Politico: NATO injects Ukraine with tranquilizer after last year’s summit 

Politico said at an article by Paul McCleary in which he addressed NATO’s pledges to Ukraine for membership, weapons and support, and the position of the Ukrainian leadership on this.

Politico, “Things are better than they were” after the membership and arms pledges.

Ukrainian leaders mostly seem satisfied with the outcome of the NATO summit in Washington, especially since it could have been much worse.

Kiev didn’t get everything it wanted, but NATO agreed to declare the country’s eventual membership “inevitable” and “irreversible”.

It’s an update to the declaration of last year’s summit in Lithuania that left Ukrainian leaders angry at the alliance’s lack of commitment while fighting against Russia.

However, commanders are still demanding more fighter jets, more air defense systems, faster pilot training, and getting rid of strike restrictions inside Russian territory.

The specter of Donald Trump’s return to the White House has added an atmosphere of uncertainty to the entire procedure, leaving even experienced foreign hands to guess what the former president could do if he wins in November.

But, for now, the Ukrainians are ready to win.

Ukrainian parliamentarian Yegor Cherniev, who attended the summit, said, “Things are better than after last year’s summit in Lithuania”.

There was no opportunity to formally invite Kiev to become the thirty-third member of the coalition while in Washington, as leaders in Kiev have long been told that no invitation will be issued this week.

However, the promise it received was the result of months of contentious wrangling within the coalition that belies the difficult path that lies ahead for Kiev, even if the West continues to keep arms flowing.

Cherniev continues, “Irreversible, okay… But it’s not an invitation yet”.

As the war continues to amount to a deadly impasse, expectations have changed, and more air defense systems and other weapons are needed to repel Russia’s relentless cruise and ballistic missile strikes, and ongoing infantry attacks across the front lines.

Finnish Foreign Minister Elena Valtonen said in an interview, “The most important thing now for Ukraine is that we send them ammunition and lift the restrictions imposed by the United States on the use of donated weapons such as long-range missiles inside Russia”.

“When it comes to the specific wording for Ukraine to eventually join NATO, everyone knows that won’t happen overnight anyway, so I don’t think we should spend a lot of time thinking about the wording in relation to this, but the focus should be on delivering supplies,” Valtonen said.

Diplomats at the summit expressed satisfaction with the language that allows NATO to bring Ukraine a little closer, but there was little desire to launch the path to full membership anytime soon, even from countries along the alliance’s eastern front, where they oppose NATO Russia and where anti-Russian and pro-Ukrainian rhetoric is at its height.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lebaevski said in an interview, “I understand Ukraine’s ambition and desire to become a full member of NATO, but they must also be realistic about the status quo”.

“They’re now in a full-scale war, so I think the wording that says ‘when the time is right’ is good, and while I’d like to see Ukraine in NATO tomorrow, we have to be realistic,” he added.

Ukrainian forces will be bolstered with more US weapons after Congress approves the $60 billion aid package in April, and as new weapons arrive from several European countries.

Ukraine estimates that while the artillery deficit during the winter was 20:1 in favor of Russia, this deficit decreased to a ratio of 5:1.

This week’s summit also created a new NATO leadership in Germany, which will coordinate arms flows to the Ukraine and ensure the rapid delivery of promised weapons, adding a much-needed coordination function between the specialized nature of country-specific commitments.

The alliance will also place an ambassador in Kiev, bringing the country closer under NATO’s umbrella, even without formal membership.

The Czech republic initiative to persuade EU countries to finance the purchase of artillery munitions from third countries has also borne fruit, reaching 50,000 shells per month, and about 500,000 are expected to arrive by the end of the year.

Ukrainian forces are forced to use munitions to stop ongoing attacks, but this back-and-forth move brings little gain to either side, although the Russians have made some progress on some key points.

One NATO diplomat, who, like others, gave anonymity to speak frankly about a sensitive situation, said, “Ukraine will continue to have the supplies and weapons from the West that they need to defend themselves, and I think they have been able to stabilize the front, but obviously keeping the war at a standstill for the rest of this year is what we expect”.

Another NATO diplomat expressed similar frustration with the Biden administration’s restrictions on Ukraine, noting that although the Ukrainians have now gained a lot of advantages with the military’s tactical missile systems, and that they will weaken Russian capabilities, it’s unlikely to lead to any serious breakthrough, especially if they are prevented from using these weapons against Russian military targets inside Russia.

A number of leaders have been adamant about the cost of not supporting Ukraine in its own defense, no matter how much frustration may arise about how quickly that would happen.

Valtonin continues from Canada, “This isn’t a cliché, it’s the truth… Ukrainians are fighting for us… We simply cannot fail these people”.