The main leaders of NATO met this Monday in Lithuania, on the eve of a decisive summit of the Atlantic Alliance on the Russian invasion of the Ukraine and the accession requests of Stockholm and kyiv.
(Also read: NATO would raise a major obstacle for Ukraine to enter the Alliance)
The members of the military alliance want to give guarantees of their commitment to defend Ukraine, at a time when Ukrainian forces carry out a slow counter-offensive to retake Russian-occupied areas.
(You can read: Russia on sending cluster bombs to kyiv: ‘It brings humanity closer to world war’)
For kyiv it is crucial to be under the protection of NATO to deter Moscow from launching new offensives, and therefore demands, together with the countries of Eastern Europe, that the alliance establish a clear road map. But the United States and Germany insist on a vague promise about Ukraine’s future accession, without setting a timetable.
US President Joe Biden said it clearly: “I don’t think (Ukraine) is ready to join NATO,” he said in an interview with the CNN, adding that there was also no unanimity among the allies on the integration of kyiv “in the middle of a war”. “We would be at war with Russia if that were the case,” he warned.
(Keep reading: It’s 500 days since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Is the end of the war in sight?)
To counter this position and show your support, several Atlantic Alliance heavyweights are negotiating possible commitments to supply kyiv with long-term weapons.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the country has received tens of billions of dollars worth of military equipment.
Washington promised on Friday to send the controversial cluster bombs. Banned in many countries, these weapons kill indiscriminately by dispersing small explosive charges before or after impact, and can cause numerous collateral civilian casualties.
Banned in many countries, these weapons kill indiscriminately by dispersing small explosive charges before or after impact, and can cause numerous collateral civilian casualties.
(Also read: What will happen to Wagner? Commander says that Prigozhin sent them on vacation)
Biden, who acknowledged that it was a “difficult” decision, met this Monday in London with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who urged this weekend not to use these types of bombs. China warned of the “humanitarian problems” that these munitions could cause and Russia denounced the shipment, calling it a “show of weakness”.
The war in Ukraine, which this weekend celebrated 500 days, has left 9,000 civilians dead, including 500 minorsaccording to the UN, which estimates that the balance of victims is much higher.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that the allies are considering reducing Ukraine’s accession process from two to a single step.
Stoltenberg stressed that one of the proposals that the allies are discussing to bring Ukraine closer to the organization is to suppress the accession action plan (MAP, for its acronym in English) in the case of Kiev, so it would be passed “from a two-step process to a one-step process”.
(You can read: Third World War? Russia warns again about the possible entry of Ukraine into Otan)
In an appearance with the host of the summit, the president of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, Stoltenberg assured that, for the moment, he remains open to what the leaders will decide.
“Consultations are taking place and other meetings will take place today. But I am sure that all the allies will agree on a very clear message as far as Ukraine is concerned as well,” he explained.
Asked specifically if there is a decision on the MAP, the Norwegian politician said that “no final decision has been made on the summit, but I am absolutely sure that there will be unity and a firm message on Ukraine.”
He also recalled that at the informal meeting of Alliance foreign ministers in Oslo in May, he presented a package of measures in relation to Ukraine.
The first of these consisted of a program or practical support to ensure full interoperability between Ukrainian and allied forces, in order to facilitate military rapprochement between the two parties.
(Keep reading: The conclusions of the meeting in Istanbul between Erdogan and Volodimir Zelensky)
The second, to establish an Otán-Ukraine Council, a forum in which both parties can discuss security concerns on an equal footing and whose first session will be held during the summit, with the participation of the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky.
And, the third, according to Stoltenberg, was about “removing the requirements of the action plan for accession, turning around the accession process of Ukraine.”
“We are now discussing these elements and this package and also finalizing discussions and negotiations on the precise language. I am not going to go into detail about what the allies are agreeing to,” he commented.
In any case, he celebrated “the fact that we are building on the package that was launched in Oslo and I am confident that we will have a good, strong and positive message when the leaders meet.”
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The abolition of the MAP would mean that the Ukrainian government would not have to participate in a multi-year program to demonstrate that it has carried out the necessary military, economic and political reforms to join the military alliance.
Ukraine presented its candidacy to join the Alliance, although Zelensky recognized the difficulties in doing so while the country continues at war with Russia.
Everybody understands it. Every leader, every State. Although there are different positions, it is clear that Ukraine deserves to be in the Alliance.
The Ukrainian president declared in his last address to the nation before the NATO summit in Vilnius begins on Tuesday that Ukraine deserves to be in that body, insisting that it needs “a clear signal” that it will be admitted as a member state when end the war.
“Everyone understands it. Every leader, every state. Even if there are different positions, it is clear that Ukraine deserves to be in the Alliance,” Zelensky said, adding: “Not now, while the war lasts, but we need a clear signal.” .
The Kremlin, for its part, considered this Monday that kyiv’s entry into the alliance would be “very negative” for security in Europe.
Accession of Sweden
Another central theme of the summit is the accession of Sweden, which aspires to become the 32nd State of the Alliance. Although at first, the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed his opposition, on Monday he lifted the veto on the accession of Stockholm, a blockade that was argued that the Scandinavian country has historically served as a refuge for Kurdish terrorists.
(Also read: What are the cluster bombs that Ukraine will receive and why are they banned in 100 countries?)
Stoltenberg said that Erdogan will send “Sweden’s Accession Protocol as soon as possible, and will work together with the Assembly to ensure ratification”.
Earlier in the day, Erdogan had shaken NATO by saying that his country would only lift its veto on Sweden’s entry into the military alliance if Turkey’s delayed accession to the European Union (EU) was approved.
Erdogan held a meeting on Monday with Stoltenberg and the Swedish Prime Minister, Ulf Kistersson, but given the new demand, a meeting between the Turkish leader and the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, was organized. At the end of that meeting, Michel announced that he had discussed with Erdogan ways to “revitalize” EU-Turkey relations.
(You can read: Is Wagner’s boss currently in Russia and not in Belarus? This says Lukashenko)
Türkiye submitted its candidacy to join the EU in 1987and it was considered eligible in 1999, although in the last decade there has been practically no progress in this regard.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, disembarked in Vilnius at the beginning of the afternoon, coming from London, where he held meetings with the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and with King Carlos III.
Underlining that he was “impatient” to welcome Sweden as NATO’s 32nd member state, Biden expressed his willingness to work with Erdogan “to strengthen defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area.”
WILLIAM MORENO HERNANDEZ
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
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