The JEMAD believes that Russia is not planning an aggression against a NATO country, which is seeking a diplomatic solution to the war in Ukraine

The jurist Elisa Pérez Vera sees it difficult for Putin to be tried before the International Criminal Court

MADRID, 13 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Chief of Defense Staff (JEMAD), Admiral General Teodoro López Calderón, believes that Russia is not planning an aggression against a NATO country, while at the same time assuring that the Atlantic Alliance is seeking a diplomatic solution to the invasion of Ukraine.

In a colloquium organized by the Council of State, the JEMAD has analyzed the situation of the war in Ukraine and has reviewed the steps of Russia on its border before the invasion. As he recalled, already in April of last year, ten months before the invasion, the Russian Armed Forces began a deployment near the border under the pretext of carrying out exercises and their presence was consolidated in November.

"There was no room for improvisation, there was a plan and the unshakable will to execute it," said the admiral general, who pointed out, however, that the first military offensive planned by Russia "has failed" due to its inability to overthrow the Ukrainian government and control its main cities in "a very few days".

As he has reviewed, this failure was due to multiple factors, such as Russian intelligence failures, erroneous planning, misuse of airspace, its logistical weakness or limited availability of precision weapons, all combined with the high resistance shown by Ukraine.

In addition, the JEMAD has highlighted that Ukraine is winning "the battle of narratives", at least in the West, thanks to an "effective" use of communication techniques. And he has also underlined the importance that cyberspace has had in the conflict, with Ukraine managing to maintain the continuity of telephone and internet lines.

Meanwhile, NATO decided to reinforce its deterrence presence on its eastern border, where more than 40,000 soldiers from the Alliance countries are already deployed, in addition to the 100,000 troops that border countries already have.

In any case, he stressed that the movements of the Atlantic Alliance are solely for deterrence, since Ukraine is not part of NATO and therefore does not imply a military intervention by the allies. Moreover, he has said that in his opinion Russia does not contemplate an aggression against a NATO country and a direct confrontation with the Alliance.

This is what he believes has led Sweden and Finland to request their admission as allied countries, since they have seen that it is the only way to guarantee their protection against possible foreign aggression.

In this context, López Calderón predicted that in the coming years there will be "greater tension" in international relations and an environment of confrontation in all domains "in which it will be necessary to defend the current order based on rules, as well as principles and values ​​that Western democracies have given themselves".

In his opinion, the war in Ukraine cannot be reduced to the defense of its territorial integrity and sovereignty, but is about "defense of principles" and the freedom of peoples to choose their future.

For this very reason, the JEMAD does not agree that a security perimeter around Russia must be respected. These are countries that, once they became independent, are "free", he stressed, emphasizing their freedom to decide whether or not they want to be part of an international organization such as NATO.

In this context, López Calderón has assured that the Atlantic Alliance is making "efforts" in the relationship with Russia, insisting that "there is no military solution" to the problem, only a diplomatic one and "we must sit down as soon as possible to seek a peaceful solution to the problem ".

As for the situation in Africa, he has pointed to the growing influence of Russia in countries such as Libya, Algeria, Mali or the Central African Republic, where it has even "expelled" the European Union.

As he assured, NATO "is not going to forget the south", where terrorism, a growing famine, illegal immigration and the effects of climate change are also present.

For her part, the jurist Elisa Pérez Vera has analyzed the legal aspect and the international law of war. Regarding the possibility of an intervention by the International Criminal Court, he recalled that it judges people, not States, so the possibility that the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, be the judge given the "personalism "of military action.

In his opinion, it is something "difficult if not impossible", especially considering that the International Criminal Court requires the physical presence of the person on trial.

Regarding the sanctions imposed on Russia, he acknowledged his concern about the EU's decision to ban the broadcast of the Russian state media Sputnik and Russia Today (RT). "They are trying to destabilize the EU member states and Ukraine, but it is also true that a question arises about what happens to freedom of opinion," she said.