The 75th anniversary NATO summit ended in Washington.
At it, the countries of the military bloc made a number of important decisions regarding Ukraine, in particular on the creation of NSATU, the allocation of funding in the amount of €40 billion for 2025 and the supply of the first F-16 multirole fighters.
For more information about the results of the NATO summit in Washington, read the ICTV Facts material.
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- The irreversibility of the path to Ukraine’s membership in NATO
- Bridge to NATO membership
- Creation of NSATU
- Allocation of €40 billion for Ukraine for 2025
- NATO Special Representative in Kyiv
- When will the first F-16 be available
The irreversibility of the path to Ukraine’s membership in NATO
The declaration following the 75th NATO summit states that Ukraine’s path to joining the military bloc is irreversible.
According to military expert Alexander Musienko, this formulation is aimed at clearly dotting the i's, saying that Ukraine will be a member of NATO, and making Russia understand that it will not be able to change the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of our state.
— According to the West German model, Ukraine could be accepted into NATO and wait for the moment for the liberation and de-occupation of the remaining territories. This is a signal to Putin, a clear signal that his motivation for war, let's say, does not mean that Ukraine will not be a member of NATO, — he said.
Bridge to NATO membership
During the summit in Washington, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Douglas Jones said that partner countries will develop specific ways in which the bloc can help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression, which will become a kind of bridge to NATO membership.
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We are pleased with the results of the NATO summit; the allies have taken real steps forward — OP
< p id="caption-attachment-5249842" class="wp-caption-text">Working visit of the President of Ukraine and the First Lady to the United States to participate in the 75th NATO summit. Photo: Office of the President
In turn, Michael Carpenter, director of European affairs at the US National Security Council, explained in an interview with Voice of America that in practice, a bridge to NATO membership means that the bloc is creating a whole new command in Wiesbaden, Germany, to support Ukraine in training , coordination, equipment, logistics, troop development.
— We have always advocated that the future of Ukraine — to NATO. The question is how to signal our strong desire to see the country move as quickly as possible towards that ultimate goal — membership in a military bloc. And what we tried to do at this summit, and we succeeded — we provide this bridge to membership for Ukraine, — he said.
Alexander Musienko believes that the bridge to NATO membership — this is the formation of parameters when Ukraine is not yet in the bloc, but treating it almost as a full member.
— The only thing is that Ukraine does not apply — the effect of the most important thing, Article 5 on collective security. In fact, this is one of the main conditions, but is not yet covered, — said Musienko.
However, the expert notes, there is now an active exchange of intelligence information and, no less important, joint military exercises between Ukraine and NATO.
— Ukraine is adapting to the standards of the North Atlantic bloc, and this path must be followed. We jointly exchange experiences on how to resist Russian aggression, how we can become better, how we can become more effective. NATO is studying how weapons are used in Ukraine, and so actually summarizes how to make their use even better and more effective, — added the military expert.
Creation of NSATU
NATO members announced the creation of a structure to support the security of Ukraine (NSATU). She will coordinate the provision of military equipment and training to Ukraine by NATO members and partners.
That is, explains Musienko, in fact, this is a structure from the military countries of NATO and Ukraine, which should be a think tank for improving the situation on the battlefield:
- by what forces;
- by what means;
- what weapon.
— NSATU will study the effectiveness of the use of these weapons, what problems arise when using them and how we improve, in addition, this organization should be engaged in both reform and assistance to Ukraine in approaching NATO standards at different levels, — he emphasized.
Working visit of the President of Ukraine and the First Lady to the United States to participate in visits to the 75th NATO summit. Photo: Office of the President
€40 billion allocated for Ukraine by 2025
At the 75th NATO summit, NATO countries decided on minimum base funding for Ukraine in the amount of €40 billion over the next year.
These funds should be used for:
- purchase of military equipment;
- material assistance;
- expenses related to maintenance, logistics and transportation of military equipment;
- military expenditures preparation;
- operational costs associated with providing military support to Ukraine;
- investments and support for defense infrastructure and defense industry of Ukraine;
- all contributions to NATO trust funds for Ukraine, including non-lethal assistance.
NATO Special Representative in Kyiv
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, during a conference on the defense industry in Washington, said that in the coming days NATO will appoint a representative in Kyiv to deepen relations between Ukraine and the bloc, and will also create a new military command in Germany.
According to Musienko, the NATO special representative in Kyiv will perform the functions of not only military, but also political cooperation between the bloc and Ukraine.
— There will be reforms that concern not only the military sector, but also the rule of law, the fight against corruption and other improvements to the military leadership system. That is, this is a transition to a qualitative, higher level of our relationships, — the expert emphasized.
When will the first F-16s arrive
At the 2024 NATO summit it became known that Denmark and the Netherlands have already begun transferring F-16 multirole fighters to Ukraine.
In turn, Norway announced that it would transfer six F-16 fighters to Ukraine.
Photo: Getty Images
This is a very important step for Ukraine, the military expert notes. F-16 fighters are needed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strengthen the Air Force, be able to shoot down Russian missiles, and also strike enemy targets.
— If Ukraine has 12-14 F-16 aircraft, that is, a full-fledged squadron, in the coming months, then this will be a good result at the first stage, but this is only the first stage. The aircraft will be transferred gradually both this year and next, — he said.
Musienko added that the transfer of fighters — slow and due to the fact that a certain number of pilots and engineering and technical personnel is required.
Also, according to the expert, aircraft must be transferred along with air defense systems in order to cover the airfields where they will be based.
The NATO summit in Washington was very full of positive decisions to help Ukraine. As part of the event, President Zelensky and Defense Minister Umerov held a number of meetings with allied countries.
Specifically, Luxembourg will provide €80 million for defense assistance and cyber training, expanded military assistance and authorization for the use of Storm Shadow missiles, and Canada will provide a new package of military support worth 500 million Canadian dollars.< /p>
