white black legal international law journal ISSN: 2581-8503
Peer-Reviewed Journal | Indexed at Manupatra, HeinOnline, Google Scholar & ROAD
Russia Ukraine Geoplitics by - Kapila Patidar & Sanjana Lakhera
Russia Ukraine Geoplitics
Authored by - Kapila Patidar
& Sanjana Lakhera
ABSTRACT
The UN took many steps to stop the situation and maintain peace. In the UNGA meeting different countries' opinions were taken where 141 members voted and 35 countries abstained, India as our country also abstained from voting. This shows the political ideologies of the nation, as India has good trade relations with Russia. All this shows politics which the nations basically took in dealing with the situation.
The researchers mainly concluded that Russia after the second World War was dominated by the US and its allies. Russia faced too many consequences after the formation of NATO. Russia was not getting any tool to increase its power and on 24th February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The research evaluated that Russia unification with Ukraine is erroneous. The steps taken by Russia was very aggressive, they forced Ukraine to be at their side instead they would have made cordial relations with Ukraine. Russia pressure and threat wanted Ukraine to join NATO as this alliance will protect the country. Also, the steps taken by Russia to invade Ukraine caused the violation of human rights and peace.
Key words: NATO expansion, military alliance, Warsaw pact, unification, invasion, peace
INTRODUCTION
The word international relation reminds, words such as war, peace, destruction and so on. So, in view of international relations there are many treaties formulated to maintain the peace, collective defense, protection, and basically maintain a high level of stability in any particular area. After the defeat of Germany in the second World War, two superpowers came into existence, USA & Soviet Union. The spread of communalism was on the peak. The end of the second world war (1939-1945) marked the beginning of the cold war (1945-1980). In response to this the US and its allies created an intergovernmental military alliance entitled as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the paramount military alliance in the world. It is basically created because of the threat posed by the Soviet Union. However, NATO is an alliance made by the three USA, Canada and France.
As this is the military alliance between the US, Canada and other European countries. It was formed in the wake of World War 2 to keep the peace and encourage political and cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Days went on and NATO was expanded and included more and more countries as a result it became a great military power in the world. This created a situation of threat being possessed by the USSR and other countries. In response to the threat possessed by the military alliance when west Germany integrated into NATO and as a result the Warsaw pact was formed. The Warsaw treaty organization (WTO), officially the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, commonly known as Warsaw pact. It was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other eastern bloc socialist republics in May 1955, during the Cold War.
In 2020 Ukraine under the presidentship of Vladimir Zelensky ought to join NATO but on the other hand Vladimir Putin, Russian president, denied the same. The reason behind Russia denying Ukraine to join NATO is of utmost importance, as the purpose suggests that, if Ukraine joins NATO there are high chances that Russia would not be able to invade Ukraine. Therefore, according to Article 5 of the Washington treaty, if any NATO member country is attacked by non- NATO member country, then all other countries will help the NATO member country.
So, to understand the Russia Ukraine geopolitics with NATO scenario we will go back to the history of NATO and connect the same with the present situation.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
NATO[1] is an alliance of thirty countries that border the North Atlantic Ocean. The alliance includes the United States, Canada, most European union members, the UK and Turkey. It was framed to provide collective security against the Soviet Union[2]. It was the first peacetime military alliance. It is generally assumed that NATO was formed as a result of the threat possessed by the Soviet Union, but it is partially true. There was a far-flung perspective of creation of the tremendous military alliance, forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence in the continent and encouraging European political integration.
The alliance’s founding treaty was signed in Washington in 1949[3] and its headquarters are situated in Brussels (Belgium). In the beginning the member countries included Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, UK, US and Canada. As the time went on the military power of NATO started expanding, recognized as NATO expansion. In the year 1952, the countries like Greece, Turkey, Germany and Spain also joined hands with NATO.
As the time unfolds and NATO was disseminating its position on the other hand, the Soviet Union couldn't keep its hands away and signed the pact in Warsaw, Poland known as Warsaw Pact[4]. The Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO) officially signed the treaty of friendship cooperation and mutual assistance, prominently known as the Warsaw pact (WP). It was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics of central and Eastern Europe in May 1955, during the cold war. The member countries include the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union.
