IRIA News

NATO Foreign Ministers concluded two days of meetings in Brussels on November 29, 2023. The meeting was focused on addressing issues related to support for Ukraine, preparations for the NATO Washington Summit, and pressing security challenges, including in the Western Balkans and NATO’s southern neighborhood.

The crucial meeting comes at a time when there is opposition in the United States, as well as several other European countries regarding a military aid package and extended-term support plan for Kyiv.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged for persistent support for Ukraine in its resistance against Russia’s invasion. He underscored the importance of a unified and sustained backing for Ukraine within the NATO alliance, even as differing opinions and challenges emerge among member countries.

“We just have to stay the course. This is also about our security interests,” Secretary General Stoltenberg said at the meeting. He also underlined the substantial progress made by Ukraine this year, both on land and in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, he said that Russia is losing political influence in its near abroad, has incurred more than 300,000 casualties lost a substantial part of its conventional forces, and is under economic pressure.

Russia is now “weaker politically, militarily and economically year by year, Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing,” he said, concluding that “all of this underlines Putin’s strategic mistake in invading Ukraine”.

‘No fatigue’ in Ukraine’s support

Despite evident internal opposition among the U.S. political leadership regarding the support for Ukraine, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that there is “strong bipartisan support” for Ukraine in the United States. He said that he sees “no sense of fatigue” among NATO allies continuing their support as the country enters its second winter of war against Russia.

“Some are questioning whether the United States and other NATO allies should continue to stand with Ukraine as we enter the second winter of Putin’s brutality. But the answer here today at NATO is clear, and it is unwavering. We must and we will continue to support Ukraine,” Blinken said during a press conference in Brussels.

“I’m confident that the United States will continue to provide support because it is in the security interest of the United States to do so and it’s also in line with what we have agreed,” Stoltenberg said during his remarks.

NATO Allies and partners are equipping and training Ukrainian soldiers to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s war of aggression #ForMin | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/nV1k4nQseq

— NATO (@NATO) November 29, 2023

Washington has been the largest supporter of Kyiv, both financially and politically, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February 2022. The U.S. has provided $77 billion in assistance to Ukraine, which includes humanitarian, financial, and military aid. Ukraine’s European allies have provided more than $110 billion in support of Kyiv.

Ukraine’s NATO membership

Ukraine’s path to NATO membership was discussed during the first foreign minister-level meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. While answering a question about Ukraine’s NATO membership in a separate press conference, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the member state laid out recommendations for Ukraine’s reforms.

“Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before. We will continue to support them on the path to membership and will continue to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom,” Stoltenberg told reporters at NATO headquarters.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also held separate talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss the matter. He said that the allies have reaffirmed their policy that “Ukraine will become a member of NATO when all allies agree and when conditions are met.”

Turkey’s ratification of Sweden

Turkey has yet again indicated that it would ratify Sweden’s 18-month-long request to join the NATO alliance very soon.

According to Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, Turkey has told Sweden that it expects to ratify its long-delayed accession to the NATO military alliance within weeks, however, Ankara has not laid out a timetable for the ratification.

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his counterparts in bilateral talks on the sidelines at the NATO meeting that the Turkish parliament would decide on ratification of Sweden’s NATO membership bid, without further elaborating.

Extension in humanitarian pause in Gaza

The Middle East crisis was not on the official agenda of the ministerial-level gathering, however, the foreign ministers from the NATO countries discussed the war between Israel and Hamas during their meeting.

Speaking at a press conference following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels, Jens Stoltenberg said that he hopes there will be an extension in the humanitarian pause between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

“Ministers also expressed concern about the war in the Middle East,” he noted, adding he welcomed the extension of the pause in hostilities between Israel and Hamas and hopes it will be extended.

The pause has allowed for “much-needed relief” to the people in Gaza, the release of more hostages, and the provision of more humanitarian aid, stated the NATO chief.