Ukraine moving ‘closer’ to membership – DW – 07/10/2024

F-16 fighter aircraft are en route to Ukraine from Denmark and the Netherlands, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced during the NATO summit on Wednesday.

The first batch of the US-built fighter planes were already being transferred, Blinken said.

“And those jets…will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression.”

The F-16 transfer “concentrates Vladimir Putin’s mind on the fact that he will not outlast Ukraine, he will not outlast us and, if he persists, the damage that will continue to be done to Russia and its interests will only deepen,” Blinken said.

“The quickest way to get to peace is through a strong Ukraine.” 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the US, Denmark and the Netherlands for strengthening Ukraine’s air force.

“I am grateful to the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands for taking practical steps to achieve the goal of all Ukrainians,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.

Meanwhile, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store announced that his country also intends to supply Ukraine with F-16s.

“Ukraine’s ability to defend itself against air attacks is crucial in its battle against Russia,” Støre said in a statement. No date was given for the delivery, but the prime minister said it would happen this year.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday stressed the importance of NATO support for Ukraine and how each member needed to do its bit.

Speaking on the sidelines of the leaders summit in Wahsington and on the topic of whether Germany had a special role in the alliance, Scholz said:

“Germany is the largest country in Europe within the NATO alliance. This gives us a very special responsibility and I can say very clearly here we will, I will, fulfil this responsibility.”

The German leader said he expected “great success and a sign of unity” at the NATO summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been looking to get large numbers of Western fighter jets as the planes to fend off Russia’s invasion continues.

Speaking at the Ronald Reagan Foundation in Washington, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs at least 128 warplanes.

He said Russia was able to deploy 300 aircraft a day in its continued attacks on Ukraine.

“You know, we always wait. Just like my mum used to wait for me after school and I always found a reason to come later. It’s the same, only much more serious,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by Ukrainian media.

The discussion is only ever about 10 or 20 aircraft, Zelenskyy said. “Even if there are 50, that’s nothing. They [the Russians] have 300,” he said. “Until we have 128 aircraft, we won’t be able to compete with them in the sky.” He did not give any further details on this figure.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said it was still too soon to say when Ukraine would become a member of the alliance, but it was firmly on the path toward that goal.

“To have a new ally we need consensus. All allies agree that Ukraine will become a member but its too early to say exactly when that will happen,” Stoltenberg told members of the media as he responded to questions.

“What I can say is that we are moving together with Ukraine, closer and closer to NATO membership and we do that by concrete actions,” the NATO secretary-general added.

NATO has 32 member countries. 

Ukraine will be receiving dozens of tactical air defence systems in the coming months.

Day one of the NATO leaders summit saw US President Joe Biden announce “a historic donation of air defense equipment for Ukraine.”

The deliveries would include at least four of the Patriot systems that Ukraine has requested.

The US, Germany and Romania will send Ukraine additional Patriot batteries, according to a joint agreement.

The Netherlands and others will provide Patriot components to make up one more battery.

Other allies will provide other air defense systems.

The announcement came after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg called on the leaders of the alliance to maintain support for Ukraine and said that “the greatest risk will be if Russia wins in Ukraine.”

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his thanks for NATO’s “strong declaration” regarding air defense and said it would help destroy Russian missiles and drones.

The NATO 2024 summit is hosted by Washington DC, coinciding with the military alliance’s 75 anniversary.

The 3-day meeting will focus on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as well as countering growing Chinese influence on the world stage. 

Outgoing Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is addressing the alliance members on Tuesday. This will be his final summit, with former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte taking over the reins in October.

The leaders of non-member states New Zealand, Japan and South Korea will attend the summit for the third year in a row amid increasing Chinese military presence in the Pacific.

Ahead of the meeting, Stoltenberg announced a $43 billion (€39.7 billion) aid package to Ukraine, a reduction from previous packages that is expected to decrease further the following year.

However, the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) program, which was approved in June, is set to cement assistance for Kyiv in the future in the case of a Trump presidency

Trump has suggested that he will be less generous to Ukraine than Biden if elected in November.

Biden, who is also due to speak on Tuesday, was expected to use the NATO summit in Washington to press his case after a television debate against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in June left voters questioning if age was taking its toll on the president.

kb/lo (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)