“NATO and Ukraine need each other. There is no better strategic solution to guarantee security in the Euro-Atlantic area than Ukraine’s entry into the alliance”. Ukrainian foreign minister Dimytro Kuleba has taken advantage of the official accession this Tuesday of Finland, the thirty-first country to become a member of the alliance, to put pressure on NATO members on the Ukraine joining the Atlantic Alliance. “For there to be progress on this, the first thing is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation. That is why the allies are providing an unprecedented level of support and will continue to do so,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed after the NATO meeting. NATO-Ukraine commission held for the first time in five years after years of blockade by Hungary.
Despite the jug of cold water that Stoltenberg’s words represent for Kiev’s desire for membership, which requested its membership last September and has once again called for a “road map”, Stoltenberg has insisted that “the future of Ukraine is in the Euro-Atlantic family” and has recognized that “a strong and independent Ukraine is vital for the stability of the Euro-Atlantic area”. For this reason, the allies have promised the government of Volodymyr Zelenskywith whom they hope to meet at the NATO leaders’ summit in Vilnius (Lithuania) in July, a multi-year financial plan with which to continue helping Kiev to guarantee the “deterrence and defense” of the country and accelerate the transition of equipment from the Soviet era to others under standards and interoperable with NATO countries.
“We have to wait and see the full amount of the announcements that (allied countries) are going to make but I am quite optimistic that they realize the importance of also providing support through the NATO Assistance Fund and having long-term commitments. For the Vilnius summit I hope to have a substantial amount of money, the commitment to support for many years and a multi-year commitment program”, explained Stoltenberg. The Norwegian’s intention is to provide this new support fund with around 500 million euros per year, although the amount will be specified in the coming months.
unprecedented military aid
The Norwegian recalled that the allied countries have so far provided nearly 150 billion euros in aid to Ukraine, including 65 billion in military aid. An “unprecedented level” of support that they will continue to provide. “There is no room for complacency. President Putin has not changed course in Ukraine. He believes that Russia can outlast our support” but “our meeting today has highlighted NATO’s lasting commitment to Ukraine”, added the allied leader, who recalled that the first Leopard tanks have already arrived in Ukraine along with infantry fighting vehicles and non-lethal materiel essential for Ukraine’s survival such as fuel, medical supplies, mobile satellite systems and pontoon bridges.
Stoltenberg has particularly appreciated their contributions to Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom as well as partners like australia and japan and he is confident that even more will continue to arrive in the coming months. “It is obvious that for a long time it has become a war of attrition, a battle of logistics. There is a constant need for more ammunition, more supplies, more means for the different capacities that Ukraine has, and that is why a lot of attention has been paid to the need to reinforce them, and not only with the supply of ammunition to Ukraine, but also in production,” he explained.
NATO, like the European Union, has been working for weeks with the industry to review ammunition needs and replenish arsenals which have been emptied as the war dragged on. This will require increased production, necessary not only to replenish stocks but to continue sending material to kyiv so that it can launch offensive operations that allow it to continue recovering territory and liberate more occupied territory. “Ukraine needs significant amounts of ammunition for its artillery systems, for its main battle tanks, for its anti-aircraft defense systems and for all the weapons systems that its allies have provided,” Stoltenberg admitted.