Split
The Western tanks promised to Ukraine this week will not only help Kyiv defend its territory and recapture cities that have been captured by Russia in recent months. Heavy military vehicles are another step towards Ukraine joining NATO. The paradox of the war declared by Moscow is that precisely because of Russian aggression, the Atlantic Alliance is gradually reversing the decision taken in 2008, when several member states (all European) opposed Kiev’s accession under the so-called “Euro-Atlantic umbrella”. ‘ pronounce’. With the result that the war state is making great strides towards the alliance.
Integration into the NATO armies
“Ukraine is now more integrated into NATO than any other member country of the alliance,” historian Serhii Plokhii, a professor at Harvard University, told Politico.com. Because “the Ukrainians can now actually use all the weapons of all major countries, while the armies of each individual NATO state can only use their own weapons,” the scientist specified. A line that follows the words of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov two weeks ago. “De facto, Ukraine as a country and its armed forces has become a member of NATO. Because we have the weapons” of the other countries in the alliance “and the understanding of how to use them,” the government official from Kyiv said last January 13 in a Interview with the BBC.
The West’s latest commitments
Since then, armaments have been added to the long list of military aid that has poured into the country since the beginning of the war. The tug-of-war solely within NATO to persuade Germany to make its Leopard 2 tanks available ended in the most favorable way in Kyiv. Not only has Berlin given in to international pressure and given the green light to send its vehicles, but the United States has also pledged to supply M-1 Abrams tanks, Britain has provided the Challenger 2 tanks, and France has it it A debate is underway about the shipment of the Leclerc wagons. It’s Italy?
The Italian contribution
Rome and Paris are close to an agreement on the delivery of a Samp/T anti-aircraft vehicle to Ukraine. It is a medium-range surface-to-air guided missile system “suitable for use in new mission scenarios, which are characterized above all by driving factors such as shortened reaction times against airborne threats, high mobility and the possibility of adapting the device in a timely manner Dynamics of the maneuver,” says the Army website. Italy is equipped with five batteries of these systems. And while the NATO countries are determining the technical and operational details of the delivery of military assets (the destruction of which Moscow has promised), the Kiev government already followed up by asking for the deployment of military jets.
“From Crisis Management to Collective Defence”: NATO returns to Cold War strategy
The future of Kiev
“There is a high probability that Ukraine will be integrated into Western structures after the end of the conflict,” added historian Plokhii in an interview with the American newspaper. “We don’t know when the war will end. But a few things are already clear,” starting with the fact that “Ukraine will remain an independent state. Of course, it remains unclear where the borders of this Ukraine will be independent,” emphasized the scientist, who sees a future in NATO for the country engaged in a defensive war against the Russian invasion.