The West is united on the side of Ukraine. 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 and allied forces to date. NATO seems to want to signal to Russia that it is “ready”.
Russia’s anti-NATO rhetoric is likely to be further stoked. For Moscow, the West is responsible for the war in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently claimed in the Kremlin that Moscow tried “to stop the war they started in 2014 with weapons”. Everyone would say “that we started the war, that Putin was the aggressor. No, they are the aggressors”.
“Long-term perspective” for Kiev
In 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron described NATO as “brain dead”. But the war in Ukraine changed everything. Germany equipped the Bundeswehr with a special fund of 100 billion euros, Finland and Sweden renounced their historical neutrality.
However, there is no consensus on one issue: Ukraine’s membership of NATO. The defense alliance must deal with what might happen after the war, explains Dr. Vira Ratsiborynska of the Brussels School of Governance. But it is also about “stabilizing Ukraine”. For her, it is about “a long-term perspective”.
Rather than immediate admission, several alliance members, including France and Poland, want to negotiate greater security guarantees for Ukraine. For NATO it is more important that Kiev wins the war.
Topic at next NATO summit?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was agreement that the most important task was “to ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign and independent nation”. Because if Ukraine does not achieve this and is not in a position to be a democratic state in Europe, “then the question of membership does not arise at all”, says the Norwegian.
Kiev’s membership of the military alliance is likely to be the focus of talks at the next NATO summit. This will take place on the 11th and 12th of July in Vilnius, Lithuania.