The difficulties of the United States Congress in approving a new military aid package for Ukraine is already having an “impact,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned yesterday, recalling that “constant” support for the country is necessary. “If we allow President Putin to win, it will not only be a tragedy for Ukraine, but it will be dangerous for us,” because “it will make the world a more dangerous place and make us more vulnerable,” Stoltenberg stressed on the sidelines of the meeting. of allied defense ministers held in Brussels.
The military organization views with concern Donald Trump's electoral maneuvers in Congress, where Republicans have blocked several attempts by Democrats to approve a foreign aid package containing 60 billion for Ukraine. “I hope that the broad support that exists in both parties in Congress will translate in one way or another into a political decision that reflects that reality,” Stoltenberg told the press.
“The fact that the United States cannot decide is affecting the level of support” and has “an impact,” because, although Europe and Canada have accelerated the sending of aid and, together, they provide more support to Ukraine than the United States has sent United ($100 billion versus $75 billion), their help is “vital” to prevent Putin from winning. His victory would encourage other authoritarian leaders, such as China's Xi Jinping, to use force to get what they want: "What happens today in Ukraine can happen tomorrow in Taiwan, that is why it matters for our security," said the allied secretary general. .
The meeting of defense ministers was marked by Trump's disturbing statements last weekend in which he encouraged Russia to do "whatever it wants" with any European ally that "does not pay" its membership fee. NATO. The comment does not correspond to the functioning of the organization (there are no fees, but a political commitment, insistently encouraged by the United States since the time of Barack Obama, to invest 2% of GDP in defense) nor does it take into account the notable increase in defense spending recorded in recent years in Europe and Canada.
Stoltenberg, who immediately condemned the questioning of the principle of solidarity on which NATO is based, yesterday resorted to pedagogy to explain – and praise – Europe's commitment to Ukraine and its current level of military spending. The Atlantic Alliance expects that, this year, 18 of its 31 members will invest 2% of their national wealth in defense, the objective agreed in Wales in 2014, and the total figure of the European bloc is currently equivalent to 3% of its Joint GDP. Criticism about the level of spending in Europe “is no longer valid”, although “there is still a long way to go, but a lot of progress has been made”.
The meeting of defense ministers was mainly dedicated to preparing the summit that the organization, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty, will hold in Washington less than four months before the presidential elections. It is expected that the meeting will result in a hardening of the Alliance's message towards China, in line with the wishes of the two major American political parties.
The White House wants to arrive at the meeting having previously agreed to both the replacement of Stoltenberg (it is assumed that his successor will be the acting Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte) and settled the response to Kyiv's request to join the Alliance to avoid repeating the scenario of the Vilnius meeting, where the question was still open. The answer remains the same: Ukraine will be able to enter “when the allies decide and the conditions are met,” which will hardly happen while the Russian war of aggression lasts. For now, “Ukraine is closer than ever to NATO,” Stoltenberg reiterated. The allies agreed yesterday to create a new training center in Poland for allied and Ukrainian troops to exercise jointly.
