(Vilnius) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Wednesday in Vilnius the expected announcement of “security guarantees” from Western countries, while stressing that they could not replace future membership of the Atlantic Alliance.
On the second day of the NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, 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 ) must present a plan of long-term commitments for Ukraine’s security.
If this announcement provoked the anger of Moscow, it did not erase the frustration of Kyiv, disappointed not to have obtained a precise timetable for joining the Alliance.
“The best guarantee for Ukraine is to be in NATO”, insisted Volodymyr Zelensky, after sharply reproaching NATO leaders the day before for their procrastination which encouraged Moscow to continue to sow “terror” in its country.
According to the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, the joint text will reaffirm the commitment of the West “to ensure that Ukraine is never more vulnerable to the type of aggression than that committed by Russia”. Concretely, it will constitute a framework for the subsequent conclusion of bilateral agreements between these countries and Kyiv, detailing the weapons they will supply.
“We must ensure that when the war ends there are credible mechanisms in place for Ukraine’s security so that history does not repeat itself,” the NATO Secretary General said. Jens Stoltenberg, before the first meeting of the “Ukraine-NATO council”.
The Norwegian, who has just been reappointed for a year at the head of the Alliance, insisted on the progress made during this two-day summit. “Today we meet as equals and I look forward to the day when we meet as Allies,” he told the Ukrainian president.
The latter is due to meet one-on-one with several leaders including US President Joe Biden, who is advocating for a model similar to the one reached with Israel, under which Washington has pledged to provide substantial military aid in the duration.
Even before the publication of the G7 text, the Kremlin ruled that these “security guarantees” to Ukraine would “undermine Russia’s security”.
“Frustration”
Western donors have already sent weapons worth tens of billions of euros to Ukraine to help it fight the Russian invasion.
On Tuesday, Germany said it would provide more tanks, Patriot defense missiles and armored vehicles, worth an additional 700 million euros.
France has announced the dispatch of long-range Scalp missiles to Ukraine, and an 11-nation coalition has said it will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 jets from next month.
But these promises, although necessary for the Ukrainian troops, do not meet the aspirations of Mr. Zelensky, who wanted to place Kyiv under the collective defense umbrella of NATO.
The leaders of the member countries of this military alliance promised, on the first day of their summit, that “the future of Ukraine” was “in NATO”, and shortened the process that Kyiv would have to follow to join the organization .
“We will be able to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when the Allies decide to do so and the conditions are met,” the final statement said.
A declaration that does not go much further than the commitment made in 2008 regarding future membership. The United States, the first military power, is worried about being drawn into a possible nuclear conflict with Russia.
“There is, of course, frustration on the Ukrainian side, and that’s understandable,” said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on her arrival for the last day of the summit. “Ukraine wants to benefit from the peace that the NATO umbrella offers our country, for example.”
On Wednesday evening, Joe Biden will deliver a speech at Vilnius University, in which he will outline Washington’s commitment to defending every square inch of NATO territory.