With the failed rebellion of the Wagner group against the Kremlin as the “elephant in the room” omnipresent in all discussions, the leaders of the European Union have agreed during the summit on Thursday in Brussels to offer Ukraine “security compromises” in the long term in order to deter Russia from further aggression in the future, once the war is over. The head of community diplomacy, Josep Borrell, has warned that “Putin emerges weakened from this crisis, but a weak Putin is a greater danger“.
The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenskywho has asked start EU entry negotiations before the end of the year, during Spanish presidency. The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenbergwho was asked by European leaders for his diagnosis of the situation in Russia and Belarus during a session without mobile phones.
The heads of state and government of the 27 have shown their “concern” about the “explosive cocktail” what does the “nuclear narrative” of Russia and Belarus and the exile of the “terrorist” group Wagner to Minsk after the riot over the weekend. Despite this, they have opted to keep a “cool head” and not change course in seamless support for Ukraine, according to diplomatic sources.
[La UE y la OTAN llaman a redoblar la ayuda militar a Ucrania aprovechando la “debilidad” de Putin]
“The EU and the Member States are ready to contribute, together with their partners, to future security commitments towards Ukrainewhich will help Ukraine to defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and resist destabilization efforts”, read the conclusions of the European Council. This reference has been introduced at the proposal of France, but it has caused a fracture between the Member States, which disagree on its precise meaning.
Firstly, the offer of security guarantees to kyiv has generated unrest between neutral EU countries: Ireland, Malta and Austria. “There have been some discussions in recent days on the text and we are comfortable with the latest wording, which recognizes that some member states, including Ireland, have a unique position and that position is military neutrality. But we don’t want it changed.” explained the Irish Prime Minister, leo varadkar.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas during the summit this Thursday in Brussels
The French proposal has not been liked by the Baltics either, who maintain that it is NATO and not the EU that must guarantee the security of Ukraine. “The best security guarantee for Ukraine is full NATO membership once the war is over,” says Latvia’s Prime Minister, Krisjanis Karins. The Atlantic Alliance has a mutual defense clause (Article 5 of the Treaty) that forces all members to come to the aid of anyone who is attacked.
“The only security guarantee that really works and the cheapest security guarantee that really works is NATO membership. My country is a clear example of this,” argued the Prime Minister of Estonia and a rising star in Brussels, kaja kallas. “We know that this cannot happen as long as the war continues and what we are doing now is providing military support to Ukraine so that it can defend itself,” she acknowledged.
[Sánchez inaugurará con una visita a Kiev la presidencia española de la Unión Europea]
Kallas has asked that the next NATO summit to be held in Vila (Lithuania) in July approve “a clear roadmap for Ukraine’s entry“. Meanwhile, each Member State must decide separately what it can do to give Kiev security. “It is not a European issue but a NATO issue,” he insisted.
For his part, the President of Lithuania, Gypsy Nauseda, has claimed not only to accelerate the entry of Ukraine into the Atlantic Alliance after the war but also to strengthen the borders of the Eastern Flank. Nauséda has conveyed his “concern” about the exile of the “serial killers” of the Wagner group and its leader Yevgeny Prighozhin in Belarus, from where they can attack the EU. “It is not a frontal military threat but the threat of infiltration attempts in Europe for unknown targets”, agrees the Latvian Prime Minister.
Olaf Scholz, Charles Michel and Jens Stoltenberg, during the summit this Thursday in Brussels
“Ukraine needs our commitment to continue to guarantee their security during the war and after the war“, alleges Borrell. A commitment that in his opinion translates into maintaining “long-term” military support for Kiev through the European Fund for Peace, as well as the training mission to modernize the Ukrainian Army.
“It seems that Putin is no longer the only master in the city and that he has lost what Machiavelli said is the basis of a State, which is the monopoly of force. Putin has lost the monopoly of force, and certainly an unstable Russia also becomes a risk. Until now, we considered Russia as a threat, because she was a power and she has used force in Ukraine. Now, we have to look at Russia as a risk due to internal instability,” said the head of community diplomacy.
[Borrell ve grietas en el poder militar de Rusia: “El monstruo que Putin creó con Wagner se rebela”]
For his part, Stoltenberg has implied that there is still no agreement within NATO on a roadmap for Ukraine’s accession. In particular, the United States and Germany refuse to offer concrete commitments for fear of entering into an open war with Russia. “The most important and immediate task is to support Ukraine, to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation in Europe, because unless we are able to do this, there will be no accession to discuss,” said the secretary general.
The president of the Government, Pedro Sanchezhas announced that he will inaugurate the Spanish presidency of the EU with a trip to kyiv on Saturday to “make visible” community support for Ukraine. Sánchez, who has supported holding a world conference on peace in Ukraine this Thursday, will meet with President Zelenski and give a speech in the Ukrainian parliament.
The president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, during the summit this Thursday in Brussels
The German Chancellor, Olaf Schölzwarns that the war in Ukraine could be very long, but maintains that the EU is prepared to “resist for a long time” in its military, financial and humanitarian support for kyiv. Scholz has also insisted that the allies are not behind the Wagner rebellion. “Prove once again that it is simply irresponsible to entrust military power to private hands“, he pointed out.
“We have no interest in a destabilized Russia. Although it may seem paradoxical, it is in our interest that Russia remain stable, and that a stable Russia put an end to this war of aggression against Ukraine. So what Putin has suggested that the West is somehow behind this is absolutely not true,” the Dutch prime minister said. mark rutte.
“We must continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. That is also a clear signal to Mr. Putin that he will not win the war.“, has defended the new Finnish prime minister, Petteri Orpo.
“The riot we witnessed last week reveals deep cracks in Putin’s system and will have more aftershocks. That is why it is more important than ever to redouble support for Ukraine, military and financial,” claimed the president of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
