Solidarity event with Ukraine during NATO summit.
(Photo: ddp/abaca press)
Vilnius The Ukrainian president made the announcement in plain language, but when Vladimir Zelensky arrived for the NATO summit in Vilnius on Wednesday, his anger appeared to have died down. Yes, there were sometimes “fine disagreements” with Western supporters, but Ukraine was grateful for the help it had received in the fight against Russian aggressors, he said.
It sounded different the day before. Zelensky expressed disappointment on Twitter that the postwar NATO countries had not invited Ukraine to join the alliance. “Indecision is weakness,” he said angrily. “For Russia, it’s an incentive to continue its terror.” There is a risk of a scandal and a rift between Ukraine and its partners could cloud the NATO summit.
But on Wednesday, Selensky was more diplomatic. In the Lithuanian capital, Zelensky said the outcome of the Vilnius summit was welcome.
In his view, an official invitation to Ukraine would be ideal. But Selensky praised the fact that NATO countries want to avoid the usual “membership action plan” for pre-joining candidates.
That shortened the path Ukraine would have to take to join the alliance in the future. “After the war we will be a member of NATO,” Zelensky said optimistically.
G7 Security Commitment
Until then, the Europeans and the US want to keep supporting the country. In the short term, new weapons deliveries, and in the medium term, extensive bilateral security arrangements. The Group of Seven countries adopted the corresponding agreement on Wednesday. Zelensky called the move an “important signal” for Ukraine to join NATO.
NATO cuts Ukraine’s path to membership short.
(Photo: IMAGO/Belgium)
As part of the statement, the G7 countries pledged to Ukraine to, among other things, provide modern equipment to its air force and navy. The move is aimed at securing Ukraine’s long-term military support for its defense struggle against Russia and enabling it to permanently protect itself from such aggression.
The new commitments do not come from NATO itself; like previous arms deliveries, they are bilateral agreements between NATO members. This distinction is important because the league does not want to get involved in conflict.
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However, within the existing NATO structure, the NATO-Ukraine Committee will be upgraded to the NATO-Ukraine Council. The first meeting Zelensky attended took place on Wednesday.
The G7 aid is expected to continue beyond Russia’s war on Ukraine, but British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he has an obligation to ensure such a war never happens again.
By the end of the summit, the Ukrainian president was far less downcast than expected.
(Photo: dpa)
Anders Fogg Rasmussen, an adviser to the Ukrainian government and former NATO secretary-general, described the G7 statement as a “big moment”. This suggests that Western partners are moving away from “the temporary support provided thus far and towards a longer-term vision for Ukraine’s security”. The Kremlin called the promises “potentially very dangerous.”
long term support
The security concept has been compared to the assurances Israel receives from the United States, since Israel also does not have a formal defense agreement with the United States. It covers four core areas: further transfers of Western weapons systems, enhanced intelligence exchanges, significantly expanded training and exercises with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and support for Ukrainian military and industrial infrastructure. In return, the country should promote reforms in various fields.
Rasmussen emphasized: “Our goal is clear, we want to ensure that Ukraine wins this war and that Russia will never do something like this again.” However, Rasmussen also warned: “Since 2008 , Ukraine has been in the NATO waiting room. It’s a dangerous place.”
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The Danes alluded to NATO’s decision at the time to commit Ukraine to membership, but failed to agree on concrete steps to achieve that goal. Many experts believe that the ambiguity of NATO’s perspective contributed to Russia’s aggression. Russia’s aggression began with the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 and last year attempted to capture the capital Kiev with a massive invasion.
The Russians have yet to achieve their war goals, but they still control large swaths of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainians have been trying for weeks to break through Russian defenses and retake their country, but progress has been slow. The West supports the Ukrainian Army mainly through arms deliveries. To date, Ukraine has not received any fighter jets or warships.
Zelensky also met German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the NATO summit. He said the two sides reached an agreement on further Patriot anti-aircraft missiles. “This is very important to protect lives in Ukraine from Russian terrorist attacks.” Zelenskiy said “long-term defense cooperation” was also a topic.
This form of support is “the best signal to the world that our Europe remains a safe and peaceful place”.
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