Poland has asked NATO to guarantee Ukraine’s military support after the conflict.
In light of NATO’s concerns for a potential Russian invasion, Poland President Andrzej Duda said that “security assurances” provided now “would be vital” for Ukrainian morale.
This occurs as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden lands in Warsaw today to commemorate this month’s one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Anders Fogh Ramussen, a former secretary-general of NATO, has previously co-authored a formal proposal calling for Ukraine to benefit from a relationship comparable to the one the US now has with Israel.
Israel, like Ukraine, is not a member of NATO, but the United States nevertheless offers substantial political backing, as well as long-term financial guarantees and the technologies needed to maintain a “qualitative military advantage” over competitors.
Duda said that Kiev now expects a “relationship” and wants reassurances that “NATO stands with them” at the Munich Security Conference over the weekend.
Aiming to mobilize “the necessary political, financial, military and diplomatic resources” for its self-defense, the Ukraine announced its Kyiv Security Compact in September of last year. This plan called for using local militias and NATO military trainers stationed in Ukraine.
NATO assistance for Ukrainian post-war attempts at self-defense, according to Rasmussen’s policy chief, would be “a different approach” to provisions like Article 5. All resources required for the party being attacked to defend itself are provided by one party.
If Ukraine had to be invaded again in the future, NATO forces would not be required to wage war.
But, leaders for the United States and Germany said this past weekend that the existing plan to transfer military equipment was enough.
Olaf Scholz, the chancellor of Germany, said that Ukraine will soon be ready to use its first Leopard tanks.
Also, the Polish President requested Biden to reaffirm US support for NATO’s “Article 5,” which declares that an assault on one member state is an attack on all.
If Russia launched an assault outside of Ukraine, this provision would obligate the United States and other signatory nations to support Poland.
As tensions between the east and west increase, Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, demanded that Putin’s troops “denazify and demilitarise Poland.”
Ahead of the centenary of the conflict and as both sides work to upgrade and extend their military hardware, concerns about the war spreading into central Europe have increased.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the leader of Ukraine, then said that Ukrainian intelligence had uncovered Russian intentions to ‘destroy’ Moldova in a manner akin to the invasion of Ukraine.
Despite not being a member of NATO, Moldova has a “permanent neutrality” pact.
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