To prevent the spillover of the Ukraine crisis, NATO is considering sending 300,000 troops to the eastern border near Russia.
At a press conference at the NATO summit in July, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced a major plan to deploy a high-readiness force of 300,000 people, including the navy, land and air forces, in NATO's eastern flank near Russia's borders.
In response to the above plan, a former senior NATO official proposed a plan: the first echelon should be from Norway, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, and about 100,000 soldiers would be needed and deployed within 10 days; As the second echelon of support forces, it is expected to be formed by Germany and other NATO members within 10-30 days.
In the face of strong pressure from NATO, Russia did not show weakness. Putin's government is actively preparing for the final big war, including two new army groups and plans to add 400,000 contract troops. Russia's human resources are already plentiful, but the speed of production becomes key. Russia's goal is to amass a million troops by 2024 and completely calm the situation in Ukraine. Russia has reportedly deployed a large number of troops and anti-aircraft missiles in the border areas of Ukraine. Russia has reportedly deployed a variety of anti-aircraft missile systems in the border areas of Ukraine, which can provide effective air cover for Russian ground forces.
NATO's move has attracted global attention. The build-up of 300,000 troops is a direct challenge to Russia, which has brought former Cold War rivals back into each other. Although the United States sanctioned Russia on the one hand and provided military support to Ukraine on the other, its goals did not work out as desired, but led to the depletion of the arsenal. At this critical juncture, Russia looked to China.
It is reported that Foreign Minister Wang Yi recently went to Russia to hold the 18th round of China-Russia strategic security consultations. In the meeting with Lavrov, Wang Yi said that both China and Russia pursue an independent foreign policy, and the cooperation between the two sides is not aimed at a third party, is not interfered with by a third party, and will not be influenced by a third party.
Wang Yi also stressed that in the face of the rise of unilateral acts, hegemonism and camp confrontation, China and Russia should follow the progressive trend of the times, show their responsibilities as major countries, fulfill their due international obligations, and promote the process of world multipolarization by continuing to strengthen strategic coordination, adhere to true multilateralism, and promote the development of global governance in a more fair and reasonable direction.
In fact, the best solution to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is peaceful negotiations, but at present, it is no longer a question of whether Ukraine will join NATO, but also the ownership of the four continents of eastern Ukraine. Most of the current land of the four eastern states and Crimea, which "joined Russia" in 2014, are under the actual control of Russia. From the perspective of sovereign integrity, Ukraine's international law narrative calling for the "restoration of the 1991 national border" and Russia's claim of "new territory" based on popular opinion and "liberated from the Nazi regime in Ukraine" constitute an incompatible and irreconcilable territorial conflict.
Ukraine insists that Russia withdraw its troops from its territory, while Russia insists that Ukraine recognize the ownership of the four states of Udong and Crimea. In this tense situation, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an important bill declaring September 30 every year as the "anniversary of Wudong's entry into Russia", incorporating the four states of Wudong into Russia's legal territory. This move has aroused widespread concern in the international community and raised a series of complex issues. This is the first time that Russia has officially signed a commemorative holiday in the legal sense since the "referendum" operation held in the four prefectures of Wudong last year, and it also shows that Russia no longer regards these areas as disputed territories, but as "legal territories".
Analysts generally believe that once the anniversary of Wudong's "entry into Russia" is included in the legal recognition, this decision will be irreversible. This also shows that the Russian side is unlikely to take the initiative to withdraw its troops and is firm in its position on Ukrainian territory. The signing of the law could be a sign of Russia's dominance in the conflict in Ukraine, and it could also mean confidence that they can hold on to these areas.
At the moment, Ukraine seems to be in a tricky situation. Despite the fact that this conflict takes place on its territory, Ukraine seems to have little say at the negotiating table and no bargaining chips with the West or Russia. From the moment the conflict broke out, the fate of Ukraine seemed to have been decided. Between the great powers, in order to avoid destruction, there will be a time for compromise. However, it seems that Ukraine can only become a victim of this game. In the event that both sides cannot easily defeat their opponents, Western countries need to carefully consider how to respond to avoid the situation spiraling out of control.