U.S. and NATO Beat the Drums of War over Ukraine

April 13 , 2021 (EIRNS)—Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, among others, gathered in Brussels today to sound the alarm about Russia’s alleged “massive military buildup” along Ukraine’s border and warn Russia to immediately cease its “provocative” actions or suffer “the consequences.” No consequences were spelled out, but war talk is in the air—as stupidly dangerous as that is. In almost ID format, every single speaker and public statement made in the course of today’s meetings insisted that Russia has massed the “largest military force along the border since 2014,” while reminding people of Russia’s alleged “illegal annexation of Crimea,” and lying that it has turned its back on the Minsk agreements and all efforts to de-escalate tensions in eastern Ukraine. Blinken repeatedly referred to Russia’s “provocative” and “aggressive” behavior.

Ukraine wants membership in NATO now, to have access to its Article 5 that states that an attack on one member country is considered an attack on NATO as a whole. Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanishyna made that clear in an article published in Foreign Policy saying that NATO’s response to Russia’s aggression is “insufficient” and demanding immediate negotiations for a membership action plan for the country. In an outrageous denial of historical fact, Foreign Minister Kuleba claimed that Ukraine should join NATO because it “belongs to the world of democracies, to the Western world—this is a very clear message NATO can send to Russia. Ukraine isn’t part of the Russian world and will never be considered as such.” Prior to his private meeting with Blinken, Kuleba repeated to the media how pleased he was that the “Euro-Atlantic” countries are standing by Ukraine, and that Ukraine “stands by the principles and values of the Euro-Atlantic community.” Confident of military backing, he warned Russia that should it not cease its aggression, the actions taken against it—by the West presumably—will prove “too heavy a burden to bear.”

During his joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, following a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Kuleba said he “expects” international allies to “deter Russian aggression.” He suggested new sanctions or more direct military support to strengthen Ukraine’s defenses. Demanding that Russia cease and desist from its “provocative” behavior, Stoltenberg announced that it is the “sovereign right” of every nation to apply for NATO membership, but it is the right of the 30 allies-members to decide when membership should be offered. This is important, he said, because right now Russia “is trying to establish some kind of sphere of influence” reminiscent of the era when big powers could decide what neighbors could do. “So therefore we strongly support the sovereign right of Ukraine to apply, and to decide its own path, and then for the 30 allies, and only the 30 allies, to decide when the standards are met,” Stoltenberg said.