NATO Defence Ministers Adopt Ukraine Support Plan Without Hungary's Approval
NATO Ministers of Defence held a two-day meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium on June 13-14, their final meeting before the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, July 9-11. The meeting was co-chaired by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It was held in coordination with the 57-country U.S.-led "Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG)."
The
main aim of the meetings was to guarantee military support for Ukraine
while it faces defeat in the U.S./NATO proxy war with Russia. Since
last year, Ukraine has been trying to overcome a dire shortage of
troops through a new mobilization law that came into effect in May
after military
officials said in December 2023 that another 500,000 troops were
needed. Ukraine has also been unable to overcome a shortage of
ammunition since last year and this is expected to be the case
throughout the rest of this year as its so-called allies still do not
have the capacity to produce what is
needed. Former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer Scott Ritter, a
knowledgeable commentator on Ukraine, on June 14 gave the view that
Ukraine
is losing close to 2,000 troops on the battlefield every day and that
the Ukrainian army does not have the weapons or tactical skills to
prevail in the
battlefield.
On the first day, Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov briefed the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on battlefield developments and Ukraine's "most pressing needs." Speaking after the meeting, Stoltenberg admitted, "Delays in our support have had serious consequences, and we must not let that happen again. The good news is that Allies are stepping up. But Ukraine needs predictable support for the long term."
Stoltenberg added: "The paradox is that the longer we plan, and the longer we commit, the sooner Ukraine can have peace." He added that such "credible, long term commitment" will show Russia that it cannot "wait out Allied support." Gone is the confidence of the U.S./NATO when they began their proxy war in Ukraine against Russia that the latter would soon be defeated.
On the sidelines of the first day of meetings, NATO member states adopted an operational plan for enhanced support to Ukraine, which provides for a bigger role for NATO in its proxy war with Russia, through the provision of armaments and training for Ukrainian soldiers. Ukrainska Pravda reports, "According to the NATO-approved plan, in the future, the Alliance will be responsible for the international coordination of armament supply and training for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Among other things, the plan provides for the creation of an analogue of the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U) by NATO, which operates under the European Headquarters of the U.S. Armed Forces in the German city of Wiesbaden and includes about 300 soldiers." The SAG-U, the U.S. military claims, "coordinate[s] the training and equipping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and also help[s] to increase their situational awareness."
A news report from Politico explains that the reason for the operational plan and the coordination with the UDCG is for NATO to take over the role of the U.S. in coordinating military aid to Ukraine, to "Trump-proof" the UDCG "given the possibility that former U.S. President Donald Trump could return to the White House in November elections" and that he could roll back U.S. commitments to Ukraine. A NATO official told Politico, "The U.S. leadership of UDCG will stay. But NATO will play a coordinating role."
NATO likes to claim that it takes its decisions by consensus, however, it was forced to abandon this "principle" and adopt the operational plan without it. The operational plan had been blocked by Hungary, which would not give its approval due to concerns expressed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán that the plan could lead to a "direct confrontation" with Russia. Orbán later explained that he and Stoltenberg had come to an agreement that Hungary would not block NATO decisions regarding Ukraine, but it would not participate in supporting Ukraine either.
At the end of the second day of meetings, Stoltenberg announced that through the plan, NATO will oversee the training of Ukrainian armed forces at training facilities in NATO member countries, the coordination and deployment of military donations to Ukraine, and the transfer and repair of equipment. NATO will also "provide support to the long-term development of Ukraine's Armed Forces."
At a press conference following the NATO Defence Ministers' meeting, Austin repeated the disinformation that the war was instigated by Russia, not the U.S. which orchestrated regime change to bring in a reactionary and virulently anti-Russian government in 2014 that the U.S./NATO has now armed to the teeth. Despite evidence of the eastward expansion of the warmongering alliance NATO, Austin nonetheless insisted, "Putin's war is not the result of NATO enlargement. Putin's war is a cause of NATO enlargement, and NATO is more resolute and more capable than ever."
Austin blustered about NATO's "enduring commitment to a free and sovereign Ukraine," saying the Washington Summit will create steps to Ukraine's membership in NATO and re-affirm the U.S.' continued military and financial support for the war against Russia in Ukraine. Should Ukraine be given membership, this would surely be another unacceptable escalation by NATO.
Canada's Participation
Canada was represented at the UDCG and NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting by Defence Minister Bill Blair.
At
the UDCG meeting, Blair announced that Canada will be sending
2,300 CRV7 rocket motors to Ukraine. He also announced that Canada will
provide more than 130,000 surplus rounds of small arms ammunition as
well as 29 Nanuk Remote Weapons Systems that are installed on armoured
vehicles,
also surplus from the Canadian Armed Forces inventory. In addition, he
announced that the first four of 50 armoured vehicles built by General
Dynamics Land Systems-Canada in London, Ontario will be sent to Ukraine
as well.
Following the UDCG meeting, Blair signed a Letter of Intent for the Armour Capability Coalition, a grouping within the UDCG focused on procuring armoured vehicles for Ukraine. Canada is also a member of the "Drone Capability Coalition" and "Air Force Capability Coalition" of the UDCG. At a separate meeting with the members of the "Drone Coalition," Blair announced that 900 Canadian-built drones will be delivered to Ukraine in June with more to arrive in the following months. He also informed the UDCG that Canada has recently invested $3 million to support the production of drones in Ukraine.
At the NATO Defence Ministers' meeting Blair announced that Canada is "steadfast" in its commitment to NATO and is deploying HMCS Charlottetown from Halifax to "join and assume leadership of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea." This battleship will participate in NATO exercises over the next six months.
This article was published in
Volume 54 Number 37 - June 18, 2024
Article Link:
https://cpcml.ca/Tmlm2024/Articles/MS54378.HTM
Website: www.cpcml.ca Email: editor@cpcml.ca