Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: What can the West do to help?

Sanctions:

A first round of sanctions that targets financial institutions and business and political elites has already been implemented. Germany has indefinitely put on hold the certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

US President Joe Biden and Germany’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, have said further stringent sanctions will be announced following Thursday’s meeting of G-7 leaders. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said a new round of sanctions would block Russian banks’ access from European financial markets.

Russia’s big state-run banks, Sberbank and VTB which together hold around $750 billion (€672 billion) in assets are now likely to be a target.

Pulling Russia’s access from Swift

The US and the EU have been reluctant to pull the plug. The global financial messaging service is used by thousands of financial institutions worldwide. Russian assets in the EU would be frozen and Russian banks’ access to the European financial market would be stopped.

However, countries whose banks have close links with Russia, like the US and Germany, would also feel an economic impact. It’s unlikely, at this stage, that an emergency EU summit on Thursday will sign off on the measure, according to EU sources.

Blocking exports of hi-tech materials

Biden’s administration has said it is fully prepared along with other western countries to implement export control measures.

One option would be to restrict the export of hi-tech commodities to Russia.

The US could stop companies selling goods such as semiconductor microchips. Russia’s defense and aerospace sectors would bear the brunt of those measures, although it would also hurt Western companies that sell the technology.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Military infrastructure apparently targeted

  Two days after Russia sent “peacekeeping” troops to eastern Ukraine’s separatist-held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, recognizing their independence, Russian troops on Thursday launched a wide-ranging attack in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin said that Russia seeks only to “demilitarize” the country; early strikes appeared to target military infrastructure, including this military airport in Chuguyev.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Ukraine defends itself

  Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the assault as a “full-scale invasion” and said Ukraine will “defend itself and will win.” Although Ukrainian armed forces in the region are the second-largest after Russia, Russia’s military strength dwarfs Ukraine’s in all areas except active personnel. Here, Ukrainian tanks move into Mariupol, in Donetsk Oblast in southeastern Ukraine.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Air attack began before dawn

  Major explosions were heard as missiles apparently landed in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa. The Russian Defense Ministry said it was not targeting cities and “there is no threat to civilian population.” The EU Aviation Safety Agency described the airspace above Ukraine as “an active conflict zone.” Kyiv subways were declared free and civilians took shelter at stations, including these young women.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  First air, then land

  Following missile drops such as this one in Kyiv, troops attacked by land from Belarus and Russian-annexed Crimea. In an emotional appeal spoken in Russian, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine wants peace. He continued: “But if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves.”

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Ukrainians flee some cities

  As Zelenskyy declared martial law, he also urged Ukrainians to stay home and not panic. Despite this, numerous Ukrainians are fleeing, and a massive traffic jam blocked the main road heading west out of the capital, pictured here. Residents are also fleeing eastern Ukraine for what is understood to be the relative safety of more westerly regions.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Lining up readiness

  Residents in Kyiv stood in long lines at stores, hoping to stock up on supplies of food and water. While some were preparing to flee, others were ready to hunker down. Lines also formed at cash machines, such as this one in Lviv in western Ukraine. Cars also queued at gas stations to fill up.

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  How is Ukraine responding to the Russian invasion?

  Mix of emotions

  Ukrainians reportedly expressed fear and uncertainty, along with defiance and disbelief. Despite signs, many Ukrainians did not believe Russia would invade. Central European countries are bracing for a flood of refugees from Ukraine and humanitarian groups warn of a looming crisis. Ukrainians, including this couple leaving Lviv in western Ukraine for Poland, face tough decisions — and tough times.

  Author: Sonya Angelica Diehn (with AP, Reuters)

Military involvement and aid

The West has ruled out putting boots on the ground in Ukraine, which is not a NATO member, or providing any other type of direct military involvement. Instead a number of countries have provided arms, both lethal and non-lethal defensive weapons, and are expected to increase those shipments.

“[The West has] to help with lethal weapons so that Ukraine can put up a fight,” Sudha David-Wilp, a senior transatlantic fellow and deputy director of the German Marshall Fund’s Berlin office, told DW.

Gustav Gressel, a senior policy fellow with the Wider Europe Program at the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Berlin office, says Europe has squandered the past eight years talking about Ukraine instead of arming it properly.

“The Ukrainians now pay the price. The Russian invasion force is four times the size of the NATO Response Force, everything European NATO allies can put together in 30 days. We cannot contain Russia only economically. There needs to be a military response in terms of deterrence and readiness. Otherwise, we will pay the price as well,” he told DW via email.

There could be a more dramatic shift if Russian forces were to advance from Ukraine towards the Baltic Sea states, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, who are all NATO members. If they were to come under attack, Article 5 of the NATO charter would apply which stipulates that if one NATO ally comes under an armed attack it’s considered an attack on the entire organization.

On Thursday, both Latvia and Lithuania called for urgent consultations as outlined in Article 4 of the charterwhich refers to a threat to a member state rather than an outright attack: “The Parties will consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Parties is threatened.”

Humanitarian aid and assistance

Since 2014, the United States has provided over $351 million in humanitarian assistance to help Ukrainians in need. This includes food, shelter, safe drinking water, and protection for the most vulnerable.

The West should also prepare to help with an expected influx of refugees, said David-Wilp. “We may also have to be a little bit more realistic because I’ve heard things like anywhere from a couple of hundred thousand [refugees], but it could go up to millions.”

There are also more immediate and practical measures that should be taken now, said David-Wilp. “This is the time to help with donating blood, helping with the field hospitals. All these measures that I’m hopeful that governments in the G-7 and NATO are thinking about and will implement very soon.”

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: What can the West do to help?
Source: Pinoy Pop News