Tomorrow all eyes will be on Kiev, where a summit between Ukraine and the European Union will take place. In addition to the symbolism of the meeting, measures and plans are expected to strengthen relations and help the invaded country, which aims to quickly join the European club. The Czech Republic’s president-elect, meanwhile, shifted attention to another debate about Kyiv’s integration, in this case into NATO, amid a more pressing debate within allies about the nature of military aid.
In an interview with the BBC, Reserve General Petr Pavel, winner of the Czech presidential election against billionaire and populist Andrej Babis, defended Ukraine’s entry into NATO “once the war is over”. Pavel, who chaired the Military Committee of the Atlantic Alliance, praised Kiev’s armed forces: “The Ukrainian army will probably be the most experienced army in Europe. Ukraine deserves to be part of a community of democratic countries”, he said. , before answering in the affirmative to the hypothesis of the country’s accession to NATO. “I believe they really deserve it.”
Pavel also said that the allied countries “have no alternative” to more military aid. “If she [ucranianos] If they lose, we all lose (…) Our cities are not destroyed by Russian artillery and missiles. But our future could be destroyed if we don’t support Ukraine for a successful outcome of this conflict.”
In 2019, Ukrainian deputies approved an amendment to the constitution, according to which the country aims to become a member of both the European Union and NATO.
Ten days before the “Special Military Operation” ordered by Vladimir Putin, the Ukrainian president reiterated the goal of belonging to the military alliance. “There is no sign from us that joining NATO is not a goal,” he said when he first received Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Kiev, also in response to demands from the Russian leader, who had demanded “firm guarantees” months earlier . for every allied state that NATO would not expand beyond its borders.
Zelensky’s position did not remain unchanged: in March, when the all-out invasion attempt took place, the Ukrainian president admitted that the issue was not raised and even at the meeting between negotiators in Istanbul, the Ukrainian delegation will in return declare the neutrality of the country accepted security guarantees from third countries, but the meeting at the end of March ended without any result.
Six months later, the Ukrainian presidency responded to Moscow’s attempt to annex four Ukrainian regions with a request to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A scenario that is considered unrealizable as a conflict unfolds on its territory.
Regarding the discussion of some countries’ fears about the possible escalation of the conflict whenever Kiev gains new military capabilities, Defense Minister Oleksi Reznikov dismissed the issue, saying it was “some kind of protocol”. But more than that: “Ukraine as a country, and the armed forces of Ukraine, became a member of NATO. De facto, not de jure. Because we have weapons and we know how to use them,” he told the BBC. . .
In a sense, the NATO Secretary General’s trip to South Korea and Japan epitomizes Reznikov’s statements. Among other items on the agenda, Jens Stoltenberg explored the possibility that those two Alliance partner countries could provide Ukraine with another form of aid that is not humanitarian. He took as an example Germany, Sweden and Norway, which have maintained their decades-long policy of banning the sending of weapons to conflict zones.
“If they don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, they will [ucranianos] they need guns. This is the reality,” said the Norwegian in Seoul. Or, to put it another way, this time in Tokyo: “What happens today in Europe can happen tomorrow in East Asia. China is not NATO’s opponent. But their growing assertiveness and coercive policies have implications for your security in the Indo-Pacific and ours in the Euro-Atlantic space.”
Before convincing distant partners, the allies will have to find one voice on a number of issues related to support for Ukraine – led by Hungarian Viktor Orbán, seconded by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic – as well as on enlargement in general , given that the membership of Finland and Sweden remains subject to ratification by Hungary and Turkey.
Kiev exerts daily pressure on its allies to decide as soon as possible on the donation of tanks, longer-range missiles and aircraft to face an army and a group of reinforced mercenaries – 326 thousand men, according to the head of the Ukrainian secret army – and with more training, as recognized by Kiev.
Before the next meeting of NATO defense ministers in mid-month, and the hypothesis that F-16 fighters are excluded, the US will announce a military package that will include a new missile, GLSDB, with a range of 150 kilometers, which is doubles the range of missiles used in the HIMARS system. This new support comes at a time when the percentage of Americans who say Washington has already given too much to Kiev is on the rise: they are now one in four, and among Republicans, it’s as high as 40%.
And yet…
Wagner denies siege
The man who became known as the chief of Putin and now head of the mercenary group Wagner denied statements by an adviser to the pro-Russian leader in Donetsk that Bakhmut is in an “operational siege”. According to Yevgeny Prigozhin, this is not the reality. “Operational siege is when all roads and supply routes, retreat routes and all traffic are controlled by enemy fire. Currently we have no operational siege,” he said.
Moscow warns Tel Aviv
A spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry warned the Israeli government about statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the possibility of supplying weapons to Ukraine. “All countries that supply arms [à Ucrânia] they must understand that we will consider these as legitimate targets for Russia’s armed forces,” said Maria Zakharova, who has the country with Russia, referring in particular to the agreement in force in Syria.
Armored from Spain
The Spanish government has announced that it will deliver an additional 20 TOA M-113 armored vehicles to Kiev. These transport vehicles will be shipped on Monday and will be joined by another twenty or so already in the field. As for the Leopard 2 tanks, according to the the country the number to be donated in an initial delivery will be between four and six, depending on the condition of the 53 tanks.
Belgian Leopard for sale
Freddy Versluys, manager of the Belgian arms trading company OIP Land Systems, proposed to the Brussels government to buy back 50 Leopard 1 tanks and then transfer them to Kiev. Five years ago, the Belgian State sold the tanks to that company for 2 million euros. Alternatively, Versluys is asking for export licenses so that another country can acquire them, Reuters says.
Source: DN
