According to Europe correspondent Ria Cats, the security commitments should provide Ukraine with the certainty that the country can continue to count on financial and military support from Europe in the future. Even if the Ukrainian counter-offensive is unsuccessful, or if a different leader suddenly comes to power in Russia after situations like last weekend. Furthermore, efforts would be made to ensure that Europe continues to support Ukraine in all peace talks.
Ukraine gets the pledges mainly because the country really wants to join NATO, says Cats. “They hope to receive an invitation in July when NATO meets.” However, Ukraine will never be able to do this, because NATO would not accept a warring member. “Because then they’ll be at war themselves. As an alternative to this, this is designed to give Ukraine the idea that NATO will support them no matter what.’
‘signal clear’
Yet there are also a number of EU countries that are unwilling to provide Ukraine with even more aid. The declaration for future aid comes from France and should be a ‘clear signal’ for the Russians, but Ireland, Malta and Austria, for example, first want greater clarity on the precise commitments before signing anything. “Ireland, for example, is not a member of NATO, obviously there’s a reason for that,” says Cats. “They want clarity on where you will be sucked in as Ireland if you agree to this.”
Ukrainian President Zelensky himself will be present at the Brussels summit via video link. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will also be there, according to Cats, to assure Zelenski that he has plenty of support.
balance
In addition to the war in Ukraine, the summit will also discuss the economy, migration and external relations. According to Cats, talk of migration is in danger of fading. “They had hoped to present an agreement with Tunisia at the summit today, but it didn’t work out.” The new deal means that Tunisia will take back migrants from Europe and receive a large sum of money in return. But according to Cats, those negotiations are very difficult.
Another important point on the agenda is the relationship with China. The country is increasingly seen as a security risk, but at the same time it is an important trading partner for Europe. “So they’re looking for the balance between making sure we defend our interests, that we don’t have to export all kinds of intellectual property or special techniques to China and still be able to trade,” Cats says.