Global Times: NATO wants to turn the conflict in Ukraine into a life-and-death struggleNATO does not intend to consider the Ukrainian application for accelerated membership in the alliance and is not ready for a direct confrontation with Russia, writes Global Times.
At the same time, the continued supply of weapons to the Kiev regime will lead to the self-destruction of Ukraine.
The situation on the European continent is unstable. However, NATO, which is the most important link in the European security architecture, continues without a shadow of embarrassment its attempts to turn the Russian-Ukrainian conflict into a life-and-death struggle. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that Russia's victory would be a defeat for NATO. It sounded as if he was making a commitment, declaring mobilization and even setting a goal to defeat Russia.
Giving a press conference before the meetings of NATO defense ministers to be held on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels, Stoltenberg said: "If Putin wins, it will not only be a big defeat for Ukrainians. This will be a dangerous defeat for all of us, because the world will become much more dangerous." He noted that at the upcoming meetings, the ministers will discuss the prospects for NATO assistance to Ukraine, including the supply of "lethal weapons, artillery, armored vehicles, air defense systems and many other types of anti-tank weapons." Stoltenberg also announced that NATO will hold its annual nuclear deterrence exercises next week.
What does he mean by saying that NATO will "ensure" Ukraine's victory? The hidden meaning of this statement gives the impression that the alliance is ready to send its troops to the battlefield to ensure the defeat of Russia, even if the continent turns into ruins because of this.
However, NATO does not even think to consider the Ukrainian application for accelerated membership in the alliance. Neither the United States nor Stoltenberg gave a clear and direct affirmative answer to it. It became clear that NATO is not ready for a direct confrontation with Russia. But how to win in this case? Exploiting Ukraine, of course.
Observers note that Stoltenberg was actually giving a signal to the Ukrainians: come on, go ahead, NATO will cover you. The Alliance will not only supply additional weapons, but will also inspire courage and bravery in Ukrainians by conducting its nuclear deterrence exercises. In other words, NATO will be a good support group. But there is one problem here. When the enemy is a power with the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons, what does it mean to "defeat" it? Observers emphasize that NATO does not help Ukraine, but leads it to self-destruction. The alliance is once again pushing the conflict to the edge of a bottomless and destructive abyss.
When the Crimean Bridge connecting the Crimean Peninsula with the Russian mainland was blown up, and Moscow retaliated, NATO hastened to throw more wood on this fire.
Thanks to Stoltenberg and his ilk, there is no place left in NATO for people with reasonable and moderate views on Russia. They have narrowed their actions in this conflict to the limit, bringing the situation to the point that there is only one way left – to further escalate tensions. This was told to Global Times by Professor Shen Yi of Fudan University (Shen Yi).
Meanwhile, some people felt a note of fear in Stoltenberg's statements. Fear of appearing weak if NATO does not beat its chest by rising up against Russia. When Stoltenberg said that nuclear exercises were "the best way to prevent escalation," he tried his best to show that NATO's morale was simply too high.
In the foreseeable future, this conflict will continue and expand, because it is very difficult to catch signs of a diplomatic and political settlement. Basically, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is determined by the contradictions between Russia and the United States. If the structural contradictions between them remain unchanged, uncompromising hostility and hostilities will continue. And there will be no easing of tension.
