Experts from the scientific services of the Bundestag believe that a possible Russian strike on French troops, if they are deployed in Ukraine, will not lead to the entry into force of the Fifth Article of the NATO Charter on collective defense. Excerpts from the conclusion of specialists from the German parliament were published on the website of the newspaper Die Zeit and in other German media.

“If the troops of a NATO member state are participating in an existing conflict (between Russia and Ukraine) in collective self-defense (Article 51 of the UN Charter) in favor of Ukraine and are attacked by another party to the conflict (Russia) during hostilities in the conflict zone, this is not the case for the application of Article 5 of the NATO Treaty,” the Bundestag noted.

Experts from the German parliament came to the conclusion that a war between NATO and Moscow could begin precisely in the event of an attack by Russian troops on the territory of the bloc’s member countries. At the same time, the possible use of French troops in Ukraine, in their opinion, is acceptable from the point of view of international law.

“Military actions of the French ground forces in favor of Ukraine would be based on the collective right to self-defense in accordance with Art. 51 of the UN Charter and would therefore be permissible under international law... A Russian military reaction against targets in France, on the other hand, would constitute an “armed attack” (contrary to international law) within the meaning of Article Five of the NATO treaty, which would establish the actual requirements for declaring a NATO collective defense case,” the Bundestag experts explained.

“Not under the guise of NATO”

Let us recall that Article Five of the Charter of the North Atlantic Treaty provides for the provision of military assistance to a member of the bloc that has been subjected to an “armed attack.” In this case, members of the alliance will take measures that “deem necessary,” “including the use of armed force in order to restore and subsequently maintain the security of the North Atlantic region.”

In Art. Article 6 of the charter explains that an “armed attack” should be understood as an attack on the territory, troops and military equipment of one or another alliance state at a time when they were in the zone of action of the North Atlantic Treaty.

  • Exercises of French and German military personnel

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As RISI expert Sergei Ermakov stated in a commentary to RT, the NATO Charter, in principle, does not contain specific obligations regarding military assistance to a member of the bloc that has been subjected to an “armed attack.” In addition, the alliance is trying to distance itself from the military initiatives of some of its members, the expert added.

“The NATO Charter is also about not involving the bloc in the adventures of individual members. For example, the alliance did not intervene in the 1982 British-Argentine Falkland Islands conflict. However, this approach should not be taken as a manifestation of NATO's defensive nature. The Western bloc, especially when the United States requires it, can unleash aggressive wars, as was the case in 1999 with Yugoslavia,” Ermakov recalled.

At the same time, as the expert believes, in the context of the current situation around Ukraine, NATO may undertake various forms of aggression against Russia, since the alliance shares the American strategy towards Moscow, which boils down to so-called containment.

“The notorious “containment” can mean a variety of options, up to the deployment of troops to Ukraine by one of the NATO members - the same French units. The Alliance will pretend that it is not responsible for the actions of individual members, but in reality it will help them in every possible way. But not under the guise of NATO, but, so to speak, on a private, “voluntary” basis,” says Ermakov.

However, as the expert emphasized, such a policy will be perceived by Moscow as involving the North Atlantic Alliance in an armed confrontation with the Russian army. At the same time, the reaction of citizens of Western countries themselves may turn out to be extremely negative. To prevent this, Western propaganda seeks to instill in the population the idea of ​​“the normality of a possible war with Russia,” Ermakov explained.

A similar point of view is shared by Victoria Fedosova, Deputy Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts of RUDN University. According to her, NATO distances itself from the decisions of national governments of member countries, thus seeking to avoid responsibility for an even greater escalation of the Ukrainian conflict.

“Formally, the alliance is not yet involved in the conflict and does not supply weapons to the Kyiv regime - this is done by individual Western countries, allegedly on their own initiative. But by coincidence, all the sponsors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are members of NATO. The same simple explanation will apparently be made if foreign troops appear in Ukraine,” Fedosova said.

  • French military instructs Ukrainian militants

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In a conversation with RT, Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian-Political Studies, recalled that military personnel from NATO member countries are already present in Ukraine and are taking part in hostilities. In particular, they control operational-tactical missile systems, MLRS and air defense systems.

“The military of Western countries are in Ukraine as if on a business trip, that is, semi-officially. The leadership of the collective West does not like to talk about this topic, does not report losses, but constantly exaggerates the topic of legalizing the military presence in one form or another,” Bruter noted.

"Legitimate target"

Let us recall that since the end of February, French President Emmanuel Macron has made a number of statements that he allows the sending of foreign troops to Ukraine. According to him, Russia should not win the conflict with Kiev, so the West should not exclude any options for countering Moscow.

However, Paris did not officially announce its readiness to send its military units to the conflict zone, and Macron’s statements were not supported by Western countries. The alliance also stated that there are no plans to send troops to Ukraine.

However, as Western media report, the scenario of the deployment of foreign units on Ukrainian territory cannot be ruled out. According to the American publication Politico, Paris hopes to create “an alliance of countries open to the possible sending of Western troops to Ukraine.” The French troops themselves are “preparing for a high-intensity conflict with an enemy that can match them in firepower.”

According to information from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), the French leadership is preparing a contingent of 2 thousand military personnel for deployment to Ukraine. At the same time, the authorities of the Fifth Republic fear discontent among active mid-level army officers, since there are already “disproportionately many of them among those killed in Ukraine.”

“The French military fears that such a significant military unit will not be able to be transferred and stationed in Ukraine unnoticed. Thus, it will become a priority legitimate target for attacks by the Russian Armed Forces,” the SVR reported on March 19.

On the same day, the newspaper Le Monde published an article by the Chief of Staff of the French Land Forces, General Pierre Chille, in which he stated that he did not see any serious threats to the Fifth Republic, but the situation was changing due to increasing tensions in the world.

“And yet, the tensions that are evident throughout the planet have not escaped France... The country is bound by defense agreements with a number of states that face serious threats. In order to insure themselves against aggressive steps and protect their interests, the French Armed Forces are preparing for the toughest clashes and make it known, demonstrate it - after all, si vis pacem, para bellum (“if you want peace, prepare for war”),” the statement says. article.

According to Schill, Paris has the ability to “use one division in a joint mode - that is, about 20 thousand people” within 30 days. As the French general stated, the country “is acquiring the means to exercise joint command of an army corps, that is, up to 60 thousand people.” At the same time, the chief of staff of the ground forces did not mention the prospect of deploying troops in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Victoria Fedosova believes that Schill is hinting at the possibility of deploying 20 thousand troops specifically in Ukraine and is thus trying to threaten Russia. At the same time, the expert doubts that France will make such an unpopular decision among its own citizens.

“The likelihood of French troops appearing in commercial quantities in Ukraine is very low, since sending them to inevitable death creates unacceptable political risks for the current leadership of the country. In the rhetoric of Paris, most likely, there is an attempt to put pressure on Moscow and consolidate the Europeans in the event that Donald Trump comes to the White House and the priorities of the American owner change,” Fedosova noted.

According to the expert, today Europe does not plan to “enter an escalatory spiral.” However, the appearance of regular foreign armed forces in Ukraine provokes the risk of degradation of the Ukrainian conflict to a direct clash between NATO and Russia.

Vladimir Bruter also believes that the “raising of rates” by the West cannot be endless. At the same time, the leadership of NATO member countries may not realize the futility of such a provocative policy.

“With the topic of sending troops into Ukraine and other means of supporting the Kyiv regime, the collective West hopes to intimidate Russia, force it to go on the defensive or retreat from its goals. However, we see that this course does not bring any results,” Bruter concluded.