Ukraine conflict could 'spin out of control', turn into NATO-Russia war, warns Stoltenberg

Jens Stoltenberg, General Secretary of NATO, said to Norwegian broadcaster NRK that the Russia-Ukraine war should not escalate into a Russia-NATO war. He said that he has no doubts that a full fledged war is a possibility. According to him, it is crucial to ensure the Russia-Ukraine conflict does not turn into a full fledged war with Europe i.e. a Russia-NATO war. The Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that the Kremlin might consider adopting the concept of preemptive strike, something that is already a part of US strategic doctrine. It is not clear if Moscow is genuinely considering this change or if Putin was just making a rhetorical point.

"It is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between NATO and Russia. We are working on that every day to avoid that," he said, as per a report from the Guardian. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the battle for Bakhmut continues. According to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the city of Bakhmut is now burnt ruins. 

Contextualising Russia's strikes on Ukraine

Russia, as of now, is not carrying out firebombing on Ukraine, like the US did on Japan, or the napalm bombing, that the US carried out in Vietnam. Russia has for long found western lectures about human rights hypotricial. On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin accepted on camera that Russia is carrying out strikes on Ukraine's critical infrastructure. He asked "who started it? Who bombed the Crimea bridge?" He went on to say that when the US does it, no one complains but when Russia does it, everyone complains. Since the war began, US President Joe Biden has maintained some form of restraint and avoided giving Ukraine weapons that would turn the war in Ukraine into a full fledged war with NATO. 

Article 5 of NATO

A war with NATO will have grave consequences for the world, as a war with NATO would mean a war between US and Russia. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which is the founding treaty of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), states that an attack on one member of the alliance shall be considered an attack on all members. This principle, known as collective defense, is a key part of NATO's mission and is intended to provide a deterrent against aggression against any member of the alliance.

The implications of Article 5 are significant, as it commits NATO member states to come to the defense of any other member that is attacked. This means that if one member of NATO is attacked, all other members are obligated to provide assistance, including military support if necessary. This principle is seen as a crucial element of NATO's ability to protect its members and to maintain regional stability in Europe and North America.