In response NATO adopted the “Massive Retaliation Policy”. It promised to use nuclear weapons if members of the pact attacked. NATO deterrence policy allowed Europe to focus on economic development; it didn't have to build large conventional armies.
In the year 1989, ‘The fall of Berlin Wall’[5] tragic event unfolded in World History. This event marked the falling of the Iron Curtain and there were a series of events that started the fall of communalism in Eastern and Central Europe. In September 1990, east Germany left the pact in preparation for reunification with west Germany. ‘The fall of the Berlin Wall’ marked a sudden change among the USSR and other Warsaw pact countries. So, by the month of October, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland had withdrawn from all Warsaw pact military exercises. The Warsaw pact officially disintegrated in March and July of 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In the year 1991 after withdrawing from the Warsaw pact some of the countries got underway into NATO. These countries include Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. So, even after the decline of the Soviet Union, NATO spread its roots all over the Atlantic Ocean, so as a result of the expansion many more countries are finding their places in the world's largest military alliance, countries include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Albania and Croatia. Following the year in 2017, when Montenegro[6] showed its keen interest for joining the NATO, at this point of time Russia criticized on the other hand Montenegro was praised by the US for sticking to its path of joining the western military alliance in spite of Russian pressure. Russia also demanded the pre-status of NATO that existed before 1997, as it is making the military alliance more powerful and it is basically creating a threat to Russia.
NATO EXPANSION AND RUSSIA EXASPERATION
Russia's displeasure is not of today but, last seven decades of rivalry. It has been seven decades and Russia is still criticizing NATO for being expanded. Add Montenegro into NATO and further decline Russia influences in south east Europe and barricade it from the so called “warm seas” in Europe that could be used as staging grounds for military intervention in the middle east. Russia has declined to assist Montenegro for economic and political aspects. Also, it launched a campaign to undermine the Montenegrin tourism industry which heavily relies on Russian visitors.
In 1991[7] when the USSR broke up into 15 different countries Russia and Ukraine were part of each other similar to India- Pakistan- Bangladesh which were together before 1947. It may be concluded that it is not wrong to unite Russia with Ukraine but it is not the right comparison, before Soviet Union Ukraine was an independent nation and got its independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. The Russian Empire was overthrown in 1917 through the Russian Revolution. Basically, Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire, got its independence and was again invaded by the people who overthrew the Russian Empire. The focus is that Ukraine's urge of independence and nationalism was even before 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was in relief, finally they were dis-attached a bit from Russia and shifted their focus on other European Nations. A survey was conducted in April 2017[8] to know what Ukrainian people want and 53% were in favor of joining the European Union and 46% were in favor of joining NATO and 27% were against it.
Ukraine shares a major part of border with Russia with this it also shares it borders with Baltic countries which are the part of NATO, Finland also shares a sizeable border with Russia although it was not an active member but in 18 May 2022[9], Finland and Sweden both the countries handed their official letters of application to join NATO. From the other side Japan is also the major partner of NATO so Russia is falling over from NATO. Vladimir Putin took some steps to safeguard his nation, had a meeting with US President Joe Biden, on 13th December, talked to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on 14th December, had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and put forward a demand to all of them to give guarantee that Ukraine would not be the part of NATO. The NATO rebut was that Ukraine is an independent sovereign country and is free to make its decisions. Vladimir Putin did not sit still, Russia changed the custom regulations, imports of Russia and Ukraine were put to an end. Vladimir Putin threatened that if Ukraine became a member of the European Union, then their trade relations could hamper and even close down. Russia also offered a loan of $15 billion to Ukraine and also offered cheap gas prices. At that time the president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych bent under Russian pressure and the agreement was about to sign with the European Union but it was suspended as the common citizens of Ukraine opposed it. 21st November 2013, thousands of students assembled at Independence Square to protest it, 30th November 2013 the Ukrainian government used violence against protestors to remove them, the protestors became more aggressive and started doing big protests. On 16th January 2014, the Ukrainian President passed some shameful laws which were undemocratically passed in the Parliament; Freedom of speech, Freedom of assembly and the activities of NGO were restricted. The situation raised a revolution in Ukraine called the “Revolution of Dignity”. The protesters demanded the resignation of the President and he was also accused of corruption. In response roughness was used and the protest changed into riots, 100 protestors with 18 police personnel died. Putin began to realize that he was losing his influence over Ukraine, therefore Russia sent their army to Crimea and started invasion. Crimea was an autonomous region of Ukraine which acted like an independent nation. But in 2014[10], Russia used its troops to capture the country. Ukraine acknowledges the violation of international law so Russia carried out a referendum in Crimea opposing the facts that they were not doing military invasion but have sent their troops for peacekeeping and asking the people over there what they really want. The referendum turned out to be the positive side of Russia, since the referendum was not recognized by any international agency and considered to be illegal. The United Nations (UN) believes Crimea is officially a part of Ukraine.
