NATO does not want support for Ukraine to weaken at a very delicate moment in the warwaiting to see what Donald Trump does on his return to power and in the midst of Volodimir Zelensky’s clash with Germany over the delivery of long-range missiles. That will be the basis of the meeting of foreign ministers of the Atlantic Alliance, which takes place this Tuesday and Wednesday in Brussels. They all assume that the situation in kyiv is not the best right now.and that is why they do not want everything to hang by a thread if the US decides to cut support.
All eyes in the medium term are on Washington, but until Trump sits back in the White House, the allies want to cover up the problems that Ukraine has on the battlefield. Meanwhile, Zelensky insists on the need for long-range missilesonce several countries – including the United States – have allowed it to use them on Russian territory. That claim collided directly this Monday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a surprise visit to kyiv to announce a new aid package. But this support is not enough for the Ukrainian Government.
“I would like us to have more in common on the Taurus issue,” said Zelensky. who at the same time did recognize that he has “many points in common” with a chancellor who seems to be on his way outsince his party, the SPD, has fallen behind in the polls ahead of the elections called for February 23 in the country. The Ukrainian president has also stressed that Russia can only be affected if “isolation and sanctions” are maintained at the energy, economic and political levels.
Regarding financial support, Zelensky did have very kind words with Scholz, especially based on the 650 million euro package that Ukraine will receive this month. “If all our partners showed that such timely leadership and delivery, we would have already forced Russia to achieve a just peace“said the president before the chancellor at a press conference.
For these days, NATO has a clear roadmap: more help but not a conversation about the country’s entry into the Alliance. That second possibility is not on the table, although Zelensky has insisted on it. Some sources consulted by 20 minutes consider that “it does not seem unreasonable” to think about an accession of Ukraine after a Russian ceasefire, even if it entails a loss of territory, and then move on to negotiations. But at the moment it is not realistic to think that kyiv will give up some areas of the country to Moscow’s control.
For many voices, the year 2025 should be the moment in which a diplomatic solution to the war is addressed, but Volodimir Zelensky does not want to talk about a peace plan, but about a victory plan. The Ukrainian president has been showing this possibility to his partners for several weeks now without any tangible support for it. In kyiv they are clear that in the short term there will not be a negotiating table with Vladimir Putin.
Allies will also discuss the need to increase defense spending and strengthen the military industrial base in the coming years. Ten years ago, NATO member countries committed to allocating at least 2% of their GDP to military spending, with the condition that at least 20% of that figure be invested in the acquisition of new capabilities. A third way to evaluate each country’s commitment to the Alliance is the participation of its armed forces in joint missions or operations. But now leaders assume that 2% is not enough, and even Donald Trump has come to talk about the need to reach 4%.
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