Russia's Special Military Operation in Ukraine and Strengthening NATO’s Eastern Flank: Why Russia – NATO Tensions Grows

Abstract

A sharp escalation of the Russia - West confrontation starting in February 2022, manifested itself primarily in the Eastern European region, directly affected by the Ukraine war. The article examines the key measures by the United States and its NATO allies during this period to increase their military presence in the countries forming the eastern flank of the alliance. Escalation of the conflict provides an opportunity for Washington to further strengthen its military-political dominance in Europe, taking advantage of pro-American NATO states resource, as well as to complete a continuous “NATO chain” by admitting Finland and Sweden to the alliance. However, Eastern Europe is not homogeneous in its approach to further increasing military support for Ukraine. The key factors are analyzed - both military and “hybrid” - which in these circumstances can provoke a clash between Russia and NATO in their contact zone, as well as conflict-mitigating factors within NATO, seeking to prevent such a clash. Breaking the spiral of escalation and easing the Russia - NATO tension is possible only if the opposing sides are ready to develop a fundamentally new, non-discriminatory approach to the European security architecture.