All eyes are on the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 24 and 25. The event brought together leaders from around 40 countries, with important issues concerning the global security situation on the agenda.
An important moment was the meeting of the presidents of the USA and Ukraine on the NATO sidelines, and important decisions were made that directly concern our country.
Political scientist Volodymyr Fesenko spoke to ICTV about the results of the NATO summit, the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, and other important aspects of the event.
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NATO Summit in The Hague: Zelensky and Trump meet
What is important is that Zelensky and Trump met in the Netherlands on the sidelines of the summit. The Ukrainian president himself called the 45-minute conversation at the NATO summit “long and meaningful.” It was the first personal contact between the leaders of the states after Kyiv and Moscow resumed direct talks to try to end the war.
As Zelensky himself reported, he and Trump discussed the protection of Ukrainians from Russian attacks, first of all, there was a dialogue about the purchase of American air defense systems to protect our cities, people, churches and infrastructure.
“It was important for Zelensky to meet with Trump in order to convey our position, our point of view on issues that are important for Ukraine,” says the political scientist.
And certain positive statements have already been made by Trump. The head of the States said that the US will consider the possibility of supplying more air defense batteries to Ukraine.
As he writes Bloomberg, Zelensky tried to convince the US president to grant Kyiv permission to purchase weapons.
Vladimir Fesenko notes that Ukraine should not immediately expect any loud statements on the issue of American weapons supplies, and the final decision will most likely be made after certain meetings in Washington.
The leaders also discussed the ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine, which have reached a dead end, in particular the conversation was about what to do next. The expert believes that the discussion was about greater involvement of the Americans in the process and a more active mediation role of the United States in the negotiations in order to push Russia towards peace.
“I think that the main emphasis in this issue, as the main instrument of pressure on Russia in the negotiation process, was weapons,” the expert adds.
According to the expert, Zelensky most likely spoke more at this meeting and explained the situation, while Trump perceived this information, perhaps asking questions. According to him, the US is not yet ready for more specific actions. Changes in US policy can be seen later, the political scientist says.
NATO Summit: Positive Signals for Ukraine
The summit itself was positive for Ukraine, the expert believes. And here's why.
- NATO countries increase defense spending
Firstly, a decision was made to strengthen Europe's defence capability. Thus, 32 allies pledged to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
“This decision is exactly in line with our interests,” the expert notes.
- Public recording of support for Ukraine and threats from the Russian Federation
And what in The abridged final document directly mentions the importance of supporting Ukraine and that the main challenge to NATO security is Russia, which certainly also corresponds to the interests of our state.
Another important aspect is that NATO’s decision to recognize Russia as a long-term threat to Euro-Atlantic security did not meet with objections from the United States, as was the case earlier on the sidelines of the G7 summit.
“This is a definite positive change in the US position, something that has not happened before. Let's see what happens next, but even the public recording of both the threat from Russia and support for Ukraine is, in fact, a positive shift for us in relations with the States,” the political scientist emphasized.
- Ukraine's membership in NATO
The expert notes that, despite the fact that Trump does not touch on this issue, Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed in his public statements both before and after the NATO plenary session that the issue of Ukraine’s membership prospects is not being removed from the agenda.
— Here the official position is that there are decisions that were made earlier, in particular, that Ukraine retains the prospect of membership. If this decision is not withdrawn, it remains relevant, — the expert notes.
As Fesenko notes, in fact, Zelensky’s presence at the summit in the current complex context around NATO is also a sign that we are de facto in NATO.
– Yes, not de jure. And there is a problem in this aspect with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with some others, even with Trump himself. But the fact that support for Ukraine will be counted as part of the defense spending of NATO countries de facto means that we are recognized as part of the NATO security system, part of the NATO defense system.
Of course, membership is not on the agenda now, because Trump views the membership issue as a concession to Russia in the negotiations. But de facto, we are recognized as a NATO partner and a partner that needs to be supported for the sake of NATO's defense interests, adds Vladimir Fesenko.
And what is important is that Zelensky is already a regular guest at NATO summits, and Ukraine is an important part of the military bloc’s agenda.
- New aid packages for Ukraine
Following the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at ministerial level, which took place in The Hague, the head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Andrey Sibiga announced new aid packages from international partners and investments that they plan to provide to our state.
In addition, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Zelensky held a meeting with the leaders of the E5 countries – Germany, France, Great Britain, Italy, Poland – and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The Ukrainian president himself reported that they talked about strengthening Ukraine's air shield, in particular about air defense systems and interceptors of Iranian Shaheds.
In addition, Zelensky discussed increasing military support for Ukraine with the leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
— At the bilateral meetings that took place on the sidelines of the NATO summit, specific agreements were recorded. In particular, this happened at Zelensky's meetings with European leaders. And first of all, this is that joint military production with NATO countries is beginning.
This is also a new trend, a new approach, which is very important for us. Because here we are talking about both financing of military production by our partners, and about joint production on the territory of partners, as a security measure, – the expert adds.
Overall, despite the alarming expectations regarding the NATO summit, which took place in a rather unusual short format, there were no scandals, excesses or Trump's demarches. And for Ukraine, there was more positive news – this was a public recognition of support for our state, and for Russia – a threat to global security, and new aid packages from international partners, within the framework of which supplies of air defense, shells, and drones were announced.
Also an important aspect in the interests of Ukraine was the decision on NATO countries to increase their defense spending.
In addition, a positive signal for Ukraine is not just the fact of Zelensky's meeting with Trump, but also its content, as indicated by the duration of the dialogue between the leaders. Usually, a conversation on the sidelines lasts no more than half an hour, but here the leaders of the United States and Ukraine spoke for more than 40 minutes.
Now all that remains is to wait to see what decisions will mature and how Trump will act next, in particular, what will happen on the negotiating track, whether the US will become more active in this process.
