NATO and Allied assistance to Ukraine
General Information
With the outbreak of a full-scale war by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, it appeared that the global security system, established after the end of World War II, could not cope with the challenges of the present and needed to be fundamentally rebuilt. On February 24, 2022, Russia carried out a military invasion of Ukraine, which violated and continues to violate the norms and principles of international law on a daily basis. The entire civilised world has stood in support of Ukraine. The member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation condemned the aggressor's actions from the first day of the war and ensured support for Ukraine by providing systematic financial, military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, which is ongoing. On May 25, 2022, as part of the implementation of the educational programme "International Law" of the first (bachelor), second (master) and third (scientific) levels of higher education, Vineta Kleine, Head of NATO Documentation and Information Centre in Ukraine, met online with the students of the State University of Trade and Economics. The topic of the meeting was: "Alliance and Allied assistance to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression". From the outset, Ms. Vineta focused on the main objectives of the Alliance, the history of its establishment, its operating principles, detailing the terms of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty ("Collective Defence"), which is the foundation of the collective security system within the Alliance. She also outlined the assistance already provided to Ukraine and the world community's strategy for further action towards restoring peace and punishing the perpetrators.
During the meeting, many students' questions focused on Ukraine's prospects of joining the Alliance, while ideas for strengthening the collective security system and creating an effective mechanism for peace and security in the world were discussed, as well as the need to study international law to solve international legal difficulties quickly and effectively. According to the students: “History is being made before our eyes and we cannot stand by”.
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