Latest news with #NATO-Ukraine
Malaysia Sun
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Malaysia Sun
Polish president-elect voices opposition to Ukraine joining EU
Karol Nawrocki has said that under current conditions Kiev should not be in NATO either Ukraine must meet specific conditions before joining the European Union and cannot currently become a NATO member, Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki said in an interview with national media on Monday. Nawrocki restated his stance on Kiev's membership aspirations on Polsat News channel, as he prepares to take over presidential duties in early August. He confirmed that he intends to meet with Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky after his inauguration. "I am against Ukraine's unconditional accession to the European Union," Nawrocki said. It made strategic sense for Ukraine to join the 27-strong bloc, he said, but stressed that such a partnership must be grounded in equality. Nawrocki recalled that Poland itself had to spend years meeting the EU's entry requirements. He mentioned friction between the two nations regarding Ukraine's access to the Polish agricultural market and Kiev's glorification of historical figures responsible for atrocities against Poles during World War II. "Today, there is no possibility for Ukraine to join NATO," Nawrocki added. He argued that Ukraine's active conflict with Russia means that all NATO countries would be dragged in, in such a case. Russia has long cited NATO's pledge to admit Ukraine, first formally declared in 2008, as a core threat to its national security. Moscow has said deepening NATO-Ukraine ties since the 2014 coup in Kiev were a key factor underlying the current conflict. The EU, originally established for economic integration, is increasingly seen in Moscow as a hostile military power in its own right. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently described it as "essentially a branch, or rather an appendage of NATO." Brussels has advocated a rapid military buildup across EU member states, projecting hundreds of billions of euros in defense spending as a deterrent to Moscow. Russian officials have dismissed these efforts as fear-based tactics meant to divert funding from social programs. (
Newsweek
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Ukraine Sees Mixed Results at the 2025 NATO Summit
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Foreign officials and senior delegates met at The Hague for the 2025 NATO summit last month. During the two-day event, they emphasized the importance of collective security, explored ways to enhance the defense industrial base, and addressed Alliance defense spending. Aside from these topics, NATO members also discussed the organization's relationship with Ukraine, as well as Russia's ongoing war. In previous years, NATO-Ukraine relations were a key focus of the summit. In 2022, NATO members stated that they would directly contribute to Ukraine's defense. They also openly condemned Russia's "war of aggression against Ukraine," and members agreed to send weapons and technology to Ukraine. Then, in 2023, Alliance members established the NATO-Ukraine Council, a body that "advance[s] political dialogue, engagement, cooperation, and Ukraine's aspirations for membership in NATO." The NATO-Ukraine Council also "provides for joint consultations, decision-making, and activities." Outside of the establishment of this group, NATO members removed a membership action plan requirement for Ukraine. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks after the signing of an agreement for establishing a special tribunal to try top officials responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on... Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks after the signing of an agreement for establishing a special tribunal to try top officials responsible for Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on June 25, 2025. More FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images During the 2024 summit, NATO members stated that they would "station a senior civilian officer in Kyiv" so that Ukrainian officials could work more closely with NATO representatives. They also established the Ukraine Compact program that would "provide Ukraine with weapons, ammunition, and training necessary to repel Russian forces." The discussions held at the 2022, 2023, and 2024 summits, along with the actions taken during and after the meetings, signaled that the Alliance was ready, willing, and able to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. Events at the 2025 NATO summit, however, presented a different tone. The NATO-Ukraine Council was initially supposed to be a prominent part of the summit. In addition, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was to play a key role alongside NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and other officials. But the agenda significantly changed. This was reportedly because the United States did "not see Ukrainian security as essential to European security," and the U.S. wanted Ukraine to have less involvement at the 2025 summit. As a result, President Zelensky was only invited to the NATO-Ukraine Council working dinner event. This marked a significant shift from previous NATO summits, during which President Zelensky held several high-level meetings with officials from NATO member states. Additionally, not everyone attended the NATO-Ukraine Council dinner. This further suggested that NATO members had relegated the importance of NATO-Ukraine relations. Furthermore, some officials publicly denounced Ukraine's future with the Alliance. During the 2025 NATO summit, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that "NATO has no business in Ukraine." Similarly, members of the Trump-Vance administration stated that Ukraine should not join NATO. The declaration issued at the end of the 2025 NATO summit saw a change in tone regarding Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Unlike the NATO summits from 2022 to 2024, which mentioned Russia's war and NATO's relationship with Ukraine dozens of times, the 2025 joint statement only listed Ukraine twice. The declaration also did not condemn Russia's war. This was a significant departure from previous summits. Many supporters of Ukraine were left disappointed. They were puzzled by NATO's new approach, and some even argued that this was a victory for Russia. Critics will be right to question why NATO took a lesser approach in condemning Russia's war in the NATO declaration this year. But actions speak louder than words. During the summit, Alliance members committed to future assistance to Ukraine by linking aid to the new 5 percent annual gross domestic product (GDP) threshold for defense spending. This is particularly significant, as the decision is a victory for both NATO and Ukraine. Including defense aid to Ukraine in the calculation of the 5 percent GDP threshold will help NATO members meet this commitment. It also allows Ukraine to continue defending itself against Russia. Intertwining aid to Ukraine with NATO's defense framework suggests that Ukraine will continue to be part