On the day that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine completes one month, attention and expectations turn to Brussels, Belgium, where this Thursday (24) three meetings of Western leaders take place that could have a direct influence on the next. war events.
The summit’s busy day begins at NATO Headquarters, where leaders of the Western military alliance, including US President Joe Biden, are expected to announce the increase in military forces on Europe’s eastern flank.
Another meeting will bring together heads of state of the European Union, and a third, the G7 (diplomatic forum with Germany, Canada, USA, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom).
The day before, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, used his daily pronouncement on the conflict to put pressure on Western leaders, treating this Thursday as a kind of watershed in the war.
“In the three summits, we will be able to see who is our friend, who is a partner and who has betrayed us for money,” he said. Zelensky also called for “significant measures” in support of Ukraine and reiterated two of his main demands.
The first was the creation of a no-fly zone over the country — considered unlikely because, in practice, it would represent a direct attack on Vladimir Putin’s Russia and, consequently, an even sharper escalation of the conflict.
The second call was for more assertive NATO actions. “We ask that the alliance say that it will fully help Ukraine to win this war,” Zelensky said.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday the preparation of new battle groups in Eastern Europe to prevent Russia from attacking any of the members of the military alliance. The Norwegian repeated, however, that NATO will not send soldiers or planes to Ukraine.
“President Putin made a big mistake,” Stoltenberg said, pointing to the strength of Ukraine’s resistance and the unity of the West. In this “most serious security crisis in a generation,” he continued, “we will be safe as long as we are together.”
The 30 nations that make up the alliance remain alarmed at the prospect that Russia could escalate the conflict with its neighbor and have agreed to send more assistance to Ukraine, including equipment to “protect against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats”.
“Putin’s steps are designed to make us afraid too, in a way that prevents us from helping Ukraine. We should definitely not fall into that trap,” Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s prime minister, said as she arrived at the summit in Brussels. “Putin cannot win this war, this is very important for all of us.”
At the G7 meeting – which, with the exception of Japan, is also made up of NATO member countries –, the expectation is for a new package of sanctions against Moscow.
Russia has suffered a blockage in world trade to a degree never seen against such a large economy. But the biggest loophole in the sanctions is related to the exception for Russian oil and gas exports. Several EU members are reluctant to step up retaliation because they rely on energy produced in Russia.
In a post on social media, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs made an accusatory appeal to the countries of the European bloc and urged them to show more strength. “EU leaders, Ukraine has been protecting you from Russian aggression for almost a month. Stop funding the war, stop paying for Russian energy.”
