2023-06-01 14:59:18
There are no signs on the horizon indicating when the war launched by the Russian president will end. Vladimir Putin in Ukraine but the countries of the Atlantic Alliance speed up talks to ensure the country security once the war is over and that history repeats itself in the future. “We have to make sure that history does not repeat itself, that this pattern of Russian aggression against Ukraine really stops” and for this “we have to have frameworks that offer guarantees for Ukrainian security after the end of the war,” he said. recognized the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, during an informal meeting of allied foreign ministers this Thursday in Oslo (Norway), to prepare the leaders summit to be held in Vilnius at the beginning of July.
“All the allies agree that the most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation,” Stoltenberg explained. And, for that, the armoring of Ukraine is a crucial element. “We must ensure that we have credible agreements that guarantee the security of Ukraine in the future and break the cycle of aggression by Russia,” he insisted in a message shared by the allies. “We have to make sure that we do not allow Russia to reorganize and invade Ukraine again,” the Canadian minister has defended. Melanie Joly.
The objective is to define the new framework in the Vilnius Summit, July 11-12which will also make decisions about the reinforcement of deterrence and defense and a new commitment investment in defense of at least 2% of GDP, with a long-term plan and a multi-year commitment to support Ukraine for the end of the war with different types of military support. A support package that will be “robust” on both a practical and political level, according to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blink.
“NATO is looking at how we can help them make this important transition from old Soviet-era doctrines, munitions, standards and equipment to modern NATO equipment and standards. The transition has already begun but there is still a long way to go to guarantee that everything they do is fully interoperable with NATO”, explained the Norwegian about the allied support to transition from Soviet military standards to Western ones on a long-term task that perhaps It is not the most urgent but it will be key for two reasons.
long term support
Firstly, because it indicates that support for kyiv is long-term, and secondly, because President Putin cannot expect the allies to disengage and abandon Kiev to its fate. “In Moscow they think that democracies are lazy, that we are ready not to stick with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We are going to prove the opposite”, he has indicated about a multi-annual program that he hopes will include different types of aid “with more solid financing”, he added.
The allies have also reiterated that the doors of the Alliance are open for Ukraine and that it will be the military organization and kyiv who make a decision and not the Kremlin. “It is not up to Moscow to have the right of veto against NATO enlargement”, recalled the Norwegian politician about a “simple principle of international law” also underlined by the French minister, Catherine Colonnaand it is that “all sovereign States have the right to freely choose their alliances.”
Accession of Ukraine
Meanwhile, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, presses for the 31 allied countries to make a “clear” positive decision in July in Vilnius. “Our hopes are getting further and further away. I am sorry to have to express this disappointment here on behalf of our soldiers who fight for freedom and our people”, he lamented from Moldova, where he attended the meeting of the European Political Community. kyiv has staunch allies, particularly in Eastern Europe and the Baltic republics.
“We very clearly support the idea of giving Ukraine a very clear path to enter NATO as a full member. I believe that NATO is a clear and strong security guarantee for Ukraine after the war. And we must send a very clear message that there will no longer be any gray areas in Russia’s neighbourhood”, said the Estonian foreign minister, Margus Tsahkna. Not all governments, however, share the urgency in the midst of a military storm. “Cooperation with Ukraine and NATO has further intensified. NATO has always made its open door policy clear” but “at the same time, it is also clear that in the middle of a war we cannot talk about a new accession”, recalled the German minister Annalena Baercock.
Incorporation of Sweden
The one who should enter the military club as soon as possible is Sweden, whose accession was accepted in June last year by the allied countries but continues to be blocked by Türkiye and Hungary. “I spoke with (Turkish President Tayyip) Erdoğan earlier this week and will travel to Ankara in the near future to further discuss how we can ensure the fastest possible accession for Sweden,” Stoltenberg announced.
The allied leader explained that the new anti-terrorist laws approved in Sweden, and that Ankara demanded to withdraw its blockade, have entered into force this Thursday and that they show that the Government of Oslo is taking measures to intensify the fight against terrorism, including the PKK. “Sweden has complied, so the time has come to ratify Sweden and I hope it happens as soon as possible,” he said without setting a date for his visit to Ankara. As for Hungary, which has not ratified the accession either, he has said that he has no indication that they have changed their position, although he has been convinced that they will too.
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