Further there are so many instances which arise when Russia is criticized, or we can say that on each and every step of increasing the power of NATO Russia shows aggression. Now, let us try to know the purpose behind Russia not wanting to enlarge NATO. As our research is mainly based on geopolitics, what do you mean by geopolitics? As the name suggests the consequences arise between the countries because of geographical location. However, if we talk about international relations they are highly influenced by geographical location. Moreover, in case of Russia- Ukraine geopolitics, Russia shares almost 25% of its boundary with Ukraine, and if in any case Ukraine joins NATO its armies will be deployed at the Russian border and consequently this will create a huge problem for Russia. Not being Ukraine is sharing a border with Russia but also other countries which were earlier added in NATO creating a threat for Russia. So, basically this is the principal cause of Russia’s exasperation of NATO expansion.
UN AND RUSSIA UKRAINE GEOPOLITICS
The universal global organization united nations whose purpose is to maintain peace and security in the world played a vital role in the geopolitics of Russia and Ukraine. The UN, which has 5 principal organizations working under it, aims to promote human rights, reduce international tensions and decrease the possibility of other large- scale conflicts.
It is no secret that the west and NATO want to make Russia bleed, deplete, and pay for its misadventure. Some see this as the West’s quest for a ‘End of History 2.0’. These new geopolitical and geoeconomics chasms make it ever more difficult for the UN to hold together and drive a viable and effective global governance and crises response system in its four projects of peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, and humanitarian response.
As the Russia Ukraine war continues, the UN has been widely criticized for its seeming helplessness in preventing and stopping the conflict. On 26th February 2022 at 9:30 p.m., Ukraine filed for Registration in the International Court of Justice, one of the main organs of the UN. This is basically done by Ukraine as Russia is alleging Ukraine for the acts of Genocide in the region of Luhansk and Donetsk Republic. Ukraine asserted that Russia is making claim of genocide. In response to this, the ambassador of the Russian Federation to the kingdom of Netherlands refused to participate in oral proceedings, which is going to be held on 7 March 2022.
So, at the end of the oral observations from the territory of Ukraine indicated some provincial measures, some of these are to suspend the military operations from the territory of Ukraine. Moreover, it required not to take any action which may aggravate or extend the dispute in the entire region.
However, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, informed the citizens that measures were taken in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in the right of Private defense. Also, the permanent representation of the Russian Federation to the European Union stated in the interview that it was an operation of “Peace enforcement special military operation”.
The reason behind non participation of the Russian Federation is that they asserted that the case did not come under Jurisdiction. But, in spite of one-sided proceedings that has taken place because of the urgent need to protect the people of Ukraine from irreparable harm caused by the Russian Federation.
Finally, the order came out in favor of Ukraine by thirteen votes by two. The Russian Federation has to suspend the military immediately that commenced on 24th February 2022, in the territory of Ukraine. The Russian Federation has to ensure that any units and military that are deployed under the control of Russia are not taking any steps in the suspension of the military. Both parties should refrain from any action which might intend the dispute of the court.
RUSSIA UKRAINE GEOPOLITICS AND NATO
The tension between Russia-Ukraine created a spark in World history. Vladimir Putin - the great superman unleashed the biggest war in Europe since World War II with the justification that modern, western-leaning Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not feel “safe, develop and exist”. Russia kicked off its invasion on 24th Feb 2022[11], with the aim to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. This created a huge panic in the cities of Ukraine and resulted in the death of thousands of people. Towns and cities such as Mariupol lie in ruins and thirteen million people have been displaced- but the question remains: “What was it for all and how will it end?”
