(International Observation) The Security Chapter of the "World Shockwave" of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict -- The Intensification of Confrontation between NATO and Russia It is absolutely not the right way to divide security

Beijing, 11 May (Xinhua) -- The Security Chapter of the "World Shockwave" of the Russian-Ukrainian Conflict -- The Intensification of Confrontation between NATO and Russia It is absolutely not the right way to divide security

Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhang Yuan

As the largest military conflict in Europe since the 21st century, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has led to a spiral deterioration of the global and regional security situation. On the one hand, NATO led by the United States continues to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine, while accelerating the pace of military expansion and expansion, which strongly stimulates Russia's security nerves; on the other hand, in order to cope with NATO's military pressure, Russia is considering countermeasures and readjusting military deployment. Tensions on the continent have been rising to the point that Russia has warned that the risk of a nuclear war should not be underestimated.

The development of the Ukrainian crisis to this point is rooted in the FACT that the US-led NATO adheres to the Cold War mentality, indulges in zero-sum games, and is keen on camp confrontation, in a vain attempt to pursue its own absolute security at the expense of harming the security of other countries. Facts have proved that mankind is an indivisible security community, and only by adhering to the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, firmly safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its core, and firmly safeguarding the basic norms governing international relations based on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations can we build a balanced, effective and sustainable global and regional security architecture.

NATO has accelerated its military expansion and expansion

Since the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the US-led NATO has taken a series of actions to intensify pressure on Russia, making the global and regional security situation highly tense.

First, large-scale military assistance was provided to Ukraine. Since Feb. 24, the United States has pledged about $3.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, and the U.S. government is asking Congress to approve an additional $33 billion to aid Ukraine, of which $20.4 billion will be used to provide military and security assistance to Ukraine and support U.S. cooperation with NATO allies and partners to strengthen European security. U.S. Defense Secretary Austin has also set up an international contact group on Ukraine's defense with more than 40 countries, which will regularly discuss and coordinate military assistance to Ukraine.

Second, strengthen the deployment of military forces on the eastern flank. According to a report released by the British Institute for International Strategic Studies before the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, NATO has a total presence of more than 10,000 troops in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Poland and the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on its eastern flank. In late March, after the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, NATO's military presence in the eight countries had increased to about 25,000. In addition, starting May 1, 18,000 servicemen from more than 20 countries are participating in NATO's "Defenders of Europe 2022" exercise and "Rapid Response 2022" exercises in Poland, the east wing of NATO.

Third, multi-defense spending has risen sharply. German Chancellor Zollz announced at the end of February a significant increase in defense spending, including the approval of a 100 billion euro earmarked earmark, and increased Germany's defense spending as a share of GDP to more than 2% per year in the future. Poland plans to raise its military spending as a percentage of GDP to 3 percent by 2023, increasing its total military strength from 120,000 today to 250,000. Denmark and Sweden have also announced they will increase military spending as a percentage of GDP to 2 percent.

Finally, speed up the pace of expansion. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said several times recently that if Finland and Sweden apply to join NATO, NATO will welcome and ensure their rapid acceptance. Finland and Sweden are expected to apply to join NATO before the NATO Summit in Madrid in June, which will be a major shift in the security balance in Europe and will greatly enhance NATO's military presence around Russia, according to an article published on the Washington Post website.

The Russian side is bound to make a counter-attack

The US-led NATO has continued to expand eastward in disregard of Russia's security concerns, which is the root cause of the Conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On the pretext of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, NATO has further strengthened its pressure on Russia in spite of russia's repeated public warnings, which is bound to trigger a counterattack by the Russian side, intensify confrontation between the two sides, and make the global and regional security situation develop in the direction of continuous deterioration.

On the one hand, NATO has made every effort to send weapons and equipment to Ukraine, the scale of assistance has been increasing, and the weapons transported have also been upgraded from the initial individual anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank missiles to heavy equipment such as tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles, which has made the possibility of NATO and Russia "wiping out guns" and even direct confrontation increasing. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pointed out that "NATO has essentially entered a war against Russia through proxies and is arming proxies" with the aim of using Ukraine to "deplete the Russian army and Russian military industry."

If NATO's confrontation with Russia intensifies further, the prospects will be difficult to predict. In an interview with German media in early April, Polish Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczynski said Poland was open to deploying U.S. nuclear weapons on its borders. "If the United States asks for its own nuclear weapons to be stored in Poland, we are open to that," he said. This will significantly strengthen the 'deterrence' against Moscow. Lavrov has previously said that ideas about nuclear war exist only in the minds of Western politicians, but he recently warned that Russia has done a lot of work to uphold the principle of preventing nuclear war at all costs, but the risk of nuclear war is "serious and real" and should not be underestimated.

On the other hand, if NATO expands further northward, it will mean that Northern Europe will become the new front line of NATO's confrontation with Russia. Sweden and Finland have remained neutral for a long time, and if they join NATO, it will further exacerbate Russia's sense of insecurity.

Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said a few days ago that if Sweden and Finland join NATO, Russia will be forced to upgrade the Northern Fleet and equip it with more advanced weapon systems. According to the Analysis of the German Foreign Policy website, Moscow is bound to take countermeasures, including the deployment of nuclear weapons in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between NATO members Poland and Lithuania, to deter the entire Baltic Sea region, including Sweden and Finland.

Safety without leaving room for others is not the right thing to do

The US-led NATO continues to fuel the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which not only puts Ukraine and Europe as a whole in danger, but also endangers global security and stability. An article published on the Tokyo Diplomat Website pointed out that most developing countries have obvious differences with the United States and other Western countries on the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, showing "vigilance against the practice of intensifying geopolitical confrontation."

Guo Yanjun, director of the Institute of Asian Studies at the China Foreign Affairs University, said that on security issues, some countries represented by the United States are deeply mired in the quagmire of cold war mentality and zero-sum game, and are keen on engaging in unilateral sanctions and engaging in closed and exclusive "small circles." The overwhelming majority of countries represented by China oppose group politics and camp confrontation, advocate upholding genuine multilateralism, and persist in resolving contradictions and differences through dialogue and consultation. "Who stands on the right side of history and on the side of international fairness and justice, the answer is self-evident."

China's recent global security initiative has aroused strong resonance and active support from the international community. China's initiative emphasizes that mankind is an inseparable security community, and clarifies the core concept, fundamental observance, important principles, long-term goals and feasible ideas for safeguarding and achieving global security. This initiative is aimed both at addressing the realities of human security and at seeking a lasting path to world peace.

Bambang Suryono, chairman of indonesia's Asian Innovation Research Center, said that unlike some Western countries' one-sided pursuit of their own security thinking, the global security initiative proposed by China pursues common security, emphasizes the security concept of peace and cooperation, is conducive to establishing an international order of mutual respect, equality and mutual trust, and is of great significance to mankind's realization of lasting peace and long-term development.

Shakir Lamai, CEO of the Asian Institute for The Research and Development of Ecological Civilization in Pakistan, said that the global security governance system needs to be reformed, which requires abandoning the Cold War mentality and unilateralism, focusing on cooperative development, and the countries of the world should continue to work for a prosperous, sustainable development and a future with the goal of building a community with a shared future for mankind. (Participating reporters: Geng Pengyu, Sun Hao, Han Bing, Qiao Jihong, Liu Yang) (End)