Rising tensions in Ukraine could create arms backlash, says historian

Historian and expert on Russia Angelo Segrillo declared, this Sunday (27), in an interview with CNNthat rising tensions between Russians and Ukrainians could create an escalation of arms.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that he will allocate 2% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to defense. In all, the government will provide 100 billion euros for military investments from the 2022 budget. “There could be no other response to Putin’s aggression,” Scholz told the German parliament.

“We may be seeing an escalation in arms, as tensions increase, a chain reaction could be created. The question of Germany is very symbolic. Since the Second World War, just like Japan, which had a 1% cap on military spending, Germany with a very long tradition has come to break that now in view of sanctions, and it is showing that the situation is really serious.”, said Segrillo.

“Adding to the fact that the [presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin talks about nuclear weapons, and we all have to be careful. It is a serious situation, it could trigger a military escalation of weapons build-up,” he continued.

understand the conflict

After months of military escalation and intemperance on the Ukrainian border, Russia attacked the Eastern European country. At dawn this Thursday (24), Russian forces began to bomb several regions of the country – follow the repercussion live on CNN.

Hours earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a “special military operation” in the Donbas region (eastern Ukraine, where the breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk are located, which he recognized as independent).

What was seen in the following hours, however, was an attack on almost the entire Ukrainian territory, with explosions in several cities, including the capital Kiev.According to Ukrainian authorities, dozens of deaths were confirmed in the armies of both countries.

In his speech before the attack, Putin justified the action by saying that Russia could not “tolerate threats from Ukraine”. Putin urged Ukrainian soldiers to “put down your weapons and go home”. The Russian leader also stated that he will not accept any kind of foreign interference. This attack on the former Soviet neighbor threatens to destabilize Europe and involve the United States.

Russia has been tightening its military grip around Ukraine since last year, piling up tens of thousands of troops, equipment and artillery at the country’s gates. In recent weeks, diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions have been unsuccessful.

The escalation in the years-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine has set off the continent’s biggest security crisis since the Cold War, raising the specter of a dangerous confrontation between Western powers and Moscow.

(*With information from Reuters and CNN International)

Source: CNN Brasil

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