On Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg assured that the transatlantic military alliance is working on the “urgent task” of ensuring Ukraine’s triumph in the war, but stated that a framework for after the conflict must be established.
A two-day informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers (FMs) was hosted by Stoltenberg in Oslo, Norway. The meeting comes before a NATO summit that will be held in Lithuania in July.
Stoltenberg’s Focus on Ukraine Support
Before the summit, the Secretary-General stated “We will take decisions to further strengthen our deterrence and defence. Agree on a new Defence Investment Pledge, with 2% of GDP on defence as the minimum. And deepen our partnerships with our partners in the Indo-Pacific region.” “Our focus today was on how we can bring Ukraine closer to NATO, where it belongs,” he said, adding that the alliance is working on a multi-year support package with robust funding.
#ForMin: Foreign Ministers address Vilnius #NATOSummit preparations, bringing Ukraine 🇺🇦 closer to NATO
— NATO (@NATO) June 1, 2023
The NATO chief told reporters that no significant decisions were taken during the summit. All the alliance’s members consented that “Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” but that the war must end for this to happen. “The most important thing for NATO and Ukraine is to assure that they win this war,” Stoltenberg said. “And we are providing an unprecedented level of support.”
Stoltenberg claimed that the alliance is working on a framework to safeguard Ukraine’s security and ensure the security of the rest of Europe. He told reporters, “We need to stop this vicious circle of aggression against Ukraine.”
NATO must establish “frameworks to provide the necessary security guarantees” for Ukraine, Stoltenberg continued, “to ensure that President Putin does not do this again.”
NATO Accession for Ukraine?
Former NATO deputy secretary-general Rose Gottemoeller told DW that Kyiv still had to meet “certain requirements with regard to overall governance of the country.” She added that Ukraine had been affected by corruption, which has been a frequent point of contention between NATO and Kyiv.
Stoltenberg’s predecessor as NATO chief, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said on Thursday that NATO leaders must “define clear plans for Ukraine’s accession to the alliance” and that until that happens, NATO leaders must provide “back binding, open-ended, and scalable security guarantees so Ukraine can defend itself, by itself.”
The FMs also discussed establishing a new NATO-Ukraine Council that would replace the existing NATO-Ukraine Commission. “This would be a significant step, to establish a joint consultative forum with Ukraine, sitting at the table as equals to discuss key issues for our security,” Stoltenberg said.
Great meeting of Foreign Ministers to prepare the #NATOSummit. Our focus was on how to bring #Ukraine closer to #NATO, where it belongs, with a multi-year package of support, a new NATO-Ukraine Council & when the war ends, credible arrangements to guarantee Ukraine’s security. pic.twitter.com/IpmVJHu7Bx
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) June 1, 2023
NATO Members’ Stance on Ukraine
The FMs addressed various issues, but the primary focus was on the alliance’s future relationship with Ukraine, and to what extent assistance can be provided, as Russia continues its war.
US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the US is focused on “strengthening the political relationship between Ukraine and NATO” and enhancing military ties. He said he expected the meeting of heads of government in Vilnius next month to formulate “a very strong package of support on both the political and practical side.”
French FM Catherine Colonna said that the alliance needs to evaluate what kind of security guarantees NATO can provide Ukraine.
The FMs of Lithuania and Spain agreed that the alliance needed to set out a specific plan for Ukraine’s membership whenever the war ended.
However, Hungary’s FM emphasised that Ukraine’s accession should not be on the agenda at the NATO summit in July. “We have to be clear: the accession of a country currently at war to NATO cannot be on the agenda,” Peter Szijjarto wrote on his Facebook page. Szijjarto added that a timeline for Ukraine’s accession should not be addressed either.
Ukraine can anticipate a very robust package of political and practical support at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July this year, - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken#UkraineRussiaWar pic.twitter.com/zUSXM5PTIY
— UATV English (@UATV_en) June 2, 2023
Sweden’s Impending NATO Membership
The standoff on Sweden’s application to join the alliance was another critical topic of discussion among the FMs.
Stoltenberg, Blinken, and German FM Baerbock expressed that they firmly believe Sweden will join NATO soon. “We aim to welcome Sweden as a new NATO member at the Vilnius summit in July,” Baerbock told reporters.
However, the future of Sweden’s membership request remains uncertain due to opposition from NATO members Turkey and Hungary.
Swedish FM Tobias Billstrom stated that his country had fulfilled “all the commitments” to join NATO. “It is time for Turkey and Hungary to start the ratification of the Swedish membership to NATO,” he said. “This was never a sprint, it’s a marathon, and we now see the end of it.”