BRUSSELS — Without specifying how, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on May 25 closed out a meeting of 28 national leaders by saying the alliance will strengthen its support for Ukraine, which has been defending itself against Russia’s war for more than three years.
At a final press conference, which followed a nearly four-hour meeting among the heads of state of NATO allies, Stoltenberg said many allies expressed their commitment to continuing “to strengthen our close partnership” with non-NATO member Ukraine.
The reason, of course, is Russian aggression, Stoltenberg said.
“So first, we have seen a pattern over some time where Russia is more assertive, where Russia is willing to use military force to intimidate neighbors. We saw it in Georgia, we have seen it in Moldova, we have seen it in Ukraine with the illegal annexation of Crimea but also with the continuous destabilization of eastern Ukraine, and we have seen a significant military buildup in Russia, and we have seen rhetoric which is more, much stronger and more threatening than before,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO has responded but we have responded in a balanced, proportionate way because we don’t want confrontation and a new Cold War, but we have to make sure that there is no misunderstanding of NATO’s willingness and resolve to defend all allies, and that’s the reason why we are deploying our battle groups to the eastern part of the alliance.
“When it comes to Ukraine it was clearly stated by many allies and the whole alliance is behind the message that we are going to continue to strengthen our close partnership with Ukraine to provide practical support, political support; and there was a strong support of course for all efforts to try to make sure that we are really able to implement the Minsk Agreements and especially allowing the international monitors to be able to do their job,” he said.
NATO urges Russia to implement the 2015 Minsk peace agreement that calls on the Kremlin to withdraw its forces from eastern Ukraine, respect an internationally monitored cease-fire and return control of the eastern border to Ukraine.
When asked by a Russian journalist how NATO will explain increased military spending to Russia, Stoltenberg said that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military aggression is to blame. Russia has shown a willingness to use military force in Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to intimidate neighbors and redraw national boundaries, he said, as in the military invasion and illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
He said the presidents and prime ministers gathered affirmed the “dual track approach” to relations with Russia, which means “strong defense combined with meaningful dialogue.”
In welcoming Montenegro as NATO’s 29th member, Stoltenberg indirectly gave hopes for Ukraine’s ultimate membership, saying the alliance’s “doors remain open to nations who share our values.”
Stoltenberg will head a visit by the NATO Atlantic Council, the alliance’s policymaking body to Kyiv in early July.
