The NATO summit in Washington was quite significant due to the current international situation and the threat to the Alliance’s eastern flank. The final declaration of the summit emphasizes that military aid to Ukraine is not just an altruistic act, but primarily an investment in Europe’s security.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
A key component of the assistance will be the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine, with its command located in Wiesbaden and individual training units in the member countries involved in equipment supply.
Furthermore, NATO will appoint a representative in Kyiv to deepen Ukraine’s relations with the Alliance. This was announced by Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor. The transfer of aid coordination under NATO’s auspices is seen as a sort of insurance policy in case of Donald Trump’s victory in the upcoming presidential elections.
The White House statement emphasized that NSATU will coordinate the training and development of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on their path to full interoperability.
Another safeguard against a pro-Russian Republican is the guarantee of securing a minimum basic funding of 40 billion euros next year.
Securing Deliveries
The greatest concern was the potential reduction of aid to Ukraine. President Joe Biden assured that the United States has canceled planned deliveries of interceptor missiles to other countries and will redirect them to Ukraine over the next year. This involves hundreds of missiles for air defense systems, which will provide a shield over Ukrainian cities.
Importantly, the provision of necessary materials, ammunition, fuel, and other resources to ensure the combat capability of the Ukrainian army has been assured. Additionally, support for maintenance, repairs, delivery, and relocation of military equipment has been guaranteed.
Ukraine in NATO
However, the most important aspect is the political guarantees, which ensure that the doors to NATO membership for Ukraine remain open and that the issue of Kyiv’s accession to the Alliance is already settled.
It was stated that the Alliance welcomes Ukraine’s progress in reforms and notes that an invitation to NATO will be extended once Alliance members agree and the conditions are met.
This phrasing sparked much controversy among the participating countries even before the summit began. Interestingly, the conditions pertain not only to military issues but also mention the implementation of democratic and economic reforms.
“As Ukraine continues this important work, we will continue to support it on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” the declaration reads.
Putin – anti-Midas
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin wanted to go down in history, and he succeeded, though probably not in the way he desired. However, he managed to do something that the politicians of Ukraine and Western Europe could not achieve. He managed to unite Ukrainians in an unprecedented way, create Ukrainian heroes, turn a comedian into a statesman, and expand NATO and, in the long run, the European Union.
Putin, in his attempt to halt NATO expansion, brought about a radical change in the stance of the Finns first, and then the Swedes. Now, he has led to the doors being opened for Ukraine and invited it to the world stage.
The previous status quo satisfied almost everyone, and few politicians and soldiers considered the possibility of changing this state of affairs. Despite close cooperation with NATO countries, the Finns and Swedes believed that potential NATO membership would complicate relations with Russia.
Only slightly more than 20 percent of Finns supported joining the Alliance. Right after Moscow’s attack on Ukraine, support for joining NATO rose to 53 percent. After a month of war and the revelation of Russian crimes in Bucha, the level of support jumped by another 15 percent. After another month, it reached 78 percent. Putin, in his attempt to halt NATO expansion, ended up facilitating its expansion.
Alliance representatives were also skeptical and warned against provoking Russia. The leading voices in this regard were from Germany, France, and some Americans. William Burns, the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, wrote in 2008 that initiating Ukraine’s accession process to NATO would lay the groundwork for Russian intervention in Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
Now that the war has become a reality, nothing stands in the way of Ukraine joining NATO and the European Union in the future. This will, of course, happen after the war ends. Let us hope that Ukraine will use this time to implement reforms that will bring it closer to Western democracies.
For now, everything is on a pretty good track. Although it sounds macabre, this was made possible by Putin and his murderous ambitions.