WASHINGTON — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is “laying the foundation for Ukraine to prevail” in its efforts to defend itself against Russia.
Referring to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Stoltenberg said on July 11 at his final NATO summit press conference that the alliance “cannot and will not allow this to happen again.”
“Violence and intimidation do not pay,” he said.
“NATO leaders came together to make Ukraine ‘stronger and more capable’ and to ‘build a bridge’ for Ukraine’s eventual membership in NATO,” Stoltenberg said, giving assurances that the alliance would “meet Ukraine’s needs” in the future.
On the final day of the summit, intended to underscore NATO’s support for kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged NATO leaders to lift all restrictions preventing kyiv from using the donated weapons to launch long-range strikes on Russian territory if they want Ukraine to defeat the invading Russian forces.
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“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and defend it, we must lift all limitations,” Zelenskiy said on July 11 at a press briefing alongside Stoltenberg.
Zelenskiy’s comments come a day after NATO announced a major aid package to support Ukraine’s defense against Russian invasion, including the long-awaited delivery of U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets and the provision of $43 billion in military assistance over the next year.
The alliance also stressed Ukraine’s right to defend itself against foreign aggression and to choose its own security arrangements, saying that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” and that kyiv would continue to receive support “on its irreversible path toward full Euro-Atlantic integration.”
On July 11, the United States announced that it would send Ukraine $225 million worth of military equipment, as part of a $61 billion aid package approved in April. The tranche includes a Patriot missile battery, anti-aircraft systems and ammunition, as well as artillery ammunition and rockets.
At his press conference with Zelenskiy, Mr Stoltenberg said that Russia had tried to “intimidate us into providing support” but that the opposite had happened and that NATO allies were “actually stepping up their support for Ukraine”.
Speaking shortly before attending a session of the NATO-Ukraine Council, Zelensky called the aid offered at the summit a “success.” He repeatedly called on his partners to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
But Zelenskiy stressed that Ukraine needs more control over striking military targets deep inside Russian territory — particularly planes used to strike Ukraine with glide bombs. Some air bases that house those planes, he said earlier this week, are located as far as 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Ahead of today’s talks, Andriy Yermak, the head of Zelenskiy’s administration, said lifting restrictions on how Ukraine uses donated weapons would be a “game changer.”
“It is simply impossible to fight when the enemies have no restrictions,” Yermak said at the NATO Public Forum on July 11.
On July 10, Stoltenberg said Ukraine had the right under international law to defend itself against invading Russian forces, including by striking legitimate military targets in Russia.
The question of how Ukraine will use the weapons donated by NATO is left to the discretion of each NATO member. Some have said that kyiv can use them to strike Russian territory, while others have argued that the donated weapons can only be used inside Ukraine.
In early May, the United States lifted a ban on kyiv using American weapons to strike Russian territory. Britain also eased its restrictions in early May.
Germany has opposed the use of NATO-supplied weapons to strike Russia and has refused to send Ukraine its long-range Taurus cruise missile. Berlin said in late May, however, that Ukraine could use the weapons it supplies to defend itself against strikes from positions just inside Russia.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told RFE/RL on May 31 that the allies must change their approach to the war in Ukraine and allow kyiv to use more weapons.
At the NATO summit on July 11, Landsbergis called for lifting restrictions so that Ukraine could strike the targets from which Russia is firing on Ukraine.
Asked by reporters whether he agreed with the lifting of restrictions, German Chancellor Olah Scholz said there had been no change in Berlin’s position.
US President Joe Biden, in a meeting with Zelenskiy earlier in the day, said he was pleased to announce the new aid allocation.
“We will stay with you, period,” Biden said ahead of the bilateral talks.
In a subsequent statement announcing the aid package, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that “as President Biden has made clear, the United States and the international coalition we have assembled will continue to support Ukraine.”
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the summit, said Ukraine’s position on the battlefield had improved since the aid package was passed in April.
Sullivan said Russia was “trying to break through without reaching a solution” and was suffering significant losses. However, he warned that the coming days for Ukraine “will be difficult.”
A joint statement issued by NATO leaders on July 10, in which they called China a “decisive facilitator” of Russia’s war effort, drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing.
In response to the statement, which also claimed that China posed systemic challenges to transatlantic security, Beijing on July 11 accused NATO of spreading false information and undermining cooperation between China and Europe.
NATO responded to his concerns by showing increased interest in forming ties with four Indo-Pacific countries – Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea – whose leaders were due to meet NATO leaders on July 11 to discuss security challenges and cooperation.
Stoltenberg highlighted the meeting at his July 10 news conference, telling reporters that NATO leaders agreed to continue strengthening their partnerships, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region, amid growing fears that China could attack Taiwan and concerns about Russia’s strengthening security ties with China and a nuclear-armed North Korea.
“In this dangerous world, friends and partners are more important than ever, which is why we agreed today to continue to strengthen our partnerships, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. Security is global, not regional. (Vladimir) Putin’s war is fueled by those who do not share our values,” he said.
Iran and North Korea provide direct military support to Russia, while China supports Russia’s war economy, he added.
