So it’s come to this: World War III.
Many of us saw it coming a mile away: An aging dictator with a nuclear arsenal and no real shame has been dropping plenty of hints along the way about reuniting the old Soviet Union. Or, worse still, the old Russian Empire.
Now, as Kyiv prepares for something unholy and awful to descend upon it, the people of Ukraine are being targeted in what NATO is calling a “war crime”, which is prompting action from the powerful multi-national collaboration.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the NATO alliance is “ready” for conflict with Russia if necessary after the US Embassy in Ukraine accused Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday of committing a war crime by ordering an attack on Europe’s largest nuclear power plant.
“Ours is a defensive alliance,” Blinken said prior to a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. “We seek no conflict. But if conflict comes to us, we are ready for it, and we will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
And he wasn’t the only one turning up the heat, either.
The secretary of state was echoing remarks made moments earlier by Stoltenberg, who insisted that while the alliance was providing support to Ukraine, “NATO is not party to the conflict.”
“NATO is a defensive alliance. We don’t seek war, conflict with Russia. At the same time, we need to make sure that there is no misunderstanding about our commitment to defend and protect our Allies,” the Secretary-General added.
NATO denied Ukraine’s request to close the skies over the nation, however, prompting criticism from some.
