NATO deems Russia its most significant and direct threat
NATO declared Russia the “most significant and direct threat” to its members’ peace and security on Wednesday and vowed to strengthen support for Ukraine, even as that country's leader chided the alliance for not doing more to help it defeat Moscow.
The military organization's condemnation was not wholly surprising: Its chief earlier said Russia's war in Ukraine had created Europe’s biggest security crisis since World War II. But it was a sobering about-face for an alliance that a decade ago called Moscow a strategic partner.
NATO also issued a warning about China, accusing it of bullying its neighbors and forming a “strategic partnership” with Moscow that poses a challenge to the West. Set up some 70 years ago to counter the Soviet Union, NATO held its summit in Madrid in a world transformed by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. The war drove the alliance to pour troops and weapons into eastern Europe on a scale unseen in decades and pushed Sweden and Finland to seek the safety of NATO membership.Read More : After EU blessing, Ukraine vows to prevail as it battles Russian assaults The two formerly nonaligned nations were formally invited to join on Wednesday, as Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the war had brought “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.”
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented that NATO’s open-door policy to new members did not appear to apply to his country.
“The open-door policy of NATO shouldn’t resemble the old turnstiles on Kyiv’s subway, which stay open but close when you approach them until you pay,” Zelenskyy said by video link. “Hasn’t Ukraine paid enough?”
He also asked for more modern artillery systems and other weapons and warned the leaders they either had to provide Kyiv with the help it needed or “face a delayed war between Russia and yourself.” “The question is, who’s next? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: all of them,” he said.
Zelenskyy has acknowledged that NATO membership is a distant prospect. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any of the 30 members would trigger a military response by the entire alliance, so it is trying to strike a delicate balance, letting its nations arm Ukraine without sparking a direct confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.
At the same time NATO has moved quickly to ensure that its members are protected, dramatically scaling up military force along its eastern flank, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry about Russia's future plans.
It plans to increase almost eightfold the size of the alliance’s rapid reaction force, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, by next year. The troops will be based in their home nations but dedicated to specific countries in the east, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition.
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose country provides the bulk of NATO's military power, vowed the summit would send “an unmistakable message ... that NATO is strong and united.”
“We’re stepping up. We’re proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been,” said Biden. He announced a hefty boost in America's military presence in Europe, including a permanent U.S. base in Poland, two more Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and two more F35 squadrons to the U.K.
Still, strains among NATO allies have also emerged as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed, partly because of the the war and tough Western sanctions on Russia. There also are tensions over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make.
Money remains a sensitive issue — just nine of NATO’s 30 members currently meet the organization’s target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country does hit the target, urged NATO allies “to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defense in the decade ahead.”
At the summit, the leaders published NATO’s new Strategic Concept, its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last such document, in 2010, called Russia a “strategic partner.” At the time, the idea of Russia waging a land war on NATO's borders would have sounded far-fetched.
Now, NATO accused Russia of using "coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation" to extend its reach.
The document also set out NATO’s approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change — and the growing economic and military reach of China. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand attended the summit as guests, a reflection of the growing importance of Asia and the Pacific region and NATO’s desire to counterbalance China.
“China is not our adversary, but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents,” Stoltenberg said. "China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan ... monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.
“We see a deepening strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, and China’s growing assertiveness and its coercive policies have consequences for the security of our allies and our partners,” he added.
The alliance said, however, that it remained "open to constructive engagement" with Beijing. China has yet to condemn Russia's four-month long war against Ukraine and has criticized sanctions brought against Moscow by NATO members.
A year ago, Russia and China extended a friendship treaty promising even more "strategic cooperation" in defending their common interests. That was followed up in November with an agreement to strengthen their military ties. Weeks before Russia's February invasion, Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a summit at which they pledged a partnership that had "no limits."
Western leaders are concerned that Russia's aggression in Ukraine could embolden China to be more assertive over Taiwan. China considers Taiwan a part of its territory with no right to independent recognition as a state or representation on the world stage.
Speaking at an event in Madrid that was not part of the NATO summit, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that unless China is checked "there is a real risk that they draw the wrong idea which results in a catastrophic miscalculation such as invading Taiwan," referring to the self-governing island that China claims as a province.
However, in a move interpreted to show it was somewhat uneasy over the war in Ukraine, China voted to abstain in a United Nations motion to demand Russia halt its attack.
