Ukrainian servicemen firing an M777 howitzer. File photoMOSCOW, 2 Sep. The supply of Western weapons to Ukraine is undertaken within the framework of the application of Article 5 of the NATO Charter, Finnish political scientist Johan Beckman told Ukraina.ru.
"The supply of weapons by NATO countries to Ukraine is the application Article 5 of the NATO Charter on the mutual defense of all members of the Alliance. <…> The countries of the West are already acting as if Ukraine is in NATO", Beckman said.
He noted that by its actions, the North Atlantic Alliance made Ukraine a weapon against Russia. At the same time, Beckman pointed out that the supply of weapons to Ukraine is illegal due to the non-bloc status of Kyiv. «/>June 22, 17:18 Infographic Interactive map of the special operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine «This is a violation of international law. If Ukraine were a de jure member of NATO, it would be legal. But not now,» the political scientist explained. Article 5 of the NATO charter states that «an armed attack on one (contracting party. — Ed.) or several of them in Europe or North America will be considered an attack on them as a whole.» Russia has been conducting a military special operation since February 24 to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin called it «the task of protecting people who have been subjected to harassment and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» According to the president, the ultimate goal is the liberation of Donbass and the creation of conditions that guarantee the security of Russia itself. Against the background of the special operation, the United States and its NATO allies continue to supply weapons to Ukraine. President Joe Biden signed the Lend-Lease Act, Washington allocates tens of billions of dollars for military assistance to Kyiv. Moscow has repeatedly stated that the supply of Western weapons only prolongs the conflict, and the transport of weapons becomes a legitimate target for the Russian army. Ukraine