The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit that began on Tuesday morning (11) in Vilnius, Lithuania, has already resulted in more military reinforcements to Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelensky is still waiting for clearer decisions on his country’s possible membership in the military alliance. France and Germany have announced new arms deliveries to Kiev, and Moscow reacts by pointing out the “mistake” of Westerners.
(RFI) The war in Ukraine dominates discussions at the event, which takes place 35 km from the border with Moscow’s ally Belarus. The summit is attended by leaders of the 31 countries that make up NATO.
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to provide long-range Scalp missiles, which he said would allow the Ukrainian army to conduct deeper bombardments in occupied areas. “What is important for us is to send a message of support for Ukraine, of NATO unity and the determination that Russia cannot and must not win this war,” Macron said during the meeting.
Earlier in the day, a French military source confirmed that the Scalp missiles had already been delivered and that France “obtained written assurance that the weaponry will only be used within Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders”.
The missiles can be launched from a boat or combat aircraft and carry an explosive charge of 450 kg. Depending on the version, they can hit targets located between 250 km and 500 km.
Germany, the second-largest provider of Ukrainian defense efforts, announced an additional €700 million in arms for Kiev. Berlin’s list includes 40 armored vehicles, two launchers for the Patriot anti-aircraft defense system and 25 Leopard 1 tanks, as well as ammunition. The program “responds to Ukraine’s needs: air defense, tanks, artillery. With this, we bring an important contribution to strengthening Ukraine’s sustainability,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius revealed in a statement.
The Norwegian government will also increase its military aid to Ukraine by 2.5 billion kroner (about €220 million) this year to reach €10 billion kroner, the announcement said on Tuesday. “The defensive war that Ukraine is fighting is happening now. That’s when the help is really needed,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Gahr Støre told his country’s press on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Norway is one of the countries that has delivered Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine (8 in all), as well as other armored vehicles, multiple rocket launcher systems and artillery shells.
Zelensky calls for haste
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who had hoped for more agility in the positions of the alliance’s member countries on Ukraine’s accession to NATO, had his expectations rejected by the American Joe Biden, among other leaders, such as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who gave much more cautious statements, fearing a direct confrontation with Russia and the risk of a third world war.
Zelensky criticized NATO’s “indecision and hesitation”, which in his assessment only encourages Russia’s policy of terror. For the Ukrainian president, “it will be absurd if NATO does not offer a timetable with defined steps for future negotiations”.
In the absence of unanimity, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assured that military aid to Kiev will be reinforced and the formal conditions of Ukraine’s membership will be softened, in measures that will be presented this Wednesday (12), in a working session with the participation of Zelensky.
Olaf Scholz announced on Tuesday a joint statement by the G7 countries (France, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, Italy, Canada) on “security commitments” for Ukraine.
After 14 months of waiting and negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday gave the green light for Sweden’s entry into NATO, which international analysts believe signifies a shift in its foreign policy towards the West.
Kremlin denounces anti-Russia sentiment
The Kremlin said it is closely following what it defines as an anti-Russia summit and stressed that Sweden’s membership, now that Turkey has lifted its veto against Stockholm’s request, will have “negative consequences”, with measures already foreseen and planned, according to President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman.
“Russia is seen as an enemy, an adversary, and it is in this perspective that the discussions take place,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Moscow also declared that France makes “a mistake” with the supply of long-range missiles and promises retaliation.
(With information from AFP)