On 21st Feb[12], three days before the devastating war Russia declared the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, too self-proclaimed statelets in Donbas controlled by Pro-Russian separatist. After this the federation council of Russia empowered the use of military force abroad and Russian troops overtly entered both territories. The menacing envision launch on the morning of 24th Feb. Vladimir Putin the superpower declared a “special military operation” to “demilitarize and de-nazify Ukraine”. After a while, missiles and airstrikes hit Ukraine, the capital of Kyiv. As the result of large-scale invasion by the Russia Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy executed martial law and general mobilization of all male Ukrainian citizens between 18 and 60, who were banned for leaving the country.
1 March 2022[13], the defense ministry of Russia claimed Kherson is under Russian occupation. Kyiv and Kharkiv are protected by Ukraine soldiers. Russia sends a 40-mile-long convoy to attack the capital city of Ukraine as the Kyiv defense system was stronger than Russia assumed. Russia said that they will only target the military base of Ukraine but it turned out to be false, they started attacking many residential areas in Kharkiv; Freedom Square, Opera House, Concert Hall and even government offices were targeted. In Kyiv, two missiles hit the TV tower and Holocaust memorial. In the present scenario, the President of Ukraine is trying his best to fight the forces of Russia and stated that he will fight till the end. He has even applied for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union which is considered as a symbolic move. According to the latest opinion polls 70% of Ukrainians wanted to be part of the EU and NATO which was invented before the annexation of Crimea.
The attacks on Ukraine are still going on and the present scenario is very alarming. To stop Russia from attacking Ukraine, the US and its allies declared economic sanctions on Russia, they started with targeting money and imposed restrictions on Russian banks. Germany stopped the supply of natural gas from Russia, remarking a very brave move by restricting Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, it resulted in rising gas prices in Germany and not only this country but the whole of Europe is facing economic slowdown. The war triggered a spike in global oil price as Russia and Ukraine are both large importers of oil and natural gases.
OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
The Russia and Ukraine crisis has flabbergasted the whole world. The World is again on two different sides, same as World War I (1914-1919) and World War II (1939-1945) so there is a probability of World War III breaking out. Countries like China have shown support to Russia in this issue while European nations are against it.
Some of the opinions and suggestions of researchers;
- The main reason why Russia wants to invade Ukraine is that Russia is very much concerned about its ‘national security’ and wants Ukraine not to join NATO.
2. Russia wants to restore the Soviet Union and to do so they had two options; either they invade the country or they used peaceful collaboration. Russia before invading took some steps to collaborate peacefully but these steps were forced in Ukraine rather than in their general interest. If Russia tried to make friendly efforts, the situation would have been different.
3. Ukraine's reason for joining NATO was for international security through sharing military resources, it creates a more influential economic block by better import and export opportunities, better pricing of needs and goods and free trade opportunities and these all help to benefit the greater good of Europe.
4. In 2020, it estimated that the US spent just over 3.7% of its GDP on defense, while the average for NATO’s European members was 1.77% of GDP. This shows the US has authority over NATO and through NATO, the US wants to increase its power and establish its influence towards other nations.
5. In the UNGA meeting, some countries abstained from voting, this shows the political ideologies of the nations, so the general interest of our country always prevails.
6. The countries, rather than thinking about political ideologies, should focus on creating a harmonic world where all can live without any danger and should have good relations with each other.
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ABSTRACT War, a conflict between two political groups involving hostilities of considerable duration and magnitude. Some wars are fought internally between rival political factions and others are fought between external enemies and the same war situation is created in Russia and Ukraine in the name of territory and resources. The main objective of the research paper was to investigate the situation of Russia-Ukraine Geopolitical with reference to NATO scenario. The end of World War II marked the beginning of an intergovernmental military alliance entitled NATO.
It was formed to keep the peace and encourage cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. This created a situation of threat to the USSR and other countries so to be at par with NATO, USSR formed the Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO), commonly known as Warsaw pact. 1st July 1991, but NATO was still expanding and even today many European countries want to join NATO. In 2020, Vladimir Zelensky president of Ukraine ought to join NATO but Russian president Vladimir Putin did not like the idea of NATO expansion.
He wanted to stop NATO from expanding as it possesses national security threat under Article 5 of the Washington treaty. Even though Russia put many efforts to stop Ukraine from joining NATO, Zelensky was firm on his decision so Russia was left to take this major step to invade the country which resulted in the contravention of Article 2(4) of UN Charter, which prohibits the use of force against any country. The UN took many steps to stop the situation and maintain peace.
