Islam Times - Military Aid to Ukraine, and New NATO Members, Inciting a Protracted War

Islam Times - As the war in Ukraine continues, the West is taking measures to expand NATO, spearheaded by the United States, stoking the flames of war.

The devastating toll the conflict is taking on the global economy is most disconcerting and it has been suggested that we are looking at a prolonged war in Europe.

On Thursday, leaders of Sweden and Finland, two European nations that opted for neutrality for years, flanked US President Joe Biden at the White House while he threw his support behind their bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO.

The move comes amid objections by Turkey, a NATO ally, and warnings by Washington. Ankara opposes Finland's and Sweden's ascension to the military alliance, citing their longtime support for groups Turkey considers terrorists.

Moscow, however, has warned of retaliation if Finland, a country that shares a 1340-kilometer-long border with Russia, were to join NATO.

Russia's deputy UN representative, Dmitry Polyanskiy, went so far as to say that the two nations could turn into potential targets for Russia if they were to become NATO members.

Finland and Sweden say they decided to join the NATO alliance and reverse decades of military nonalignment after Russia attacked Ukraine.

But Russia considers NATO's eastward expansion a threat to its national security. This perceived threat, according to Russian officials, pushed Moscow into launching a “special military operation” in Ukraine.

As the war between Ukraine and Russia entered its fourth month, the US Senate passed a $40 billion bill to provide assistance to Ukraine. 86 senators voted for the bill while 11 others, all Republicans, voted against it, citing its high price tag and the fact that it might not be upset.

The bill earmark $6 million for arms to be purchased from contractors and sent to Ukraine. It also increases the Presidential drawdown capacity from the $5 billion the Biden administration had originally requested to 11 billion.