NATO calls Russia its ‘most significant and direct threat’
NATO declared Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to the peace and security of its members on Wednesday and vowed to strengthen support for Ukraine, even when the leader of that country rebuked the alliance for not doing more to help it defeat Moscow.
The condemnation of the military organization was not entirely surprising: its head earlier said that Russia’s war in Ukraine had created Europe’s biggest security crisis since World War II. But it was a headache for an alliance that a decade ago called Moscow a strategic partner.
Founded some 70 years ago to fight the Soviet Union, NATO held its summit in Madrid in a world transformed by its neighbor’s Russian invasion. The war led the alliance to pour troops and weapons into Eastern Europe on a scale not seen in decades and pushed Sweden and Finland to seek the security of NATO membership. .
The two previously non-aligned nations were formally invited to unite on Wednesday, as Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war brought “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War. . “
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has complained that NATO’s open door policy for new members does not seem to apply to his country.
“NATO’s open door policy should not resemble the old turnstiles on the Kiev subway, which remain open but close when you approach them until you pay,” Zelenskyy said via a video link. “Ukraine has not paid enough?”
He also called for more modern artillery systems and other weapons and warned leaders to either provide Kyiv with the help it needed or “face a delayed war between Russia and yourself.”
“The next question is who? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: all, ”he said. “We are discouraging Russia from letting it destroy us and from destroying you.”
Zelenskyy acknowledged that NATO membership is a distant prospect. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any of the 30 members would lead to a military response from the entire alliance, so it is trying to find a delicate balance, leaving its nations to arm Ukraine without sparking direct confrontation with the alliance. Russia armed with a nuclear weapon.
At the same time NATO has moved quickly to ensure that its members are protected, dramatically increasing its military force along its eastern side, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry about the Russia’s future plans.
It plans to increase nearly eight times the size of the alliance’s rapid reaction force, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, by next year. The troops will be based in their nations but dedicated to specific countries in the East, where the alliance plans to build stockpiles of equipment and ammunition.
US President Joe Biden, whose country provides most of NATO’s military power, has vowed that the summit will send “an unequivocal message … that NATO is strong and united.”
“It simply came to our notice then. We are showing that NATO is more needed now than it has ever been, ”said Biden. He announced a strong boost in America’s military presence in Europe, including a permanent U.S. base in Poland, two other Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and two other F35 squads to the Kingdom. United.
However, tensions have also arisen among NATO allies as the cost of energy and other essentials has risen, in part due to the war and Western tough sanctions on Russia. There are also tensions over how the war will end and what concessions, if any, Ukraine should make.
Money is still a sensitive issue – only nine out of 30 NATO members currently meet the organisation’s target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country has hit the target, urged NATO allies “to dig deep to restore deterrence and secure defense in the next decade.”
At the summit, leaders unveiled NATO’s new Strategic Concept, its set of priorities and targets every ten years.
The last such document, in 2010, called Russia a “strategic partner.” At the time, the idea of Russia waging a ground war on NATO borders was widely heard.
Now, NATO has accused Russia of using “coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation” to extend its reach.
The paper also set out NATO’s approach to cybersecurity issues for climate change – and China’s growing economic and military reach.
While not calling on China as an adversary, NATO said “Beijing’s stated ambitions and coercive policies challenge our interests, security and values.”
“China does not share our values, and like Russia seeks to undermine the rules-based international order,” Stoltenberg said – although the alliance said it remained “open to constructive engagement” with Beijing.
For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand attended the summit as guests, a reflection of the growing importance of Asia and the Pacific region.
NATO also stressed the need to address political instability in the African Sahel region and the Middle East – exacerbated by “climate change, fragile institutions, health emergencies and food insecurity. – food ”- which is leading a large number of migrants to Europe. Hosts Spain and other European countries pushed for this new focus.
The summit, which ends on Thursday, opened with one problem resolved, after Turkey agreed on Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has threatened to blockade the Nordic pair, stressing that they will change their position on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.
After talks with the leaders of the three countries, Stoltenberg said the impasse had been eliminated.
The accession of both countries must be ratified by all nations, but Stoltenberg said he was “absolutely confident” Finland and Sweden will become members soon.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said his country was keen to step out of the “gray zone” it had applied for membership but was not yet fully covered by NATO’s collective defense guarantee.
“Our goal is that that period should be as short as possible,” he said.