China has greatly increased its diplomatic reach via foreign investment, above all in central Asia and Africa. Now it is seeking to match that with greater military might, especially in the South China Sea where it has built bases on disputed islands. The U.S. navy has pushed back by conducting drills in those waters.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that NATO members had been "creating tension and provoking conflicts" by sending warships and aircraft into areas close to the Asian mainland and the South China Sea.
NATO should "give up the Cold War mentality, zero-sum game and the practice of creating enemies, and not try to mess up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe," Zhao said.
A surveillance aircraft controlled by NATO member Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Canadian officials called the Chinese pilot's action reckless.
Beijing continues to claim it is neutral in the Ukraine war, and it has accused NATO and the U.S. of provoking Russia into military action. "Facts have proven that sanctions are not a way out of conflicts, and the continued delivery of weapons will not help realize peace," Zhao said.
NATO also stressed the need to address political instability in Africa’s Sahel region and the Middle East — aggravated by "climate change, fragile institutions, health emergencies and food insecurity” — that is driving large numbers of migrants toward Europe. Host Spain and other European countries pushed for this new focus.
The summit, which ends Thursday, opened with one problem solved, after Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to block the Nordic pair, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.
After talks with leaders of the three countries, Stoltenberg said the impasse had been cleared. The two countries' accession has to be ratified by all nations, but Stoltenberg said he was “absolutely confident” Finland and Sweden would become members quickly.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said his country was eager to get out of the “gray zone” of having applied for membership but not yet fully covered by NATO's collective defense guarantee. “Our aim is that that period should be as short as possible," he said.
The gathering of world leaders in Madrid, both inside the NATO summit and on its sidelines, included many from Asian and Pacific nations.
It was the first time that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand were invited to a NATO summit. They participated in a NATO session on new global challenges after holding a side meeting outside of the summit. And United States president Joe Biden sat down with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
Following what he called a "very successful" meeting with the other three Pacific nations, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for China to finally denounce Russia's aggressions.
The military organization's condemnation was not wholly surprising: Its chief earlier said Russia's war in Ukraine had created Europe’s biggest security crisis since World War II. But it was a sobering about-face for an alliance that a decade ago called Moscow a strategic partner.
NATO also issued a warning about China, accusing it of bullying its neighbors and forming a “strategic partnership” with Moscow that poses a challenge to the West. Set up some 70 years ago to counter the Soviet Union, NATO held its summit in Madrid in a world transformed by Russia’s invasion of its neighbor. The war drove the alliance to pour troops and weapons into eastern Europe on a scale unseen in decades and pushed Sweden and Finland to seek the safety of NATO membership.
But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lamented that NATO’s open-door policy to new members did not appear to apply to his country.
“The open-door policy of NATO shouldn’t resemble the old turnstiles on Kyiv’s subway, which stay open but close when you approach them until you pay,” Zelenskyy said by video link. “Hasn’t Ukraine paid enough?”
He also asked for more modern artillery systems and other weapons and warned the leaders they either had to provide Kyiv with the help it needed or “face a delayed war between Russia and yourself.” “The question is, who’s next? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: all of them,” he said.
Zelenskyy has acknowledged that NATO membership is a distant prospect. Under NATO treaties, an attack on any of the 30 members would trigger a military response by the entire alliance, so it is trying to strike a delicate balance, letting its nations arm Ukraine without sparking a direct confrontation with nuclear-armed Russia.
At the same time NATO has moved quickly to ensure that its members are protected, dramatically scaling up military force along its eastern flank, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states worry about Russia's future plans.
It plans to increase almost eightfold the size of the alliance’s rapid reaction force, from 40,000 to 300,000 troops, by next year. The troops will be based in their home nations but dedicated to specific countries in the east, where the alliance plans to build up stocks of equipment and ammunition.
U.S. President Joe Biden, whose country provides the bulk of NATO's military power, vowed the summit would send “an unmistakable message ... that NATO is strong and united.”
“We’re stepping up. We’re proving that NATO is more needed now than it ever has been,” said Biden. He announced a hefty boost in America's military presence in Europe, including a permanent U.S. base in Poland, two more Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain, and two more F35 squadrons to the U.K.
Still, strains among NATO allies have also emerged as the cost of energy and other essential goods has skyrocketed, partly because of the the war and tough Western sanctions on Russia. There also are tensions over how the war will end and what, if any, concessions Ukraine should make.
