As the Lithuanian capital Vilnius gets ready to host the two-day NATO summit from July 11-12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies continue to exert pressure to bring about Ukraine’s accession to the US-led war alliance. Zelensky, evidently disappointed with the bleak outcome of the much-hyped, ongoing Ukrainian counter-offensive against Russia, is looking for a boost either in the form of NATO membership or the official direct intervention of the military bloc’s forces in the war against Russia. However, neither of these options is on the table, according to media reports.
According to several analysts, while NATO may continue its support to Ukraine in the form of funds, arms and ammunition, big shots including the US and Germany, are not enthusiastic about integrating it into the alliance at this time. This was made clear by US President Joe Biden who said in an interview that the war must end before Ukraine’s membership is considered.
The summit will also likely see deliberations over Sweden’s accession and Turkey’s conditions for lifting its veto on the same. Also participating in the summit are Japan, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand, who are likely to bring up their concerns over the Chinese ‘threat’ in the Pacific. Another issue will be a review of the NATO members’ financial and military assistance to Ukraine and their future plans to fortify Europe’s eastern flank. Meanwhile, Russian government circles have responded that Ukraine’s possible accession to NATO will evoke “a fairly clear and firm reaction from Russia.”
On any account, the summit’s aftermath will be the further militarization of Eastern Europe and the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war. The US has already announced plans to supply cluster munitions to Ukraine and sections in Berlin are backing the supply of TAURUS cruise missiles to aid the war. The much-awaited F-16 fighter jets may also soon be deployed in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Of late, Turkey has also taken a more pro-Ukraine stand. Last week, Zelensky visited Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced his support for Ukraine’s NATO membership. Turkey also released five Ukrainian commanders, including neo-Nazi Azov members who had been taken as prisoners of war by the Russians in Mariupol and were later transferred to Turkey on the condition that they remain there until the end of the war.
On Sunday, July 9, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) said that “the NATO Summit in Vilnius will add new fuel to the fire of imperialist wars and antagonisms, which are currently manifest in the fierce war conflict in Ukraine, as well as in the tension in the Indo-Pacific region and other regions. These are areas where the struggle for raw materials, energy, commodity routes, and market shares, i.e. for the sharing of capital’s profits, is escalating.”
