Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Who are Russia allies in the Ukraine war?

In the intensifying standoff with the West over the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine's separatist areas, the UK defence secretary yesterday accused the Kremlin of going "full tonto." "Unfortunately, we've got an active foe now," Ben Wallace cautioned, referring to Vladimir Putin. However, during the Crimean War, the UK "kicked the backside" of Tsar Nicholas I, and "we can always do it again," Wallace remarked during a pep talk to military personnel in Westminster.

Nicholas I "made the same error Putin did... he had no allies, no alliances," according to the minister. Is Russia, on the other hand, truly going to war with Ukraine on its own?

Typical suspects

After Putin signed a decree Monday recognising the independence of the rebel Ukraine provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk, collectively known as the Donbas, his regular Western backers expressed only limited support. According to the Associated Press, even "Russia's closest allies looked hesitant to instantly accept Moscow's move" (AP).

Belarus' Foreign Ministry, which is presently involved in military exercises with Moscow, said on Tuesday that it regards the decision "with respect and understanding."

According to the news agency, the ministry "refused to say if Minsk would follow suit and recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics."

Kazakhstan, which asked Russian military assistance to crush anti-government protests last month, "said the question of acknowledging separatist areas was not on the country's agenda," according to Reuters.

Armenia, which finished a brutal six-week war with Azerbaijan in 2020 following Russia-brokered peace talks, has been silent on Putin's directive.

According to the Associated Press, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev "made no mention" of the subject in public statements while in Moscow for discussions with Putin on Tuesday. Putin, on the other hand, was forced to publicly proclaim that he had no aspirations to revive the Soviet Union, telling Aliyev that accusations that he was aiming to rebuild Russia's empire were "completely false."

Russian action against Ukraine, on the other hand, has "revitalised NATO," according to The Economist. The invasion of Ukraine has compelled the United States and its allies to "bond" over their shared defence of Kyiv's sovereignty.

Nixon’s fear

Since Putin's deployment of soldiers in the Donbas, Moscow's most powerful ally has hedged its bets in pronouncements on the Ukraine situation. While China has not openly backed Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese officials have accused the United States of fomenting "fear and terror" over the Russian incursion.

The current circumstance "poses a diplomatic dilemma for China but also offers an opportunity for Beijing," according to The Guardian's China affairs correspondent Vincent Ni, who made a show of unity at the Winter Olympic Games.

After Xi Jinping and Putin declared earlier this month that there were "no banned areas of collaboration" in their bilateral relationship, China's "position in this round of Russia vs. the West is under particularly close examination," Ni continued. However, while "hardliners favour a pro-Russia foreign policy," others believe Beijing could take advantage of the crisis to strengthen ties with the US.

According to Farah Stockman of The New York Times editorial board, when Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin signed a "Treaty of Friendship" in 1949, then-US President Richard Nixon "feared" the type of connection that China and Russia now flaunt on the international arena.

"It's too early to say how far China will stick its neck out for Russia in its fight with the West over Ukraine," she said, citing Beijing's hesitation in recent days. "China's authorities have long advocated for a world free of formal military alliances" and "been wary of becoming embroiled in other countries' military disputes," according to the report.