In the UNGA meeting different countries' opinions were taken where 141 members voted and 35 countries abstained, India as our country also abstained from voting. This shows the political ideologies of the nation, as India has good trade relations with Russia. All this shows politics which the nations basically took in dealing with the situation. The researchers mainly concluded that Russia after the second World War was dominated by the US and its allies. Russia faced too many consequences after the formation of NATO.
Russia was not getting any tool to increase its power and on 24th February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The research evaluated that Russia unification with Ukraine is erroneous. The steps taken by Russia was very aggressive, they forced Ukraine to be at their side instead they would have made cordial relations with Ukraine. Russia pressure and threat wanted Ukraine to join NATO as this alliance will protect the country. Also, the steps taken by Russia to invade Ukraine caused the violation of human rights and peace.
Key words:NATO expansion, military alliance, Warsaw pact, unification, invasion, peace INTRODUCTION The word international relation reminds, words such as war, peace, destruction and so on.So, in view of international relations there are many treaties formulated to maintain the peace, collective defense, protection, and basically maintain a high level of stability in any particular area. After the defeat of Germany in the secondWorld War,two superpowers came into existence, USA & Soviet Union. The spread of communalism was on the peak. The end of the second world war (1939-1945) marked the beginning of the cold war (1945-1980).
In response to this the US and its allies createdan intergovernmental military alliance entitled as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the paramount military alliance in the world. It is basically created because of the threat posed by the Soviet Union. However, NATO is an alliance made by the three USA, Canada and France. As this is the military alliance between the US, Canada and other European countries. It was formed in the wake of World War 2 to keep the peace and encourage political and cooperation on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Days went on and NATO was expanded and included more and more countries as a result it became a great military power in the world. This created a situation of threat being possessed by the USSR and other countries. In response to the threat possessed by the military alliance when west Germany integrated into NATO and as a result the Warsaw pact was formed. The Warsaw treaty organization (WTO), officially the treaty of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, commonly known as Warsaw pact.
It was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other eastern bloc socialist republics in May 1955, during the Cold War. In 2020 Ukraine under the presidentship of Vladimir Zelensky ought to join NATO but on the other hand Vladimir Putin, Russian president, denied the same. The reason behind Russia denying Ukraine to join NATO is of utmost importance, as the purpose suggests that, if Ukraine joins NATO there are high chances that Russia would not be able to invade Ukraine.
Therefore, according to Article 5 of the Washington treaty, if any NATO member country is attacked by non- NATO member country, then all other countries will help the NATO member country. So, to understand the Russia Ukraine geopolitics with NATO scenario we will go back to the history of NATO and connect the same with the present situation. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND The end of the second world war, Europe was also split into two parts western bloc led by the USA and eastern bloc led by the Soviet Union. The two great powers at every stage of international politics targeted each other.
NATO_ is an alliance of thirty countries that border the North Atlantic Ocean. The alliance includes the United States, Canada, most European union members, the UK and Turkey. It was framed to provide collective security against the Soviet Union_. It was the first peacetime military alliance. It is generally assumed that NATO was formed as a result of the threat possessed by the Soviet Union, but it is partially true. There was a far-flung perspective of creation of the tremendous military alliance, forbidding the revival of nationalist militarism in Europe through a strong North American presence in the continent and encouraging European political integration.
The alliance’s founding treaty was signed in Washington in 1949_ and its headquarters are situated in Brussels (Belgium). In the beginning the member countries included Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Iceland, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, UK, US and Canada. As the time went on the military power of NATO started expanding, recognized as NATO expansion. In the year 1952, the countries like Greece, Turkey, Germany and Spain also joined hands with NATO.
As the time unfolds and NATO was disseminating its position on the other hand, the Soviet Union couldn't keep its hands away and signed the pact in Warsaw, Poland known as Warsaw Pact_. The Warsaw Treaty Organization (WTO) officially signed the treaty of friendship cooperation and mutual assistance, prominently known as the Warsaw pact (WP). It was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republics of central and Eastern Europe in May 1955, during the cold war.
