Why the NATO summit left Ukraine both grateful and disappointed
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Howard LaFranchi Staff writer
| Washington
At this week鈥檚 NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in some ways like the boy who receives piles of impressive gifts on Christmas morning 鈥� but nevertheless feels disappointment for not getting what he wanted most.
There was an 鈥渋rreversible鈥� path to NATO membership 鈥� but no formal invitation to join the alliance. An impressive range of new weapons 鈥� but no green light to use them freely against the Russian aggressors.
At a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the close of the military alliance鈥檚 gathering Thursday, Mr. Zelenskyy was careful to thank the American people, members of Congress from both parties, and Mr. Biden personally for the substantial and critical U.S. assistance Ukraine has received since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Why We Wrote This
The NATO summit鈥檚 communiqu茅 said Ukraine was on an 鈥渋rreversible鈥� path to membership. It was a dramatic step that managed to annoy Russia even as it disappointed France and fell short of everything Volodymyr Zelenskyy had hoped for.
He expressed gratitude to the 32-nation alliance for what the summit did deliver, including a declaration in the concluding communiqu茅聽citing the 鈥渋rreversible鈥� path. Countries pledged to provide more than $40 billion in assistance over the coming year, while more missile defense systems to thwart Russia鈥檚 devastating attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure were announced.
Moreover, Ukraine will soon begin receiving dozens of F-16 fighter jets from several NATO countries. The coveted fighters, which should help Ukraine foil Russian missile attacks and assist in preparations for ground offensives, should be in Ukrainian skies later this summer, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday.
Yet two things Mr. Zelenskyy really wanted 鈥� the invitation to join NATO, and further lifting of limitations Mr. Biden has imposed on use of U.S.-supplied long-range armaments on Russian territory 鈥� were not offered. The Biden administration, worried about the escalatory potential of strikes inside Russia, currently permits Ukraine to fire long-range weapons across the border only in the Kharkiv region and on Russian forces that are attacking or preparing to attack.
鈥淚f we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,鈥� the Ukrainian leader said.
French disappointment
Some NATO countries, including France, have advocated that Ukraine be formally invited to join the alliance. While NATO did declare that Ukraine鈥檚 membership path is now 鈥渋rreversible,鈥� just what that word means for Ukraine鈥檚 future accession remains in the eye of the beholder.
U.S. officials who had opposed including the word embraced it once it was placed in a broader context of Ukraine鈥檚 European integration, including into the European Union. But French President Emmanuel Macron suggested disappointment, saying the door to NATO was 鈥渙pen, but not that much.鈥�
The word was also not well received by Moscow. The Western alliance should not be surprised that Russia will make every effort to 鈥渕ake sure this irreversible path of Ukraine to NATO leads to the disappearance of either Ukraine or NATO, or better, both,鈥� said Dmitry Medvedev, deputy to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Russia鈥檚 Security Council.
At his much-scrutinized press conference Thursday evening, Mr. Biden suggested that while there might be further adjustments to the limits on Ukraine鈥檚 use of long-range armaments, the policy is likely to stay.
鈥淲e鈥檙e making ... on a day-to-day basis [decisions on] how far they should go in鈥� to Russian territory, the president said. But overall, he said, 鈥渋f [Mr. Zelenskyy] had the capacity to strike Moscow, strike the Kremlin, would that make sense? It wouldn鈥檛.鈥�
China decries 鈥渟inister motives鈥�
The summit, a celebration of the alliance鈥檚 75th anniversary, was not all Ukraine all the time.
The gathering鈥檚 communiqu茅 caused an international stir with its declaration that China has become an enabler of Moscow鈥檚 aggression through its 鈥渘o-limits鈥澛爌artnership with Russia and its deepening support for Russia鈥檚 military industrial base.
鈥淣ATO hyping up China鈥檚 responsibility on the Ukraine issue is unreasonable and has sinister motives,鈥� Chinese government spokesperson Lin Jian said at a daily briefing Thursday. He maintained that China has a fair and objective stance on the Ukraine issue.
The 鈥渆nabler鈥� language was part of a toughening stance toward Beijing 鈥� welcomed by some in Congress in particular as a sign that European allies are signing on to Washington鈥檚 more confrontational approach to what it sees as an increasingly aggressive China.
The summit was also marked by steps to deepen cooperation with four Indo-Pacific partners 鈥� Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea 鈥� at a time when Russia and China are drawing closer, and Russia forges closer links with North Korea and Iran.
In the run-up to the summit, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the growing ties between NATO and Asian partners part of a 鈥渘ew geometry鈥� to confront global challenges.
鈥淚ncreasingly, partners in Europe see challenges halfway around the world in Asia as being relevant to them,鈥� he said, 鈥渏ust as partners in Asia see challenges halfway around the world in Europe as being relevant to them.鈥�
