The conference, according to UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, demonstrated a cultural shift toward accepting Ukraine’s membership in NATO.
VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (DNTV): The president of Ukraine arrived in Vilnius, Lithuania, with great hopes. He wanted confirmation that his nation will join NATO after the conflict with Russia was ended. He desired for his nation’s membership in the most potent military alliance in the world to serve as a sign of optimism and the ultimate peace dividend that could guarantee that Russian forces would never again devastate the Ukrainian motherland.
Instead, Mr. Zelensky was just informed that Ukraine would be allowed to join “when allies agree and conditions are met”. So far, so tentative.
Naturally, the president of Ukraine blew up, calling it “absurd” that Nato officials hadn’t provided even a rough timeline. He described the circumstances as “vague”.
He was also incensed by the notion that Ukraine’s NATO membership could be used as a bargaining chip in talks with Russia after the war.
But after President Zelensky met with NATO leaders in person, the diplomatic turbulence subsided. On Wednesday, they went out of their way to reassure him that things had changed and that Ukraine will eventually join NATO.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the UK asserted that his nation belonged in the coalition. Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of Nato, stated that although they met as equals on Wednesday, they would do so going forward as allies. President Joe Biden informed Mr. Zelensky that it would take place after working hard to minimize what NATO officially announced about potential accession. He claimed that Ukraine was headed in the right direction.
The conference, according to UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, demonstrated a cultural shift toward accepting Ukraine’s membership in NATO. No longer were any nations requesting “if” or “when” Ukraine should join, he claimed.
For Mr. Zelensky to take back to Kyiv in his summit goodie bag, that is a lot of kind comments.
The promise that the application process for joining NATO will be sped up, the establishment of a new Nato-Ukraine Council, which Kyiv can use to call meetings of the alliance, and, perhaps most importantly, the promise of new, long-term security guarantees made by some of the biggest powers in the world are all added to that.
To discourage Russian aggression before Ukraine joins NATO, the G7 leaders announced they will agree to a package of fresh bilateral assurances of military and economic support. In addition to additional training, intelligence sharing, and assistance with cyber technologies, this will also entail more long-range missiles, bombers, and air defenses. This was described as “a significant security victory” by Mr. Zelensky.
The lone note of disagreement came from Ben Wallace, who briefed media and advised Ukraine to express more thanks for the assistance it has already provided.
This was not an undiplomatic outburst, but rather frank counsel from a helpful ally. He was advocating for Ukraine to do more to comprehend the political constraints placed on nations providing them with military help, particularly the United States. He claimed that arriving in Washington with a shopping list of weaponry and treating the US like a branch of Amazon would unavoidably result in some “grumbles”.
This naturally raised some controversy in Vilnius.
The comments were undiplomatic at a gathering meant to show the unity of NATO. In order to officially denounce them, Rishi Sunak asserted that Ukraine had always been appreciative. When Mr. Zelensky was questioned about the comments during his own press conference, he appeared perplexed and requested that his own defence secretary, who was waiting in the stalls, call Mr. Wallace to clarify what he had said.
All of this will likely result in news stories that NATO and the British government may later regret.
But it’s possible that Mr. Wallace unintentionally brought attention to a noteworthy development in this conflict.
Ukraine’s requests have been heard for almost a year and a half, and most western capitals have generally complied. Kyiv has never been pleased and has continuously demanded more, and finally the west has obliged – whether it is shoulder mounted missiles, armored vehicles, main battle tanks, or currently cluster munitions.
In Vilnius, however, “no” meant “no.” Ukraine made demands, but Nato—led by the US—refused to budge and opted for strategic caution over an automatic fast road to membership in the alliance.
Therefore, President Zelensky would benefit diplomatically from being reminded that internal political pressures in the West are starting to bite and that these factors will influence the current political landscape on the international stage. the knowledge that you don’t always obtain what you want