of the Alliance's strategic planning. This is much more important to Ukraine than words issued in the summit's final declaration. In addition, NATO members pledged to provide €40 billion in defense aid to Ukraine in 2025. According to reports, €35 billion in security assistance has already been supplied to Ukraine this year. This suggests that, despite some political tensions within the Alliance toward Ukraine and Russian aggression, NATO members remain committed to supporting Ukraine. Finally, while Zelensky was not as involved as he had been in the 2025 NATO summit as in previous years, he did still meet with Secretary-General Rutte. In addition, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska reaffirmed that NATO is committed to "sustain[ing] and strengthen[ing] support to Ukraine." Overall, the 2025 NATO summit presented mixed messages to Ukraine. On the one hand, NATO has articulated that it will continue to provide unwavering support for Ukraine. It will send tens of billions of euros in defense assistance to Ukraine. Additionally, NATO members will assist Ukraine in strengthening its defense industrial base. Finally, aid to Ukraine will be intertwined with defense spending commitments made by NATO members. But on the other hand, Ukraine's role at the 2025 NATO summit was relegated. Several officials from member states questioned or criticized Ukraine's future with the Alliance. Finally, supporters of Ukraine were hoping for firmer commitments from NATO during the summit, but this never came. Ukraine received mixed results during the 2025 NATO summit. Given this ambiguity, time will tell how the NATO-Ukraine relationship will unfold. Mark Temnycky is a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a freelance journalist covering Eurasian affairs. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU seeks alternative to NATO coordination for Ukraine
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday a new joint task force with Ukraine is to be established to streamline the procurement of military supplies and consolidate support for Kiev. The move comes in response to the looming threat of a US veto blocking continued NATO military aid coordination for Ukraine. Currently, the Germany-based NATO-Ukraine command, or NSATU (NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine), is responsible for these tasks. Created at the NATO summit in Washington in July, NSATU coordinates arms deliveries and the training of Ukrainian forces. The European Commission stated that the new task force will complement NATO's efforts, with both organizations coordinating their activities. Speculation has recently emerged that the US might push for a halt to NSATU as part of negotiations for Russian concessions, particularly following the recent disruption of US military aid to Ukraine. The Trump administration seeks a swift end to Russia's war against Ukraine, but Moscow reportedly demands an end to NATO's commitment to Ukraine, among other conditions. Von derLeyen foresees a new world order In a speech in Copenhagen, von der Leyen did not provide specific details on the task force but emphasized the growing need for Europe to become more independent of the United States and bolster its own domestic defence capabilities. "The security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted," she said. The former German defence minister warned that "the age of spheres of influence and power competition is well and truly back," signalling a shift in global geopolitics. She predicted that a new world order will emerge in the second half of this decade and beyond.
Euronews
21-02-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Three years of war in Ukraine: Here's what the French army has learned
Three years of conflict and hundreds of thousands of dead on both the Ukrainian and Russian sides have pushed the French Army to rethink its military strategy. The high-intensity conflict which began after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, foreshadows the war of tomorrow due to the many technological and tactical innovations. It has even pushed the French army to go as far as to create its special defence innovation unit in 2023 known as the Future Combat Command (CCF). "In the end, it's the innovation and adaptability that we've seen throughout this conflict, that mobilises our energy in terms of our own preparation," said General Rodolphe Hardy, second-in-command of the French Army's future combat unit, during a press conference held in Paris on Thursday. The rise of electronic warfare One key takeaway this year: the hidden electronic warfare battle that's reshaping the Ukraine war. Electronic warfare is a technology that interferes with radio communications that can interfere with GPS and drones. "If you can't use your cell phone because it can't connect to a network terminal, it's a bit complicated. So in the military field, whether it's for communications, or GPS-based guidance systems, or for aircraft exchange systems or even the guidance of a drone without a pilot, all of this exploits the electromagnetic field," explained Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, Deputy Head of Operations to the Chief of Staff of the French Navy to a group of reporters. This has forced French military leaders to reconsider and adapt to the gaps in their capabilities. "We need to be able to influence it, in other words, to disable its use. And this is a domain that's moving very, very fast. We need to be very active in this area because it's a key element," he said during the press conference. The second front on the Black Sea Although the majority of the fighting is on land, there is a second crucial front on the water. The French Armed Forces have also learned how Ukraine has defended parts of the Black Sea using drones. "We saw Ukrainian drones which were very basic at the beginning and which have now become high-tech, even capable of countering helicopters," said Vice-Admiral Slaars. The crucial lessons learned throughout this conflict even inspired the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre in Poland, inaugurated this week. The goal is to adapt to the new realities on the battlefield.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine's Defence Minister meets new Pentagon chief in Brussels
Ukraine's Defence Minister Rustem Umierov met with his American counterpart, Pete Hegseth, on Wednesday, 12 February. Source: Umierov on Facebook, as reported by European Pravda Quote: "The first meeting with the new US Secretary of Defence, Pete Hegseth." As reported, a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in the Ramstein format is taking place in Brussels on this day, with the United Kingdom chairing for the first time. In addition to the Ramstein meeting, this week will also feature the NATO-Ukraine Defence Ministerial Council and the Munich Security Conference. Background: Media reports suggest that the US Defense Secretary will not announce new arms shipments for Ukrainian forces. However, it is expected that he will reaffirm President Trump's commitment to swiftly pursuing a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron!
