The leaders of NATO’s 31 member states have been meeting since the morning of Tuesday, July 11, in Vilnius, about 35 kilometers from the border with Moscow’s ally Belarus, and not far from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad.
If Ukraine’s future accession is at the center of the discussions, but not only, several important announcements have already been made.
sequel after announcement
• France will deliver SCALP missiles to Ukraine
Emmanuel Macron announced early in the morning that France would send long-range missiles “scalping” to Ukraine. According to a French military source, the missiles have already reached Ukrainian territory.
“We decided to deliver new missiles capable of delivering deep strikes to Ukraine”Emmanuel Macron said upon his arrival at the summit site in Vilnius, Lithuania. “I think today what is important for us is to send a message of support to Ukraine, the unity of NATO”he added.
The war in Ukraine: What are the features of the SCALP missiles that Paris fired at Kiev?
An announcement that angered the Kremlin. The latter on Tuesday estimated that the French long-range missile delivery is ” mistake “ Which will force Russia to take “countermeasures” In the conflict in Ukraine. “From our point of view, this is a decision tainted by error and has serious consequences for the Ukrainian side, because it will naturally force us to take countermeasures.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
• NATO will invite Ukraine to join the alliance “when the conditions are met.”
The leaders of the NATO member states agreed to invite Ukraine to join the alliance. When will the conditions be met? NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. Thus, NATO members tried to make commitments to Ukraine, but far from the expectations of its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who demanded a timetable for membership.
sequel after announcement
Earlier today, Ukraine’s president was very virulent, in a tweet: “It seems that there is no will to invite Ukraine to NATO or to make it a member of the alliance”they fired Volodymyr Zelensky.
We value our allies. We value our common security. We always appreciate an open conversation.
Ukraine will be represented at the NATO summit in Vilnius. Because it is about respect.But Ukraine also deserves respect. Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals …
– Володимир Зеленський (ZelenskyyUa) July 11, 2023
Twitter – Володимир Зеленський on Twitter
Jens Stoltenberg also specified that the Allies had pledged to set aside “at least 2%” of their GDP for military spending.
• Berlin will deliver 700 million euros of additional weapons
German government sources learned, on Tuesday, that Germany will deliver nearly 700 million euros in additional weapons to Ukraine, on the first day of the NATO leaders summit meeting in Vilnius.
sequel after announcement
The second contributor in terms of military aid to Ukraine after the United States, Germany had already announced on May 13, the day before President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit, arms shipments worth €2.7 billion.
• Sweden’s integration into NATO is on the right track
On the eve of this meeting, the Allies succeeded in preserving their unity by lifting Turkey’s opposition to Sweden’s accession to NATO: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan finally agreed to lift his veto on this nomination, after more than a year of obstruction.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan abruptly abandoned his opposition on Monday, on the eve of a NATO meeting. For months, he has insisted that Sweden crack down on members of banned Kurdish movements in Turkey, which the Swedish government says it has done. But speculation has been rife about what other concessions Turkey obtained to give the green light.
Erdoğan had demanded at the last minute that Sweden depend on NATO’s approval of Turkey’s ability to resume stalled membership talks with the EU. Another longstanding request from Turkey, the purchase of modern US F-16 fighter jets, appears to be progressing.
sequel after announcement
Counterattack: Ukrainian soldiers facing the Russian wall
In addition, Hungary, which has not yet ratified Sweden’s accession to NATO, gave a positive signal on Tuesday, the day after the agreement submitted by Turkey. Our position is clear: the government supports Stockholm’s accession to NATO. (…) Completing the certification process is now merely a matter of technology.Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on his Facebook account, before setting off for the NATO summit in Vilnius.
Sweden’s accession to NATO would have Negative consequences, that’s for sure.Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented, adding that Russia would take action “expected and planned” as a reply.
• The Kremlin is closely following the “anti-Russian” NATO summit
The Kremlin said on Tuesday “follow closely” NATO summit in Vilnius, denounced “strong anti-Russian figure” from this meeting.
It is the summit of an alliance with a strong unequivocal anti-Russian character. Russia is viewed as an enemy and adversary, and it is from this perspective that the discussions will take place.Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
