The Alliance expects more offensives in the east, but notes that there are no signs that Putin has given up on achieving full control of the country.
With the movement of Russian troops to the east, the war in Ukraine “enters a crucial phase.” However, as NATO warned on Wednesday, the conflict is far from over: “It can last for months, even years, and we must be prepared to give military, humanitarian and financial support to kyiv,” warned its secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg. , upon arrival at the Alliance Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Brussels.
NATO expects a resurgence of the offensives in the Donbas area, whose conquest is one of the main objectives of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. This will also allow “rearming and resupplying their troops”, who withdrew from the kyiv area, where they were encountering great resistance from the Ukrainian Army.
This tactical shift to the east does not mean that Putin has renounced the total invasion of the country: “We have not seen signs that indicate that his ambition to achieve total control of Ukraine has changed,” Stoltenberg said, for what he believes “essential” increase support for Ukrainian forces.
“The allied countries” must reinforce their assistance with both heavy and light systems, “the Norwegian insisted. The shipment of anti-tank weapons, air defense systems and training to Ukrainian troops are already making a difference on the ground, NATO says. In this sense, the alliance with the US has been “essential” to put pressure on Russia and promote peace negotiations, said Stoltenberg together with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
This Wednesday’s meeting, in which Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea also participated, also served to define the Alliance’s long-term strategy. “The world order has changed and we must adapt,” said its manager.
NATO has already called on the allies to increase their spending on defense, but – as warned by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, before the European Parliament – this investment must be more efficient. “We must optimize our expenses,” he assured. In addition, he stressed that there is a lot at stake in the war in Ukraine: «It matters a lot to us how this conflict ends. We don’t want it to end up with a shattered country dominated by Russia,” he said.
In that sense, he stressed that the allies can still give more support to kyiv. “The EU has invested €1 billion in support of Ukraine. It may seem like a lot, but it’s given to Putin every day since the war began. Compare,” he noted.
nuclear risk
Weapons are not the only help. The EU still fears a chemical, biological or nuclear attack on Ukrainian soil, so it has sent three million iodine tablets – which protect people from the effects of radiation – to kyiv. The Twenty-seven have also reinforced their strategic reserve of equipment, medicines and vaccines in the face of a possible attack of this type, which would cause an escalation of the conflict at the international level.
Europe’s diplomatic efforts remain focused on isolating Russia and achieving a condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine from the international community. On this point, the harmony between NATO members is absolute. “We are united and prepared to strengthen our sanctions and increase our deterrence and defense,” said the leader of the Alliance.
More than forty countries are already punishing Moscow and the European Union is determined to go further. The fifth sanctions package, announced Tuesday, includes energy sanctions for the first time. The European Commission will propose to the Member States the veto on Russian coal -which moves around four billion euros a year-. In addition, according to the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, “oil and gas will come later”.
Hydrocarbons account for 62% of Russian exports, so increasing European energy independence is “our best asset” to deal with Moscow, Michel said. To this end, Europe is already working on diversifying its suppliers and increasing its strategic gas reserves. The veto on Russian energy, however, must achieve unanimity among the member states and some have already been reluctant to take measures of this type. Among them, Austria and Hungary.
The possible sanctions announced on Tuesday by the Community Executive include, among others, the veto of four Russian banks from the international financial market, the prohibition of Russian ships from docking in European ports, the reduction of exports of sensitive material for Russia and more individual sanctions on companies and people close to the Kremlin.
Hydrocarbons account for 62% of Russian exports, so increasing European energy independence is “our best asset” to deal with Moscow, Michel said. To this end, Europe is already working on diversifying its suppliers and increasing its strategic gas reserves. The veto on Russian energy, however, must achieve unanimity among the member states and some have already been reluctant to take measures of this type. Among them, Austria and Hungary.
The possible sanctions announced on Tuesday by the Community Executive include, among others, the veto of four Russian banks from the international financial market and more individual sanctions on companies and people from the Kremlin circle. On this last point, the United States announced on Wednesday that it will include two daughters of the Russian president on its sanctioned list and also the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Topics
Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vladimir Putin, European Commission, NATO, European Union (EU), United States, kyiv, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, War in Ukraine
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