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Ukraine is a partner country of NATO, an alliance to which several countries, such as the US, belong.
Faced with the possibility of an invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the NATO countries they close rows.
Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are weighing how far they should go to help Ukraine against this invasion.
The alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, France and Germany, among others, is stepping up military preparedness, especially since the presence of Russian troops on the Russia-Ukraine border.
But what is NATO and what is the historical relationship between this alliance and Moscow?
What is NATO?
NATO is a military alliance formed in 1949 by 12 countries, including USA, Canada, UK and France.
Its members agree to come to mutual aid in the event of an armed attack against any member country.
Its purpose was originally counter the threat of expansion of the USSR in Europe after World War II.
In 1955, the USSR responded to NATO by creating its own military alliance of communist countries in Eastern Europe, with the so-called Warsaw Pact.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, several former Warsaw Pact countries became members of NATO. The alliance now has 30 members.
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What is Russia’s current problem with NATO and Ukraine?
Ukraine is a former Soviet republic that borders Russia and the European Union.
It is not a member of NATO, but it is a “partner country”, which means that it can be allowed join the alliance in the future.
Russia wants assurances from Western powers that this will never happen, something the West is not prepared to offer.
Ukraine has a large population of ethnic Russians and close social and cultural ties with Russia. Strategically, the Kremlin sees it as its backyard.
What else is Russia worried about?
President Putin claims that Western powers are using the alliance to encircle Russia and wants NATO to cease its military activities in Eastern Europe.
He has long argued that the US broke a guarantee it gave in 1990 that NATO would not expand eastward.
NATO rejects Russia’s claims, saying only a small number of its member states share borders with Russia and that it is a defensive alliance.
Many believe that the current Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border may be an attempt to force the West to take Russia’s security demands seriously.
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What has NATO done in the past in Russia and Ukraine?
When the Ukrainians deposed their pro-Russian president in early 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in southern Ukraine. He also backed pro-Russian separatists who captured large swathes of eastern Ukraine.
NATO did not intervene, but responded by placing troops in several Eastern European countries for the first time.
It has four battalion-sized multinational battle groups from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland; and a multinational brigade in Romania.
It has also expanded its aerial surveillance in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe to intercept any Russian aircraft crossing the borders of member states.
Russia has said it wants these forces gone.
What commitments has NATO given Ukraine?
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Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO has put battle groups in Eastern Europe
US President Joe Biden has said that Russia would pay a “very high price” for invading Ukraine.
The US has put 8,500 combat-ready troops on alert, but the Pentagon says they will only be deployed if NATO decides to activate a quick reaction force.
He added that there are no plans to deploy troops in Ukraine itself.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that any further military escalation “would come at a high price for the Russian regime: economic, political and strategic.”
Downing Street said Britain agrees “allies must agree swift retributive responses including an unprecedented sanctions package.”
Is NATO united about Ukraine?
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NATO has stepped up its military defenses in Eastern Europe
President Biden has said there is “complete unanimity” with European leaders on Ukraine, but there have been differences in the support that different countries have offered.
The US says it has sent 90 tons of “lethal aid”, including ammunition, to Ukraine for “front-line defenders”. The UK is supplying short-range anti-tank missiles.
Some NATO members, including Denmark, Spain, France and the Netherlands, are sending fighter jets and warships to Eastern Europe to bolster defenses in the region.
However, Germany has rejected Ukraine’s request for defensive weapons in line with its policy of not sending lethal weapons to conflict zones. Instead, he will send medical help.
Meanwhile, President Macron of France has been calling for a dialogue with Russia to calm things down.
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