The involvement of western states in the Ukraine war : A conceptual analysis of the legal and political frame

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Western States have assisted Ukraine by taking different measures such as sanctions against Russia, delivering weapons and military equipment to Ukraine and sharing ‘battlefield’ intelligence with Ukraine. (e.g.movements and positions of Russian forces) However the western states do no wish to engage on a level that would make Russia perceive them a parties to the conflict (e.g. no-fly zone) and have contributed in such that would categorize their assistance as collective self-defence and in accordance with the elements of proportionality and necessity. To understand what amounts to being a party to the conflict, the law and state of neautrality has to be assessed. In other words what violations should a so-called neutral state do to legally qualify it as a belligerent. According to Christopher Grinwood, if assisting parties have a direct connection in causing harm to the adversary they have committed an act of war and thus become parties to the conflict.