The member countries include the Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria. The treaty called on the member states to come to the defense of any member attacked by an outside force and it set up a unified military command under Marshal Ivan S. Konev of the Soviet Union. In response NATO adopted the “Massive Retaliation Policy”. It promised to use nuclear weapons if members of the pact attacked. NATO deterrence policy allowed Europe to focus on economic development; it didn't have to build large conventional armies.
In the year 1989, ‘The fall of Berlin Wall’_ tragic event unfolded in World History. This event marked the falling of the Iron Curtain and there were a series of events that started the fall of communalism in Eastern and Central Europe. In September 1990, east Germany left the pact in preparation for reunification with west Germany. ‘The fall of the Berlin Wall’ marked a sudden change among the USSR and other Warsaw pact countries. So, by the month of October, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland had withdrawn from all Warsaw pact military exercises. The Warsaw pact officially disintegrated in March and July of 1991 following the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In the year 1991 after withdrawing from the Warsaw pact some of the countries got underway into NATO. These countries include Poland, Czech Republic and Hungary. So, even after the decline of the Soviet Union, NATO spread its roots all over the Atlantic Ocean, so as a result of the expansion many more countries are finding their places in the world's largest military alliance, countries include Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Albania and Croatia.
Following the year in 2017, when Montenegro_showed its keen interest for joining the NATO, at this point of time Russia criticized on the other hand Montenegro was praised by the US for sticking to its path of joining the western military alliance in spite of Russian pressure. Russia also demanded the pre-status of NATO that existed before 1997, as it is making the military alliance more powerful and it is basically creating a threat to Russia. NATO EXPANSION AND RUSSIA EXASPERATION Russia's displeasure is not of today but, last seven decades of rivalry. It has been seven decades and Russia is still criticizing NATO for being expanded.
Add Montenegro into NATO and further decline Russia influences in south east Europe and barricade it from the so called “warm seas” in Europe that could be used as staging grounds for military intervention in the middle east. Russia has declined to assist Montenegro for economic and political aspects. Also, it launched a campaign to undermine the Montenegrin tourism industry which heavily relies on Russian visitors. In 1991_ when the USSR broke up into 15 different countries Russia and Ukraine were part of each other similar to India- Pakistan- Bangladesh which were together before 1947.
It may be concluded that it is not wrong to unite Russia with Ukraine but it is not the right comparison, before Soviet Union Ukraine was an independent nation and got its independence from the Russian Empire in 1918. The Russian Empire was overthrown in 1917 through the Russian Revolution. Basically, Ukraine was part of the Russian Empire, got its independence and was again invaded by the people who overthrew the Russian Empire. The focus is that Ukraine's urge of independence and nationalism was even before 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Ukraine was in relief, finally they were dis-attached a bit from Russia and shifted their focus on other European Nations.
A survey was conducted in April 2017_ to know what Ukrainian people want and 53% were in favor of joining the European Union and 46% were in favor of joining NATO and 27% were against it. Ukraine shares a major part of border with Russia with this it also shares it borders with Baltic countries which are the part of NATO, Finland also shares a sizeable border with Russia although it was not an active member but in 18 May 2022_, Finland and Sweden both the countries handed their official letters of application to join NATO. From the other side Japan is also the major partner of NATO so Russia is falling over from NATO.
Vladimir Putin took some steps to safeguard his nation, had a meeting with US President Joe Biden, on 13th December, talked to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, on 14th December, had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and the President of Finland Sauli Niinistö and put forward a demand to all of them to give guarantee that Ukraine would not be the part of NATO. The NATO rebut was that Ukraine is an independent sovereign country and is free to make its decisions. Vladimir Putin did not sit still, Russia changed the custom regulations, imports of Russia and Ukraine were put to an end.
Vladimir Putin threatened that if Ukraine became a member of the European Union, then their trade relations could hamper and even close down. Russia also offered a loan of $15 billion to Ukraine and also offered cheap gas prices. At that time the president of Ukraine Victor Yanukovych bent under Russian pressure and the agreement was about to sign with the European Union but it was suspended as the common citizens of Ukraine opposed it. 21st November 2013, thousands of students assembled at Independence Square to protest it, 30th November 2013 the Ukrainian government used violence against protestors to remove them, the protestors became more aggressive and started doing big protests.
