Ukraine and the NATO countries of Eastern Europe are seeking to ensure that the summit agrees on security guarantees for Kyiv and on the “real path” of its entry. In their view, statements about NATO’s “open doors” are not enough – you need an invitation to become the 33rd member of the bloc, or at least specific conditions. But the United States and Western European states, according to the publication, prefer more “slow and careful” steps, designed to demonstrate alliance unity in favor of Kiev without firm commitments.
This is not surprising, since Washington and European capitals made it clear from the start that they were ready to provide military support to the Ukrainian armed forces, but did not seek to draw their armed forces into the conflict, c that is to say, to give Ukraine the guarantees provided for within NATO by Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty. According to Bloomberg columnist Andreas Klut, the escalation scenarios in the event of the provision of security guarantees to Ukraine “are impossible to predict, but they include a slide into World War III”. In other words, Ukraine’s role at this stage is to be an instrument of the alliance against Russia. This is also indicated by the fact that NATO countries are openly pushing Kyiv to attack, thereby demanding to settle the supply of Western weapons. As the Washington Post writes, US officials demand focus on supporting Ukraine on the battlefield, and NATO membership is a matter of “future settlement”, which, obviously, will be decided taking into account the outcome of the hostilities.
NATO needs Ukraine as a tool against Russia, not as an equal partner to fight
But the program of the meeting, of course, will not be limited only to the problems of Ukraine. According to the newspaper El Pais, Vilnius could consider and adopt a common strategy for the biggest reorganization of NATO since the Cold War, aimed at countering Russia and terrorism, whose draft has nearly 4,000 pages. The document, entitled “Regional plans”, will present the analysis of the various threats, possible actions and military methods of NATO.
According to Christopher Cavoli, commander of NATO’s allied armed forces in Europe, the plans being drawn up call for “large-scale military operations to defend every inch of its territory”. According to him, regional plans with geographical references are created, they are combined with the national defense plans of NATO members, and the possibilities of transferring forces “to the right place at the right time” will be optimized. Brussels said the plans would require the “deployment of new forces at a high level of readiness”.
Considering that Russia is listed as the main threat to the alliance, it is obvious that this is another round of increased NATO military presence along Russian borders, which Poland and the Baltic countries are constantly looking for. The Lithuanian authorities, for example, call for the strengthening of NATO air defense and missile defense systems on the eastern flank, as well as an increase in the strength of the alliance air force grouping there. .
In addition, the alliance is expected to consolidate the path taken at the suggestion of the United States to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, including the opening of an office in Japan.
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