Ukrain-Russia tensions

Why tensions between the two?

-Russia wants guarantees that Ukrain its neighbour, a former Soviet state, will be permanently barred from joining the United States-led NATO alliance.

What is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance . It was formed in 1949

NATO constitutes a system of collective security, whereby its independent member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.

The NATO headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium, while the headquarters of Allied Command Operations is near Mons, Belgiu

The NATO has steadily expanded its orbit, bringing a swathe of central and eastern European states into its ranks after the USSR collapsed.

Currently NATO has 30 member states.

The enlargement has troubled Moscow, which is wary of the alliance edging ever closer to its borders and hemming it in from the West.

-Moscow has also called for to cease all military activity in Eastern Europe, blaming it for undermining security in the region.

-But Western leaders have rejected those demands. They have argued the Kremlin cannot be allowed an effective veto on Kyiv’s foreign policy decisions and defended NATO’s “open door policy”, which grants any European nation the right to ask to join .

About Ukrain?

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country by area in Europe after Russia, which it borders to the east and north-east.

Ukraine regained its independence in 1991, following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine is the poorest country in Europe, suffering from a very high poverty rate as well as severe corruption.

Ukraine is one of the largest grain exporters in the world

It also maintains the third-largest military in Europe after Russia and France.

In a show of force, Russia has massed more than 100,000 troops around Ukraine’s borders and sent sweeping security demands to Washington and the Brussels-headquartered alliance.

In response, NATO, the US and its European allies have been scrambling to negotiate with Moscow and de-escalate the situation.

Why does Ukraine want to join NATO?

Ukraine has repeatedly stated its intention to become a NATO member state – an objective that is written into the country’s constitution.

Joining the alliance would boost Ukraine’s defensive strength, because of NATO’s principle of collective defence. That principle – set out by Article 5 in NATO’s founding treaty – means an attack against one ally is considered as an attack against all allies, committing them to protect one another.

Does NATO support Ukraine?

In 2008, NATO leaders promised Ukraine it would one day be given the opportunity to join the alliance.

NATO members are yet to be convinced Kyiv has done enough work to eradicate corruption and meet the other political, economic and military criteria required to enter the alliance .

NATO’s members may also be wary of Ukraine joining them may lead to direct conflict with Russia

All 30 NATO allies must unanimously approve a new country becoming part of the alliance.