On 16th January 2014, the Ukrainian President passed some shameful laws which were undemocratically passed in the Parliament; Freedom of speech, Freedom of assembly and the activities of NGO were restricted. The situation raised a revolution in Ukraine called the “Revolution of Dignity”. The protesters demanded the resignation of the President and he was also accused of corruption. In response roughness was used and the protest changed into riots, 100 protestors with 18 police personnel died. Putin began to realize that he was losing his influence over Ukraine, therefore Russia sent their army to Crimea and started invasion.
Crimea was an autonomous region of Ukraine which acted like an independent nation. But in 2014_, Russia used its troops to capture the country. Ukraine acknowledges the violation of international law so Russia carried out a referendum in Crimea opposing the facts that they were not doing military invasion but have sent their troops for peacekeeping and asking the people over there what they really want. The referendum turned out to be the positive side of Russia, since the referendum was not recognized by any international agency and considered to be illegal. The United Nations (UN) believes Crimea is officially a part of Ukraine.
Further there are so many instances which arise when Russia is criticized, or we can say that on each and every step of increasing the power of NATO Russia shows aggression. Now, let us try to know the purpose behind Russia not wanting to enlarge NATO. As our research is mainly based on geopolitics, what do you mean by geopolitics? As the name suggests the consequences arise between the countries because of geographical location. However, if we talk about international relations they are highly influenced by geographical location.
Moreover, in case of Russia- Ukraine geopolitics, Russia shares almost 25% of its boundary with Ukraine, and if in any case Ukraine joins NATO its armies will be deployed at the Russian border and consequently this will create a huge problem for Russia. Not being Ukraine is sharing a border with Russia but also other countries which were earlier added in NATO creating a threat for Russia. So, basically this is the principal cause of Russia’s exasperation of NATO expansion. UN AND RUSSIA UKRAINE GEOPOLITICS The universal global organization united nations whose purpose is to maintain peace and security in the world played a vital role in the geopolitics of Russia and Ukraine.
The UN, which has 5 principal organizations working under it, aims to promote human rights, reduce international tensions and decrease the possibility of other large- scale conflicts. It is no secret that the west and NATO want to make Russia bleed, deplete, and pay for its misadventure. Some see this as the West’s quest for a ‘End of History 2.0’. These new geopolitical and geoeconomics chasms make it ever more difficult for the UN to hold together and drive a viable and effective global governance and crises response system in its four projects of peace and security, sustainable development, human rights, and humanitarian response. As the Russia Ukraine war continues, the UN has been widely criticized for its seeming helplessness in preventing and stopping the conflict. Yet, the UN has not been inert.
Guterres and the UN’s key intergovernmental institutions, some influential and powerful UN member-states, and stakeholders that the UN convenes and influences (such as the private sector, civil society, academia, and media) have indeed tried to be proactive in confronting Russia to complement the western sanctions against it, rather than cajoling or engaging it before or during the war. Whether that moves the needle towards constructive diplomacy and peace or irretrievably pushes Russia on a path of no return from escalation of conflict, including a nuclear one, is the critical question.
It is also important to consider whether this undermines or strengthens the UN’s credentials as a neutral mediator and peace maker. Indeed, Guterres has made several unequivocal statements on Russia’s culpability since Moscow recognized the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk on 21st February 2022, and then began its war with Ukraine on 24th February. “We are seeing Russian military operations inside the sovereign territory of Ukraine on a scale that Europe has not seen in decades. This unilateral military offensive is against all principles of the UN charter, wrong, unacceptable but not irreversible.”
He argued that continuing the war was “morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensible”. Warning that the conflict was not heading anywhere and that, eventually each city would have to be conquered street by street, he urged an end to the “absurd and unwinnable war started by Russia, On the discovery of the mass graves in Bucha, he expressed shock and asked for an independent investigation.
He subsequently told the UNSC that “we are dealing with the full-fledged invasion, on several fronts” of Ukraine and “with several aims, including redrawing the internationally-recognized borders between the two countries.” He cited the High Commissioner for Human Rights as apprehending possible war crimes, grave breaches of international humanitarian law, and serious violations of international human rights law. He deeply regretted the divisions that had “prevented the Security Council from acting not only on Ukraine, but on other threats to peace and security around the world.”
