Is NATO force capable of saving Ukraine from Russian invasion?

Ground Report | New Delhi: NATO force Ukraine; Amid rising tensions in Eastern Europe posed by threats posed by NATO and Ukrainian forces on Russia's western borders, the West continues to claim that Moscow is preparing to attack Kiev. Russia has stationed 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, and  NATO is sending ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe.

The foreign ministers of the European Union (EU) agreed, at a meeting this Monday (24.1.2022), that "any new military aggression by Russia against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs," according to a joint statement.

Meanwhile, despite the continuous military support for Kyiv, as the West provides it with weapons, ammunition, equipment and even training and an elite group of fighters, Washington confirms that it will not engage by sending military personnel to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden ruled out sending military personnel to Ukraine in the event of the alleged "Russian invasion", although Washington has already deployed a few hundred of its soldiers, whom it is believed that the Pentagon will have to withdraw to avoid an escalation with dire consequences.

American presence

The US military presence in Ukraine is not new, and since 2015, there have been soldiers from the US National Guard training the Ukrainian army, along with soldiers from other NATO countries, especially Germany and Canada, which sent some of its elite forces to Kyiv weeks ago, according to a report of Agence France-Presse.

In late November, about two hundred reservists from the Florida National Guard arrived at the Yavoriv International Training Center in western Ukraine, to engage in a training and assistance mission for the Ukrainian army.

The Pentagon said at the time that it had deployed soldiers to Ukraine as part of an advisory and assistance mission on a rotating basis and that they were participating in the exercises, and expected this mission to continue.

A spokesman added: "We continue to monitor the situation on the ground, and we have to take decisions to protect our forces, and we will do so." Washington claims that Moscow is ready to launch the alleged attack on Ukrainian territory "at any time", which the Russian Foreign Ministry has just denied.

NATO forces move

The North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) with troops from 29 countries, including the United States and the European Union, strengthens its positions in Eastern Europe.

This was confirmed this Monday, January 24, by the general secretary of the military organization, Jens Stoltenberg, who assured that the organization has placed its forces on alert and reinforced its presence in the area with more ships and combat aircraft.

NATO "will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies, including strengthening the eastern part of the alliance," Stoltenberg said. These recent steps are a further sign that the West is preparing for an eventual Russian attack on Ukrainian soil. In the border areas, Vladimir Putin's forces have deployed more than 100,000 troops, according to Kyiv estimates.

But Moscow now cites the Western response as the evidence to support its narrative that Russia is the target, not the instigator, of aggression. Likewise, it accuses the United Kingdom, the United States and the member countries of the EU of "hysteria" and of publishing information "mixed with lies".

"In terms of specific actions, we see statements from the North Atlantic Alliance about reinforcements, pull forces and resources to the eastern flank. All this leads to the fact that tensions are rising (…) This is not happening because of what we Russia, we are doing. All this is happening because of what NATO and the United States are doing and because of the information they are spreading," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

But Brussels has not been deterred by Russian rhetoric, and in recent hours the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said the 27-nation bloc is prepared to defend itself, including possible Russian cyberattacks.

"We will be ready to respond. We also seek to help Ukraine with cyber and hybrid threats," he said after concluding a meeting with EU foreign ministers.

Also, the European Commission announced that it will allocate 1,200 million euros to Kyiv to help the nation meet the needs arising from the conflict with Russia. Ukraine "is a sovereign country that makes its own decisions" and Brussels supports it, emphasized Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. (NATO force Ukraine)

Special Forces

In addition to reservists, the US Army has deployed elite Special Forces, soldiers, to Ukraine, where they are participating in training the Ukrainian Special Forces, a US Defense Department spokesperson told AFP.

"For security reasons, we cannot disclose their number," the spokesman said. US Special Forces generally deploy small groups of elite soldiers as trainers to act semi-independently, according to the report.

"Soldiers play a major role in the development of Ukraine's special forces by verifying their training. Our support and training are dedicated to strengthening relations (with Kyiv) and underlining the United States' commitment to ensuring that Ukraine succeeds in being stable and free," the spokesman added.

American soldiers train their Ukrainian counterparts in the use of weapons specifically provided by Washington to Ukraine, particularly light weapons, patrol ships and anti-tank missile launchers.

On Wednesday, the United States announced the allocation of an additional 200 million dollars in security assistance to Ukraine, an amount in addition to 450 million dollars previously allocated.

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