Despite the grim situation on the ground, NATO is reluctant to intervene directly in the conflict – including the creation of a no-fly zone – other than to support Ukraine’s resistance to an invasion that kills innocent civilians.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the no-fly zone over Ukraine was not an option being considered by the Alliance. “We agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating over Ukrainian airspace or NATO troops on Ukrainian territory,” he said.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is a group of 30 North American and European countries. According to NATO, its goal is “to ensure the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.”
The alliance was formed in 1949 in response to the beginning of the Cold War. Its original purpose was to protect the West from the threat of the Soviet Union. Since the end of the Cold War, many former Soviet nations have joined NATO, much to Putin’s chagrin.
What does it mean to be a member of NATO?
Being part of NATO means taking an active part in the day-to-day discussions on security and defense issues affecting the Alliance. This could range from strategic measures to combat cyber warfare to the relocation of troops within NATO’s borders to protect other members, as happened during the crisis.
Members have to spend 2% of national GDP on defense each year, although few members have done so in recent years.
The most famous aspect of the alliance is Article 5 of the Treaty, which, if used, means “an attack on one ally is considered an attack on all allies”.
Article 5 has been used only once in response to the terrorist attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001.
However, the Alliance may take measures for collective defense without invoking Article 5, and states that it has done so in the light of the Russian attack on Ukraine.
What is a no-fly zone?
A no-fly zone is an area where certain aircraft cannot fly for a number of reasons. In the context of a conflict like the one in Ukraine, this is likely to mean an area where Russian planes are not allowed to fly, to prevent them from carrying out air strikes against Ukraine.
NATO has already imposed no-fly zones in non-member countries, including Bosnia and Libya. However, this is always a controversial move because it means semi-involvement in conflict without the full involvement of the ground forces.
What will happen if NATO imposes a no-fly zone?
The problem with no-fly zones is that they have to be imposed by military force. If a Russian plane enters a no-fly zone, then NATO forces will have to take action against that plane. These measures may include shooting the plane from the sky. In Russia’s eyes, this would be an act of war on the part of NATO and is likely to escalate the conflict.
Why didn’t NATO impose a no-fly zone?
Neither Ukraine nor Russia are members of NATO. Putin clearly sees NATO as a direct threat to his authority and has recently criticized its enlargement to Russia, using it as an excuse to invade Ukraine.
As a result, NATO is extremely reluctant to participate directly in the conflict in Ukraine with a competitive nuclear power. While supporting Ukraine’s resistance and acknowledging Putin’s actions as an invasion of a sovereign nation, the alliance is simply unwilling to do anything that could be interpreted as a direct act of war against Russia and risk escalating that could lead to the use of of nuclear weapons.
Why does Russia feel threatened by NATO?
Putin has long believed that Russia made a bad deal after the collapse of the Soviet Union – something he called “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”
He complains that over time, NATO has expanded its borders to include Eastern European countries that were once part of the Soviet Union – meaning that Russia now shares a land border with the world’s largest military alliance, thus reduces its geopolitical power in what was once Moscow’s sphere of influence.
As early as February, he urged NATO to return to the 1997 borders before the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, the latter two bordering Russia, join the alliance.