United States Says NATO Ready for Any Potential Russian Attack, SA Advises Caution
- The United States affirmed its position on the current Ukraine-Russia war at a NATO gathering in Brussels
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the international alliance would respond to any Russian attack offensively
- Blinken slammed Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for peaceful negotiations between the two countries
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BRUSSELS - The United States (US) has made a bold assertion amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, citing the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is prepared to defend against an attack.
President Joe Biden's chief foreign affairs adviser, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said the is intergovernmental military alliance seeks no conflict with Russia but would stand firm should it arise.
Source: Getty Images
He spoke to reporters as he arrived for a meeting of the alliance's foreign ministers in Brussels, where he condemned what he termed Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine on Friday, SABC News reported.
"We've noted an attack against a nuclear power plant, which points to the recklessness of this war. Be it as it may, it needs to come to an end. Russia should withdraw its troops immediately and partake in diplomatic measures," said Blinken.
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US and NATO officials observed a noticeable change in Russia's strategy earlier this week. According to a CNN report, Russia seems to be gearing up to "bombard Ukrainian cities into compliance", potentially endangering the lives of countless civilians.
South Africans call for calm from NATO
The furore has undoubtedly drawn polarising responses from the global community, not least South Africa, as citizens frequently express their viewpoints on social media. Briefly News takes a look at some of the latest reactions to developments.
@Julius Nyerere wrote:
"USA has a military camp in Botswana and Britain owns some mountains in Lesotho. SA is surrounded, so if we allow the weakening of the east through an expansion of NATO closer to Russia. It won’t be long until Africa is completely defenceless against the Euro-America offensive. We stand with Russia."
@Emilia Nordström said:
"US is far off. The closer countries suffer. This needs diplomacy. Please, stop putting oil on fire, and chill in your region there. I don't even know what you are doing in NATO when you are not in Europe. We want peace and to save the lives of people, please."
@Vicente Vee added:
"Please, guys, let's advice our president to stay away because our soldiers ain't ready for this war. Russia has been training for a long [time]. Our soldiers are good at singing and funny staff."
UAZA urges SA government to cut economic ties with Russia
Elsewhere, Briefly News recently reported that the South African government has been called to act decisively as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA) is digging deep for their allies in the southern tip of Africa to respond to the request in kind. The request: to stop all economic relations with the country waging the conflict – Russia.
The Ukrainian community took to the streets of Cape Town to demonstrate outside the Parliament building in an attempt to have their cries heard. Various slogans with messages strewn across were carried by the country's immigrants and other supporters standing in solidarity with Ukraine.
Source: Briefly News
