraine-Russia crisis

India is one of the most geopolitically important countries in Asia and is typically known for its neutrality and being non-aligned to states despite having strong ties with Russia and the West. 

While India has not appeared to have chosen sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, its voice for peace and global security has not taken a back seat. Recently in France, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar had stressed that 'diplomacy' was the only way forward and that no unreasonable use of force could lead to a peaceful settlement.

Russia-Ukraine War

Less than two days after the West imposed sanctions, Russia on February 24 ordered military operations in Eastern Ukraine's Donbas region. Announcing a special military operation in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin said that the motive behind it was not to 'capture 'the Eastern European country but just to 'demilitarize'.

Urging the Ukrainian troops in Donbas to give up their weapons and 'go home', Putin had said that the fight between Russian and Ukrainian soldiers was 'inevitable'.