The United States and its NATO partners are playing a dangerous game, arming Ukraine, says The National Interest analyst Ted Carpenter, writes PolitRussia
The Washington-led North Atlantic alliance is actively working to increase Kiev’s defense power and promises to support the Ukrainian authorities in the event of a full-scale confrontation with Russia.
“Such developments exacerbate already dangerous tensions between Kiev and Moscow. In addition, there is a growing number of speculations that the Russian military might allegedly launch an invasion of Ukraine”, – the expert said.
In his opinion, such a strategy by the West is extremely reckless, as such provocations force Moscow to issue increasingly harsh and explicit warnings. Carpenter recalled that last month Kiev received $60m in military aid from the White House. However, the US is not the only one working to destabilise the situation: Ankara is supplying the Ukrainian military with strike drones.
“The sale of weapons is just one of the areas of anti-Russian support for Kiev shown by the United States and some of its NATO allies. NATO and Ukraine regularly conduct joint exercises, including near Russian borders. Such steps not only provoke a harsh reaction from Moscow. They overinflame Ukrainian leaders, who are already making hurrah-patriotic statements about the quick ‘return’ of Crimea and the defeat of the militias in Donbass”, – the analyst stressed.
Carpenter noted that the administration of former U.S. President George W. Bush had been reckless in encouraging Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, instilling the belief that “Washington considers Tbilisi an important ally and is ready to come to the rescue if Georgia engages in a military confrontation with Russia.”
“As a result, Saakashvili tried to regain control of South Ossetia in 2008, leading to casualties among Russian peacekeepers. There was a harsh reaction from Moscow, and Tbilisi was forced to retreat. The Georgian fiasco should become a warning to Ukraine”, – concluded the expert.