On the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius (Lithuania), the members of the G7 reiterated their long-term support for kyiv.
The conflict in Ukraine was still at the heart of the NATO summit in Vilnius (Lithuania), Wednesday July 12. On the second day of the rally and almost 18 months after the start of the Russian invasion, the members of the G7 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan) notably presented a plan for the security from Ukraine. Franceinfo takes stock of what to remember from the day on the side of the war in Ukraine.
The G7 pledges lasting military support to kyiv
The G7 powers pledged on Wednesday to provide long-term military support to Ukraine. The members of the G7 (United States, United Kingdom, France, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan) presented a plan for Ukraine’s security. This is to help him deal with the current Russian offensive and to deter Russia from any “future armed attack” against his neighbour. This decision, which angered Moscow, was hailed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, for whom this could not however replace a future membership of his country in the Atlantic Alliance. It’s about a “important victory for Ukraine’s security”he greeted.
Wagner handed over military equipment to the Russian army
The Russian army has announced that it has received from the paramilitary group Wagner more than 2,000 pieces of equipment, 2,500 tons of ammunition and 20,000 small arms, thanks to the agreement reached after its abortive rebellion in June. “The Russian Armed Forces, in accordance with the plan, complete the receipt of weapons and military equipment from the units of the Wagner Group”the Russian Defense Ministry reported on Telegram.
Wagner’s boss, Yevgeny Prigojine, had agreed to hand over the armaments of his men to the Russian regular troops after the abandonment of his rebellion at the end of June. “All equipment was delivered to the rear [du front]where the repair units of the Russian Armed Forces carry out their maintenance”the ministry added.
Russia is ‘fragile’ militarily, says Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron claimed that Russia was “fragile”. “Russia is militarily and politically fragile, more than some realized, and our support for Ukraine is more enduring than some thought”he said at a press conference after the NATO summit. “She showed her first signs of division”he insisted, in reference to the attempted coup by the mercenaries of the Wagner group, a sign according to him of the “weakness of Russian power”.
New weapons soon to be delivered by Norway
Ultra-light drones, elements of ground-to-air systems, military rations … Norway clarified on Wednesday the nature of the additional military aid it plans to provide in 2023 to Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Norwegian government announced an acceleration of its military support for the Ukrainian army, drawing from this year an additional 2.5 billion crowns (around 220 million euros) from the multi-annual envelope provided for this purpose. This will bring Norwegian military aid to Ukraine to 10 billion crowns this year, in addition to 7.5 billion crowns in civilian aid.
But Oslo had not specified the nature of the equipment to be acquired. These will be 1,000 Black Hornet-type nanodrones, elements of NASAMS surface-to-air missile systems that will complement the systems of the same type that Lithuania plans to deliver to Ukraine and tens of thousands of food rations, detailed Defense Minister Bjørn Arild Gram.
UK asks for more ‘gratitude’ for help
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said the UK was not “not Amazon”, when it comes to supplying arms to Ukraine. He thus suggested, to the British media on the sidelines of the NATO summit, that kyiv could show more “gratitude” to his allies. “This war is a noble war, (…) but sometimes you have to convince parliamentarians in the United States. You have to convince politicians who in other countries are wondering if it’s worth it”he said. “Like it or not, people want to see gratitude”he added.
“The people of the UK have always supported us. We are very grateful to them”swept Volodymyr Zelensky. “I don’t know what he meant and how I could be grateful to him.” Turning to his Defense Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, Volodymyr Zelensky then asked him, laughing, to send “words of gratitude” to Ben Wallace by calling “from today” the British minister.
Sweden will not join NATO before October, says Erdogan
While Sweden’s entry would strengthen NATO’s security against Moscow, the Turkish parliament will ratify membership “as soon as possible”. But not before October at best, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. “There is a two-month parliamentary recess [et] there are many international agreements to examine, many legislative proposals which must be discussed in order of importance”underlined the Turkish Head of State, answering a journalist’s question on the possibility of ratification in October. “But we intend to get it over with as soon as possible.”he assured on the sidelines of the Atlantic Alliance summit in Vilnius.