The Russia-Ukraine conflict was prompted by the desire of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to expand militarily in Ukraine, "which was seen as a security threat by Russia," Ntsikelelo Breakfast, senior lecturer at History and Political Studies Department at the South African Nelson Mandela University, told Sputnik Africa.
"What gave rise to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia was the expansion of NATO. In my opinion, NATO wanted to expand militarily in Ukraine and Ukraine is close to Russia. And that was seen to be a security threat by Russia. [It] seems to be posing a threat to the security of Russia because I think it made Russia appear to be vulnerable. No wonder Russia has reacted the way it has," the expert noted.
Breakfast also named "some tendencies of Nazism" in Ukraine as another challenge that incited the conflict.
"So I agree with Russia that the issue of NATO's expansion needs to be addressed if world peace is to be kept. Without addressing the insecurities that Russia has, there won't be world peace," he highlighted.
In September 2022, Ukraine sought accelerated NATO membership following the onset of the Russian military operation. Nevertheless, the country has not yet received an official invitation from the bloc.
In late November, Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that his country has always opposed Ukraine's membership of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) because of national security concerns.
This November, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto stated that at the moment, NATO countries agree that Ukraine cannot become a member of the alliance now, but it may be possible for the country to join in the future if conditions are met and a consensus is reached between the member states of the organization.