As Russia faces a flurry of condemnation from the West for its assault on Ukraine, its mates and allies have predominantly taken a middle-of-the-ground method in selecting to neither condemn nor endorse the invasion.

Claiming his nation had "no different means," Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered troops to invade Ukraine and launched missiles at cities throughout the nation early Thursday morning. Putin denied he desires to "occupy" Ukraine, however the violence is more likely to escalate, doubtlessly pitting Russia's allies in opposition to Western nations.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a Putin-backed politician, denied his nation's troops have been participating within the invasion, though Russian troops accessed Ukraine by means of Belarus. Nevertheless, Lukashenko mentioned Belarusian troops might be used within the navy operation in opposition to Ukraine if Russia deems they're wanted, in keeping with Reuters.

Final week, Lukashenko mentioned if rivals and opponents have been to take "such silly and senseless steps," Belarus will deploy present nuclear weapons and "up-and-coming ones" to "shield our territory."

Belarus is a member of the Collective Safety Treaty Group (CSTO), a Russian-led navy alliance made up of seven former Soviet Union states. Created in 2002, the group's objective is to create a collective protection of members that face exterior aggression. Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are additionally members.

putin russia ukraine allies fight
Russia's allies have largely stayed quiet with regard to Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Above, Putin speaks throughout his tackle to the nation on the Kremlin in Moscow on February 21. ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Photographs

Putin and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, signed a declaration forward of the Ukraine invasion cementing their alliance. Aliyev left Moscow hours earlier than Putin ordered the assault on Ukraine, and has remained silent on the difficulty. Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have additionally been quiet.

China and Russia aren't formal allies however the two nations have been rising nearer as their relationships with america grew to become extra strained. Beijing known as for nations to respect the Minsk accords and resolve the difficulty diplomatically.

On Thursday, Hua Chunying, a Chinese language international ministry spokesperson, reiterated that China is "carefully monitoring" developments in Ukraine and known as on "all sides to train restraint." Hua stopped in need of calling Russia's assault on Ukraine an "invasion" and turned consideration to america, accusing it of "growing tensions and hyping up battle for a while."

Russia and China have shared positions with regard to NATO's growth into former Soviet republics, however China hasn't come out in agency help of Russia's assault on Ukraine.

Cuba, a detailed ally of Russia, additionally hasn't outright backed Putin over Ukraine, however Cuban officers additionally have not condemned the nation's actions. As a substitute, they've taken an identical stance as China and tried to focus criticism on america.

Forward of Thursday's invasion, Cuba's international ministry focused america for "manipulating" the worldwide neighborhood in regards to the risks of an imminent invasion of Ukraine. Each China and Cuba additionally known as on america and NATO to handle the "well-founded" issues Russia had in regards to the navy alliance's growth.

Western nations have tried to attract a tough line in opposition to Russia, asserting new sanctions to hurt the nation's financial system on Thursday. Nevertheless, Putin does not look like keen to again down and warned that opposing nations will face "penalties you've by no means seen."