NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels to discuss the ‘long-term security implications’ of Russia’s response to the US-UK-EU inspired coup in Kiev, and the massive movement of workers in the east of the Ukraine, who have refused to recognise the Kiev government.
Russia intervened in the Ukraine after the bloody coup overthrew the elected government of President Yanukovych, because he refused to turn his back on Russia and turn to the crisis-ridden EU.
After the coup, the population of the Crimea held a referendum demanding that the Crimea become part of Russia, and Russia responded to the request by taking it back.
The eastern Ukrainian regions also refused to accept the Kiev government, declaring ‘People’s Republics’ and resisting, arms in hand, the Kiev government’s ground and air attacks on the region.
The coup in Kiev, supported by NATO, has led to revolution and civil war in the Ukraine, with NATO due to have exercises in the Ukraine next month!
The NATO talks in Brussels will focus on what further action NATO member states will take in Eastern Europe.
On Monday, Russia’s envoy to the NATO bloc said that there would be a response to NATO increasing its forces in Europe. Aleksandr Grushko warned that Russia will take ‘measures of a military character’ should there be major NATO deployments.
‘We shall wait and see what the ministers decide,’ he said. ‘But if it means additional deployment of substantial NATO military assets in central and eastern Europe, and we are hearing calls for just that, then even if it takes place as a troops rotation we will have difficulty viewing it as anything other than a direct breach of obligations in the fundamental Russia-NATO documents including the Founding Act.’
He added: ‘All this could cast Europe back to the days of the Cold War and launch an arms race. NATO needs to understand that if it treads this path it cannot expect Russia to respond with restraint in its own troop deployments, as set out in the Founding Act. But it is not our choice.’
He added: ‘Many in the West acknowledge NATO itself is going through a crisis … So they found an entirely trumped-up pretext, the Ukrainian crisis, which was provoked by the West itself, in order to puff up the myth of the threat from the East, and, on the back of that, to revive and cement the alliance, to secure an increase in military spending, purchases of arms and equipment,’ Grushko said.
He concluded: ‘We cannot but be concerned by calls to adjust the alliance’s nuclear strategy and to speed up construction of the missile defence system, which is evidence of their real purpose. All these measures are inappropriate and excessive, and weaken security and predictability in the Euro-Atlantic region.
‘As is known, in military matters what is taken into account is potentials, not intentions, which, as recent events have shown, can change. Therefore, if we see that NATO approaches in relation to Russia translate into relevant action in the field of military development and are expressed in NATO’s military potential shifting towards the “eastern front”, we shall take necessary measures so that Russia’s security does not suffer.’
The truth of the matter is that the world crisis of capitalism is driving imperialism to war to reorder the world. Having destroyed Iraq and Libya, and financed intervention in Syria, it is battling to gobble up the Ukraine and Belarus, on the road to Moscow.
The formation of the Eurasian Union and the developing relationship between Russia and China are seen as a threat to the almighty dollar and a further cause for war. This is why you have the spectacle of the US backing fascist militias in the Ukraine and embracing and helping to revive and rearm Japanese militarism in the East.
The Russian and Chinese workers are entitled to defend themselves by military means, but these means alone will not bring peace and rid the world of capitalism and imperialism.
The Ukrainian workers are refusing to join the EU. The Greek and other EU working classes want to overthrow it. The US and UK workers are facing low or no pay and austerity because of the world crisis of capitalism.
The real defence of Russia and China, and all those nations that imperialism wants to oppress is through organising the victory of the world socialist revolution.
This means building sections of the Fourth International in every country to overthrow capitalism and and imperialism and replace them with worldwide socialism.
This is the only way forward to worldwide peace, security and prosperity.