In the UNGA_ meeting a majority of 141 members voted for the resolution, 35 abstaining (including India, China, South Africa, Bangladesh, Armenia, and namely Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea, Russia and Syria - voted against the resolution. The resolution strongly deplores Russia ‘s aggression upon Ukraine stating it is a clear violation of Article 2(4) of the UN charter which prohibits the threat of the use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of another country. It demands Russia to immediately cease its use of force against Ukraine, and withdraw its military forces from the country. RUSSIA UKRAINE GEOPOLITICS AND NATO The tension between Russia-Ukraine created a spark in World history.
Vladimir Putin - the great superman unleashed the biggest war in Europe since World War II with the justification that modern, western-leaning Ukraine was a constant threat and Russia could not feel “safe, develop and exist”. Russia kicked off its invasion on 24th Feb 2022_, with the aim to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine. This created a huge panic in the cities of Ukraine and resulted in the death of thousands of people. Towns and cities such as Mariupol lie in ruins and thirteen million people have been displaced- but the question remains: “What was it for all and how will it end?” On 21st Feb_, three days before the devastating war Russia declared the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, too self-proclaimed statelets in Donbas controlled by Pro-Russian separatist. After this the federation council of Russia empowered the use of military force abroad and Russian troops overtly entered both territories.
The menacing envision launch on the morning of 24th Feb. Vladimir Putin the superpower declared a “special military operation” to “demilitarize and de-nazify Ukraine”. After a while, missiles and airstrikes hit Ukraine, the capital of Kyiv. As the result of large-scale invasion by the Russia Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy executed martial law and general mobilization of all male Ukrainian citizens between 18 and 60, who were banned for leaving the country. 1 March 2022_, the defense ministry of Russia claimed Kherson is under Russian occupation. Kyiv and Kharkiv are protected by Ukraine soldiers.
Russia sends a 40-mile-long convoy to attack the capital city of Ukraine as the Kyiv defense system was stronger than Russia assumed. Russia said that they will only target the military base of Ukraine but it turned out to be false, they started attacking many residential areas in Kharkiv; Freedom Square, Opera House, Concert Hall and even government offices were targeted. In Kyiv, two missiles hit the TV tower and Holocaust memorial. In the present scenario, the President of Ukraine is trying his best to fight the forces of Russia and stated that he will fight till the end.
He has even applied for Ukraine’s membership in the European Union which is considered as a symbolic move. According to the latest opinion polls 70% of Ukrainians wanted to be part of the EU and NATO which was invented before the annexation of Crimea. The attacks on Ukraine are still going on and the present scenario is very alarming. To stop Russia from attacking Ukraine, the US and its allies declared economic sanctionson Russia, they started with targeting money and imposed restrictions on Russian banks.
Germany stopped the supply of natural gas from Russia, remarking a very brave move by restricting Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, it resulted in rising gas prices in Germany and not only this country but the whole of Europe is facing economic slowdown. The war triggered a spike in global oil price as Russia and Ukraine are both large importers of oil and natural gases. OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS The Russia and Ukraine crisis has flabbergasted the whole world. The World is again on two different sides, same as World War I (1914-1919) and World War II (1939-1945) so there is a probability of World War III breaking out.
Countries like China have shown support to Russia in this issue while European nations are against it. Some of the opinions and suggestions of researchers; 1. The main reason why Russia wants to invade Ukraine is that Russia is very much concerned about its ‘national security’ and wants Ukraine not to join NATO. 2. Russia wants to restore the Soviet Union and to do so they had two options; either they invade the country or they used peaceful collaboration.
Russia before invading took some steps to collaborate peacefully but these steps were forced in Ukraine rather than in their general interest. If Russia tried to make friendly efforts, the situation would have been different. 3. Ukraine's reason for joining NATO was for international security through sharing military resources, it creates a more influential economic block by better import and export opportunities, better pricing of needs and goods and free trade opportunities and these all help to benefit the greater good of Europe. 4. In 2020, it estimated that the US spent just over 3.7% of its GDP on defense, while the average for NATO’s European members was 1.77% of GDP.
This shows the US has authority over NATO and through NATO, the US wants to increase its power and establish its influence towards other nations. 5. In the UNGA meeting, some countries abstained from voting, this shows the political ideologies of the nations, so the general interest of our country always prevails. 6. The countries, rather than thinking about political ideologies, should focus on creating a harmonic world where all can live without any danger and should have good relations with each other.
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