Money remains a sensitive issue — just nine of NATO’s 30 members currently meet the organization’s target of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, whose country does hit the target, urged NATO allies “to dig deep to restore deterrence and ensure defense in the decade ahead.”
At the summit, the leaders published NATO’s new Strategic Concept, its once-a-decade set of priorities and goals. The last such document, in 2010, called Russia a “strategic partner.” At the time, the idea of Russia waging a land war on NATO's borders would have sounded far-fetched.
Now, NATO accused Russia of using "coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation" to extend its reach.
The document also set out NATO’s approach on issues from cybersecurity to climate change — and the growing economic and military reach of China. For the first time, the leaders of Japan, Australia, South Korea and New Zealand attended the summit as guests, a reflection of the growing importance of Asia and the Pacific region and NATO’s desire to counterbalance China.
“China is not our adversary, but we must be clear-eyed about the serious challenges it represents,” Stoltenberg said. "China is substantially building up its military forces, including nuclear weapons, bullying its neighbors, threatening Taiwan ... monitoring and controlling its own citizens through advanced technology, and spreading Russian lies and disinformation.
“We see a deepening strategic partnership between Moscow and Beijing, and China’s growing assertiveness and its coercive policies have consequences for the security of our allies and our partners,” he added.
The alliance said, however, that it remained "open to constructive engagement" with Beijing. China has yet to condemn Russia's four-month long war against Ukraine and has criticized sanctions brought against Moscow by NATO members.
A year ago, Russia and China extended a friendship treaty promising even more "strategic cooperation" in defending their common interests. That was followed up in November with an agreement to strengthen their military ties. Weeks before Russia's February invasion, Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin for a summit at which they pledged a partnership that had "no limits."
Western leaders are concerned that Russia's aggression in Ukraine could embolden China to be more assertive over Taiwan. China considers Taiwan a part of its territory with no right to independent recognition as a state or representation on the world stage.
Speaking at an event in Madrid that was not part of the NATO summit, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said that unless China is checked "there is a real risk that they draw the wrong idea which results in a catastrophic miscalculation such as invading Taiwan," referring to the self-governing island that China claims as a province.
However, in a move interpreted to show it was somewhat uneasy over the war in Ukraine, China voted to abstain in a United Nations motion to demand Russia halt its attack.
China has greatly increased its diplomatic reach via foreign investment, above all in central Asia and Africa. Now it is seeking to match that with greater military might, especially in the South China Sea where it has built bases on disputed islands. The U.S. navy has pushed back by conducting drills in those waters.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said that NATO members had been "creating tension and provoking conflicts" by sending warships and aircraft into areas close to the Asian mainland and the South China Sea.
NATO should "give up the Cold War mentality, zero-sum game and the practice of creating enemies, and not try to mess up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe," Zhao said.
A surveillance aircraft controlled by NATO member Canada was recently intercepted by a Chinese fighter in international airspace. Canadian officials called the Chinese pilot's action reckless.
Beijing continues to claim it is neutral in the Ukraine war, and it has accused NATO and the U.S. of provoking Russia into military action. "Facts have proven that sanctions are not a way out of conflicts, and the continued delivery of weapons will not help realize peace," Zhao said.
NATO also stressed the need to address political instability in Africa’s Sahel region and the Middle East — aggravated by "climate change, fragile institutions, health emergencies and food insecurity” — that is driving large numbers of migrants toward Europe. Host Spain and other European countries pushed for this new focus.
The summit, which ends Thursday, opened with one problem solved, after Turkey agreed Tuesday to lift its opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.
NATO operates by consensus, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had threatened to block the Nordic pair, insisting they change their stance on Kurdish rebel groups that Turkey considers terrorists.
After talks with leaders of the three countries, Stoltenberg said the impasse had been cleared. The two countries' accession has to be ratified by all nations, but Stoltenberg said he was “absolutely confident” Finland and Sweden would become members quickly.
Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said his country was eager to get out of the “gray zone” of having applied for membership but not yet fully covered by NATO's collective defense guarantee. “Our aim is that that period should be as short as possible," he said.
The gathering of world leaders in Madrid, both inside the NATO summit and on its sidelines, included many from Asian and Pacific nations.
It was the first time that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand were invited to a NATO summit. They participated in a NATO session on new global challenges after holding a side meeting outside of the summit. And United States president Joe Biden sat down with the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
Following what he called a "very successful" meeting with the other three Pacific nations, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for China to finally denounce Russia's aggressions.
Source: japantoday.com
