Page 21 - RusRPTAug23

2.14 Politics - misc
● International Politics
NATO member states convened on July 11-12 in Vilnius for a summit, during which they welcomed Finland as a full-fledged Alliance member and agreed on a new support package for Ukraine. This package includes a multi-year assistance program that will facilitate the transition of Ukraine’s armed forces to NATO standards, help rebuild Ukraine’s security and defence sector, and cover critical needs like fuel, demining equipment, and medical supplies. Additionally, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced the creation of a NATO-Ukraine Council—a forum for crisis consultations. The inaugural meeting of the Council took place on the second day of the Summit, July 12. Lastly, NATO members agreed to remove the requirement for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, thus simplifying the membership path for Kyiv.
On the margins of the NATO Summit, President Zelensky also held talks with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and U.S. President Joe Biden, among others.
NATO has published the communiqué from the summit in Vilnius on the evening of July 11. It contains several references to Ukraine's membership and support, which mostly repeat or expand on the three-element package that Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced. In addition, according to the communique:
● The NATO allies agreed on a package of extended political and practical support and decided to create the Ukraine-NATO Council
● The allies will invite Ukraine to join when they reach agreement, but the Membership Action Plan is no longer needed
● Russia should immediately stop its aggressive war against Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw its troops and equipment from Ukrainian territory, and Belarus and Iran should stop assisting Russia and return to compliance with international law
● Russia bears full responsibility for the war against Ukraine and must answer for it
● NATO condemns Moscow’s violation of international obligations and confirms that they will never recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territories, particularly Crimea.
Erdogan backs Sweden's membership bid. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on July 10 that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will forward Sweden's NATO bit to Turkey's parliament.
21 RUSSIA Country Report August 2023 www.intellinews.com