Daily Times

The Russia-Ukraine war is likely to spread to some Baltic States and Europe if the Biden administration keeps on fueling the fire, and fiddling with the strategic affairs between Russia and Ukraine. Both countries have lost many turning points in their negotiations since the day the hot pursuit erupted between them. The US hegemonic approach has caused devastation in several cities of Ukraine along with humanitarian and strategic loss of billions of dollars for both countries, Russia and Ukraine.

The first shipments of a new US military aid package have arrived at Ukraine’s borders, a senior Pentagon official confirmed to the US media on Monday. Last week, the United States unveiled a $800 million tranche of equipment for Ukraine, including helicopters, howitzers and armoured personnel carriers. The package includes 18 155mm howitzers for the first time, as well as 40,000 artillery rounds, 200 M113 armoured personnel carriers, 11 Mi-17 helicopters and 100 armoured multi-purpose vehicles.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the first shipment had arrived 48 hours after President Joe Biden authorised the aid delivery at an “unprecedented speed.” He also said the soldiers deployed on the eastern flank of NATO territory since the start of Moscow’s invasion will begin “in the next several days” to train Ukrainian soldiers to handle the howitzers, which are the latest generation of that weapon.

The recent scaling up of the aid to Ukraine reflects the aim and objectives of the Biden administration, hand in hand with NATO. Obviously, US and NATO countries cannot afford to lose Ukraine to its previous political tilt – a pro-Russian state as it was by the Revolution of Dignity in 2005. The US and NATO have spent millions of dollars over a decade to strengthen Ukraine politically and strategically against Russia. Finally, they wish to give Ukraine the NATO membership to make NATO countries’ presence possible on the Ukrainian borders with Russia.

The US and NATO have spent millions of dollars over a decade to strengthen Ukraine politically and strategically against Russia.

The fight is on for the last two months. Insane approaches for vested interest are winning over the humanity and peace of the region. Fresh heavy military aid to Ukraine spells out the US strategy towards Russia. The US and the Western countries are already discussing invocation of NATO’s Article 5, collective defence, against Russia. They are preparing a strong case for the people and taxpayers in their countries in two ways. One they have banned the Russian and the pro-Russian media around the world. You can listen and watch only the US and Western media. Pakistan is not behind in complying with the US direction. You cannot watch or listen to any Russian stance, a voice in their favour or any reflection from the Russian quarters. Secondly, the US and its allies are encouraging war migration to their countries to show their natives the “intensity” enraged by Russia in Ukraine. One-sided stories to charge the public against Russia.

Recently, Ukraine’s two neighbouring countries, Finland and Sweden, have also shown their willingness to consider NATO membership. Russia has warned them too. One of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest allies warned NATO on Thursday that if Sweden and Finland joined the US-led military alliance then Russia would deploy nuclear weapons and hypersonic missiles in a European exclave. Finland, which shares a 1,300-km (810-mile) border with Russia, and Sweden are considering joining the NATO alliance in the next few weeks.

Ukraine’s comedian-turned politician President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced in a video address a day before that Russia has launched its long-feared, full-scale ground offensive to take control of Ukraine’s east on Monday, attacking along a broad front over 300 miles (480 kilometres) long. He marked it the opening of a new and potentially climactic phase of the war. “The Russian troops have begun the battle for the Donbas, and a significant part of the entire Russian army is now concentrated on this offensive.”

The Donbas is Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the east, where Moscow-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia. In recent weeks, the Kremlin declared the capture of the Donbas its main goal of the war after its attempt to storm Kyiv failed allegedly. After withdrawing from the capital, Russia began regrouping and reinforcing its ground troops in the east for an all-out offensive.

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy who was found weeping in front of the TV cameras a few days back is confident now to defend its territory, saying: “No matter how many Russian troops are driven there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do it every day.”

His is high after having received fresh military aid from the US, which has to further escalate the situation. The conflict is likely to engulf the neighbouring countries too. NATO is all out there waiting for the escalation to rise enough to invoke Nato’s Article 5 – collective defence of one or more countries against any armed aggression by an enemy to one or more than one Nato member. Seems that President Biden shall be hatching a plan for a wider escalation – from a new cold war to another world war. God forbid.

The writer is a freelance journalist and broadcaster, and Director Devcom-Pakistan. He can be reached at devcom.pakistan@gmail.com and tweets @EmmayeSyed.