Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of NATO has a strong belief of Ukraine joining the alliance. He pronounced on Thursday, April 20, 2023, during his visit to Kyiv that Ukraine’s “rightful place” is in the military alliance.
Stoltenberg also pledged more support for the country. He is on his first visit to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion just over a year ago.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, urged Stoltenberg, who has been instrumental in marshaling support from NATO members, to push for even more from them, including warplanes, artillery and armored equipment.
The Kremlin has given various justifications for going to war, but reiterated on Thursday that preventing Ukraine from joining NATO is still a key goal of its invasion, arguing that Kyiv’s membership in the alliance would pose an existential threat to Russia.
NATO leaders stated in 2008 that Ukraine would join the alliance one day, and Stoltenberg has repeated that promise throughout the war, though the organization has established no pathway or timetable for membership.
Stoltenberg disclosed at a news conference, “Let me be clear, Ukraine’s rightful place is in the Euro-Atlantic family. Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO.”
The NATO Chief divulged that he and Zelenskyy discussed a NATO support program for Ukraine.
“This will help you transition from Soviet-era equipment and doctrines to NATO standards and ensure full interoperability with the alliance. NATO stands with you today, tomorrow and for as long as it takes.”
Jens Stoltenberg
Stoltenberg noted an announcement by Denmark and the Netherlands that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least another 14 refurbished Leopard 2 battle tanks by early 2024. He added that he expected countries to “make new announcements of concrete military support to Ukraine” at a meeting on Friday in Germany.
Stoltenberg will attend a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday, April 20, 2023. The group is the main international forum for soliciting military support for Ukraine.
Zelenskyy professed that he was grateful for an invitation to a NATO summit in July in Vilnius, Lithuania, but said his country needs a roadmap for becoming a member.
“The time has come for the (alliance’s) leaders to define the prospects of Ukraine’s acquisition of NATO membership, to define the algorithm of Ukraine’s movement towards this goal, and to define security guarantees for our state for the period of such movement, that is, for the period before NATO membership.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Moscow Could Use “All Means Available” To Retaliate Any Territorial Attack
Russian President, Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow could use “all means available”, a phrase some see as a threat to use nuclear weapons, in response to an attack on its territory if Ukraine attempts to recapture Moscow-occupied areas.
The fighting in recent months has become a war of attrition with neither side able to gain momentum. However, Ukraine has recently received sophisticated weapons from its Western allies and is expected to launch a counteroffensive in coming weeks.
NATO has no official presence in Ukraine and provides only non lethal support to Kyiv.
Finland’s recent NATO membership doubles Russia’s border with the world’s biggest security alliance. Neighboring Sweden is expected to join in coming months, too, possibly by the time U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts meet in Vilnius in July.
The alliance has focused on bolstering defenses on its own territory to dissuade Putin from attacking any member country.
Under NATO’s collective security guarantee, an attack on one member country is considered an attack on all of them.
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