The failed rebellion over the weekend of Wagner Russian mercenary group against the Kremlin exposes the “big strategic mistake” committed by the president Vladimir Putin with its war of aggression against Ukraine. This is at least the diagnosis made by NATO, which also promises to redouble its support for the Kiev government in its counteroffensive to recover territory and improve its position in future peace negotiations.
“The events of the weekend are an internal matter of Russia. But they are also another demonstration of the great strategic mistake that President Putin made with his illegal annexation of Crimea and the war against Ukraine,” said the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenbergin an appearance in Lithuania, where he has traveled to finalize the preparations for the NATO summit in July.
“As Russia continues its assault, it is even more important to continue supporting Ukraine. The Ukrainians have launched a counter-offensive to retake occupied territories. And the more territories they are able to liberate, the stronger their position will be at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace,” says Stoltenberg.
[Borrell ve grietas en el poder militar de Rusia: “El monstruo que Putin creó con Wagner se rebela”]
On the other hand, NATO is “closely monitoring the situation in Belarus”, the country that has given shelter to Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner boss who unsuccessfully challenged the Kremlin. “We condemn Russia’s announcement that it will deploy nuclear weapons there: it is reckless and irresponsible,” denounced the Secretary General.
“We see no indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons., but NATO remains vigilant. If Russia thinks it can intimidate us not to support Ukraine, she is wrong: we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” she said.
The NATO Secretary General has announced that during the Vilnius summit the allies will approve a multi-year plan of military support for Ukraine. But he has also pointed out that there will be no concrete decision on the roadmap or schedule for kyiv to enter the club, as claimed by its president, Volodímir Zelenski. While Poland and the Baltics support Ukraine’s claims, Germany and the United States resist for fear of direct conflict with Moscow.
“The decisions we make (in Vilnius) bring Ukraine closer to our Alliance. Because Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. All the allies agree that the doors of NATO remain open, that Ukraine will become a member of the club and that the decision rests with the allies and with Ukraine: Russia does not have the veto,” Stoltenberg explained.
Given the lack of consensus on its entry into NATO, the allies are working to offer bilateral security guarantees to Ukraine as a provisional solution to avoid a new aggression from Moscow in the future. “Once the war ends, we must establish agreements for the security of Ukraine, so that history does not repeat itself,” explained the NATO secretary general.
