Ukrainians celebrate successful counteroffensive in the northeast
Fox News’ Jeff Paul reports on Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive and Russia’s response with Ukraine taking back thousands of miles of territory.
Russia has condemned Kyiv’s push for a NATO-like international security coalition as a "prologue" to World War III as it faces strategic losses amid its war in Ukraine.
"The Kyiv camarilla has given birth to a project of 'security guarantees', which are essentially a prologue to a third world war," Russia’s Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said according to Russia state-owned media outlet Tass.
Medvedev claimed that no one would agree to any of the "guarantees" Kyiv is seeking from international partners and argued it would be tantamount to "applying Article 5 of the North Atlantic Pact to Ukraine."
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev attend a cabinet meeting in Moscow, Jan. 15, 2020. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
NATO’s Article 5 stipulates that an attack on one nation in the 30-member alliance – of which Ukraine is not a part of – would trigger a response from all member nations.
The article serves as a deterrent from aggressive nations like Russia who would be forced to face off with not only the U.S. military but 29 other advanced Western militaries as well, many of which share a border with Russia.
Moscow attempted to justify its illegal invasion of Ukraine over claims that Kyiv was getting too close to NATO and demanded that it pledge not to join the alliance.
Ukraine reportedly agreed to Moscow’s demand in the early days of the war when peace negotiations were ongoing, though it appears Kyiv may not still adhere to this pledge after talks with Russia fell through amid its continued invasion.
"We are working to ensure that the strongest subjects of the free world become guarantors of the security of our state," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy said in his overnight address. "Together with our partners, we have already built a powerful anti-war coalition, which includes dozens of different states.
"Now we are working to ensure that the most powerful states that are already helping us become a coalition of peace that will last forever," he added.
Ukrainian top officials on Tuesday introduced a proposal dubbed the "Kyiv Initiative" that is looking to form a pact with leading world players that would solidify an international response should Ukraine once again be attacked by Russia.
Ukrainian soldiers celebrate at a check point in Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, April 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
UKRAINE'S SOLDIERS INCH TOWARD SIEVIERODONETSK IN MAJOR COUNTEROFFENSIVE
The U.S. was not specifically listed as a nation Ukraine is currently in talks with, though it has given substantially more aid than any other individual nation to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.
It is unclear how the U.S. would respond to such calls, and Fox News could not immediately reach the State Department for comment.
Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, held an online meeting with officials from former Soviet nations and the Eastern Bloc including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Yermak called on partner states to agree to specific bilateral security guarantees in a combined framework that would be known as the "Kyiv Security Compact".
Washington has towed the line on aiding Ukraine and attempting to avoid aggravating Moscow to the extent that it prompts a global war – an outcome that Russian leaders have suggested could come should Western nations sign a security pact with Kyiv.
German Bundeswehr soldiers of the NATO enhanced forward presence battalion wait to greet German Chancellor Olaf Scholz ahead of his arrival at the Training Range in Pabrade, some 38 miles north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Tuesday, June 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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However, Ukraine appears determined to eventually join NATO despite Russia’s blatant threats.
"In order to successfully implement these tasks, Ukraine must get a guaranteed safety after the war. This means that we should receive reliable international security guarantees for the time period until Ukraine becomes a full member of the EU and NATO," Yermak said.