First reactions of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization on the Russian Federation invasion in Ukraine

Abstract

The Collective Security Treaty Organization is a military alliance whose main goal is to guarantee the stability and sovereignty of member states and to consolidate regional security. Pursuant to the Collective Security Treaty, in the event of a threat to the integrity and stability of one of the member states, the organization is obliged to undertake consultations and activate mechanisms to eliminate this threat. However, the last few years have shown that the organization’s capabilities are used to a very limited extent.  Moreover, the reaction of states to crises in the area of alliance showed a lack of unanimity and solidarity in the organization. This was also the case with the invasion of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, which lasted from February 24th, 2022. This article presents the reaction of the CSTO member states to this event. What is more, the effects of the war on the organization as well as the prospects for its further functioning will be present. The main research question posed in the work is: What were the first reactions of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to the Russian Federation invasion in Ukraine? The research method used in this work is primarily content analysis.