It’s been over a year and a half since Russia invaded Ukraine, but the latter’s friends are standing strong by her side. On August 17, 2023, the Baltic nations of of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania issued a joint statement announcing that their countries were joining the G7 Declaration of support for Ukraine.

On July 12, 2023, G7 nations: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, had signed a joint declaration saying, “We consider Russia’s illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine to be a threat to international peace and security, a flagrant violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and incompatible with our security interests. We will stand with Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, for as long as it takes.”

Now, Kaja Kallas (Prime Minister of Estonia), Arturs Krisjanis Karins (Prime Minister of Latvia), and Ingrida Simoyente (Prime Minister of Lithuania), have signed a joint statement joining this declaration. In this statement, they expressed “unwavering support and solidarity” and recognised how “Ukraine’s courageous fight helps protect Euro-Atlantic security and the rules-based international order.”

This is interesting, because this unequivocally sets the tone for the longstanding demand for Ukraine’s inclusion into NATO. The statement openly bats for this saying, “We firmly believe that only NATO membership will provide Ukraine with security guarantees and a credible deterrent needed to avert future aggression by expansionist Russia.” It further said that they will “work closely with Ukraine on its way to EU membership.”

Bringing Ukraine into the EU will enable greater regional collaboration with other EU members for work pertaining to rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure and economy, something that is urgently required in the war-ravaged country. The EU has also been pushing hard to reduce its dependence on Russian oil and natural gas, and bringing Ukraine into its fold could finally help it make a clean break from Russia in terms of energy dependence.

But Ukraine’s inclusion into NATO has always ruffled Russia’s feathers. This is because joining the NATO would not only give Ukraine unprecedented protection from Russia, it will also clear the path for other NATO members, including the US, to use their military might against Russia. According to NATO’s code, aggression against one NATO member is seen as aggression against all members, and therefore, if Ukraine becomes a part of NATO, resources of all members can be pooled and utilized against Russia. Various NATO and EU members have already been supplying Ukraine with a variety of support in terms of weapons, money, and humanitarian aid.

But amidst growing concerns about the possibility of the outbreak of a third world war, fought mostly by countries in the developed world, one should not ignore its economic impact on the Global South. Given how many of these countries depend on international aid, and many have also entered into treaties pertaining to economic cooperation with NATO members, or are dependent on Russia for oil and natural gas, they could be severely impacted if a large-scale international war were to break out.

*Feature Image via Wikimedia Commons