For Ukraine’s NATO Hopes, Another Vague Pledge Won’t Do

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By Alexandra Brzozowski 

(EurActiv) — Ukraine expects to get at least NATO security guarantees, rather than just another vague pledge about an ‘open door policy’, as Kyiv’s Western allies are preparing two key summits in support of the war-torn country.

“Our first priority item, of course, is weapons. But the second item is Euro-Atlantic integration, the united efforts of Western countries in bringing Ukraine into the EU and closer to NATO,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief diplomatic advisor, Ihor Zhovkva, told EURACTIV in Kyiv.

His comments come as senior Ukrainian officials indicated their forces were ready to launch a long-promised counteroffensive to recapture territory taken by Russia since the start of the war.

Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, made eight months ago, has so far remained unanswered, but will probably be at the top of the agenda at the Vilnius Summit.

“A repetition of the Bucharest formula, of the phrase of ‘an open door’, won’t be enough,” Zhovka said in reference to a pledge made at a landmark NATO summit in 2008.

NATO members are set to offer Ukraine an upgraded relationship format, in a move meant to show political support for the war-torn country and its membership bid, although any concrete roadmap for accession still remains a more distant prospect.

Asked about those intentions, Zhovkva said Ukraine welcomes the idea, but would “not concentrate on the format, but on the substance”.

“NATO leaders should be brave enough to acknowledge that Ukraine fulfils the two criteria to become a member – number one to share the Euro-Atlantic values, which I think is clear, and number two to contribute to the Euro-Atlantic security,” Zhovkva said.

With the delivery of Western-made weapons to Kyiv to fight against Russian aggression, “Ukraine is already achieving interoperability and undergoing to go into reforms in the defence and security sector at times of war,” he added.

While there is no question of Ukraine becoming a NATO member before the end of the war, the West should still commit to security guarantees to Kyiv, Zelenskyy’s adviser said, adding this should come in the form of a separate document.

“It would be important to have this as a decision at the Vilnius Summit, like there was the indication for Finland and Sweden when it mattered, stressing that their security is already important for the Alliance, even before their members,” Zhovkva said.

“It’s very simple – a political decision on starting the process of finding the algorithm towards future membership, and before that granting us security guarantees,” he added.

Ukrainian and NATO officials have also pointed towards a recent change of language used in bilateral declarations between Ukraine and Italy, Germany, France, or the UK – just as Kyiv indicated its forces were ready to launch a long-promised counteroffensive to recapture territory taken by Russia since the start of the war.

Asked whether he is worried the West’s attention might shift with two major elections next year – European elections in June and US elections in November – Zhovkva said this would not be the case.

“The Russians tried to insert it several times into public debates but we do believe there will be no Ukraine fatigue. We are fighting not only for ourselves, which is why we deserve the attention of the whole civilised international community,” he said.

Peace summit in July 

In recent months, Ukraine has made efforts to engage with countries of the Global South, as well as global players China, Brazil and India, to convince them of supporting Kyiv’s 10-point peace plan.

Zelenskyy attended the Arab League summit in Saudi Arabia this month, holding talks with host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Iraq and other delegations as well as the G7 summit in Japan where he met the leaders of India and Indonesia.

In a sign of how Ukraine is trying to challenge Russia’s diplomatic sway, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba embarked on his second wartime tour of Africa last week.

Zelenskyy’s plan calls for restoring Ukraine’s control over its territory, returning prisoners of war and prosecuting war crimes.

It also addresses nuclear safety, which Ukraine says is compromised by Russia’s occupation of its Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, as well as food security.

“We’re taking into account each and every proposal, but we also need to explain that there can only be a Ukrainian peace plan – not a Brazilian, not a Chinese, not a South African, not any other peace plan – because the war is in the territory of Ukraine,” Zhovkva said.

A potential ‘Peace Formula’ summit to consolidate support for Kyiv’s terms to end the war could take place before NATO’s annual summit (11-13 July), he said.

According to EU diplomats, the idea for the summit, which could potentially take place in Denmark, would be to ensure that any future consideration of peace plans would take Kyiv’s plan as the reference point.

While there is no list of attendees yet, Ukraine and Western allies are seeking to bring leading world powers such as Brazil, India, China and other non-Western countries to the table. According to EU diplomats, there are no plans to invite Russian officials.

EU accession ‘on track’

The European Commission is expected to give an oral presentation of its seven reform recommendations in late June, before a regular summit of the bloc’s leaders in Brussels, and before the Commission publishes its formal enlargement package assessment of Ukraine’s progress in autumn.

“We’re on track with finalising the seven recommendations, with most of the laws that were needed to adopt adopted already,” Zhovkva said, adding that Kyiv has also managed to find a “constructive approach” with the Venice Commission, which is due to give its opinion on the laws.

“We don’t see any impediments to have the decision on the start of EU accession negotiations already this year,” Zelenskyy’s adviser said, provided that both of the EU executive’s reports are positive as anticipated.

Asked about internal EU worries on the bloc’s absorption capacity, Zhovkva said Kyiv “does understand the political situation in some EU member states”, but it would not justify unilateral actions.

After the EU lifted Ukrainian farm import restrictions last year to help the nation send its prized cereal production onto the world and overcome Russia’s Black Sea blockage, several eastern European member states were inundated with imports that flooded local markets.

Resolving the issue quickly would allow the EU to maintain a unified stance in the face of Russia’s invasion of its neighbour.

Zhovkva said Ukraine welcomed the prolongation of autonomous trade measures until June 2024, but urged the EU’s export ban on some Ukrainian products shouldn’t be extended beyond 5 June this year.

“If there are some concerns on the part of for example Polish farmers, the European Commission should start a trade investigation, the business community will have to apply to Brussels and the Ukrainian side in this case has the right to reply,” Zhovkva said.

“And only when the Commission makes this ruling, justified, having listened to all parties, then according to the EU law, one can make this decision – which was not the case here,” he said.

“For us, Brussels was a role model example, so we count that the breach of EU law will be eliminated,” Zelenskyy’s advisor added.

EurActiv

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