2023-06-15 17:43:05
The West stands united on Ukraine’s side. However, there is still no consensus on the question of whether and when Kiev should join NATO. NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has a clear opinion on this.
The “Air Defender” maneuver has been underway in Europe since Monday. It is the largest air force exercise by NATO forces and allies to date. NATO seems to want to signal to Russia that they are “ready”.
Russia’s anti-NATO rhetoric is likely to be further spurred on. For Moscow, the West is responsible for the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently claimed in the Kremlin that Moscow had tried “to stop the war they started in 2014 with weapons”. Everyone would say “that it was us who started the war, that Putin was the aggressor. No, they are the aggressors.”
“Long-term perspective” for Kyiv
In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron described NATO as “brain dead”. But the war in Ukraine has changed everything. Germany equipped the Bundeswehr with a special fund of 100 billion euros, Finland and Sweden have given up their historical neutrality.
However, there is no consensus on one issue: Ukraine’s NATO membership. The defense alliance must deal with what might happen following the war, explains Dr. Vira Ratsiborynska from the Brussels School of Governance. But it is also regarding “stabilizing Ukraine”. In her view, this is “a long-term perspective”.
Instead of immediate admission, several members of the alliance, such as France and Poland, want to negotiate greater security guarantees for Ukraine. For NATO it is more important that Kiev wins the war.
Topic at the next NATO summit?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that there was agreement that the most important task was “to ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign and independent nation”. Because if Ukraine doesn’t achieve that and isn’t in a position to be a democratic state in Europe, “then the question of membership doesn’t arise at all,” says the Norwegian.
Kiev’s accession to the military alliance will probably be the focus of talks at the next NATO summit. This will take place on July 11th and 12th in Vilnius, Lithuania.
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