On 11 July, the NATO Summit began in Vilnius. The Alliance has already published its communiqué. Here’s what it says about Ukraine and Russia.
Source: NATO
Since the main topic of the summit was the war waged by Russia against Ukraine, there was a lot of talk about Ukraine and the Kremlin’s criminal actions. We have compiled the essential communiqués that concern Kyiv and Moscow.
Russia is to blame for the war against Ukraine
First of all, the communiqué states that it is Russia that “bears full responsibility for its illegal and unprovoked aggressive war against Ukraine”. It says that it has seriously undermined Euro-Atlantic and global security. And the aggressor state must be held fully accountable for this.
“We continue to condemn Russia’s blatant violations of international law, the United Nations Charter and OSCE commitments and principles in the strongest terms. We do not and will never recognise Russia’s illegal and illegitimate annexations, including of Crimea”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
All war crimes committed by the Kremlin are mentioned. They also said the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station. They emphasised Russia’s “deep impact” on the environment, nuclear safety, energy and food security, the global economy, and billions of people’s well-being worldwide.
“Russia must immediately cease this illegal war of aggression, stop using force against Ukraine, and fully and unconditionally withdraw all its forces and equipment from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders, including its territorial waters”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
They also appealed to all countries not to help Russia carry out its armed aggression. In addition, they condemned all those who contributed to Russia’s war against Ukraine. In particular, Belarus “plays an important role by continuing to provide its territory and infrastructure”. They call on Belarus and Iran to stop cooperating with Russia.
“While we have called on Russia to engage constructively in credible negotiations with Ukraine, Russia has not demonstrated any genuine openness to a just and lasting peace”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
They stressed that Iran’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine affects Euro-Atlantic security. The Alliance called for an end to the supply of weapons to Russia, including kamikaze drones.
“We express our serious concern about Iran’s malicious activities on Allies’ territory. We also call on Iran to refrain from destabilising actions, including the seizure of maritime vessels, and to play a constructive role in promoting regional stability and peace”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
At the same time, it stressed that it supports Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the “formula for peace” he has proposed. In addition, they support Ukraine’s aspirations to achieve peace and end the war unleashed by Russia.
NATO stands by Ukraine’s defence
“We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the Government and people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their nation, their land and our shared values. We fully support Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter”, – the text reads.
It emphasises that it remains unwavering in its commitment to strengthen political and practical support for Ukraine further. After all, it continues to defend its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. And we will continue to be supported for as long as it takes.
Ukraine’s future lies in NATO
The communiqué emphasises that they fully support the right of Kyiv to choose its security mechanisms. And we emphasise that the future of Ukraine is in NATO.
“We reaffirm our commitment at the 2008 Summit in Bucharest that Ukraine will become a NATO member. Today we recognise that Ukraine’s path to full Euro-Atlantic integration has gone beyond the need to implement the Membership Action Plan. Ukraine is becoming increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the Alliance and has made significant progress on its reform agenda”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
The text emphasises that the Alliance will support Ukraine in implementing reforms to become a NATO member. Ukraine will receive an invitation as soon as all existing members of the bloc agree and the conditions are met.
“Ukraine’s security is of great importance to Allies and the Alliance. To support Ukraine’s further integration into NATO, today we have agreed on a significant package of enhanced political and practical support,” the text reads.
The Alliance has established the NATO-Ukraine Council. This is a new joint body. It will bring together Allies and Ukraine as equal members to promote political dialogue, interaction, cooperation and Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for NATO membership.
Condemning the nuclear threat posed by Russia
The communiqué emphasises that Russia is modernising its nuclear forces, including large stockpiles of “theatre weapons”. It is also expanding its advanced and destructive dual-use delivery systems.
“We condemn Russia’s announced intention to deploy nuclear weapons and nuclear-capable systems on the territory of Belarus, which once again demonstrates how Russia’s repeated actions undermine strategic stability and overall security in the Euro-Atlantic area”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
They also note that they condemn Russia’s irresponsible nuclear rhetoric regarding the nuclear threat. They also recalled the Joint Statement by the leaders of the five nuclear powers on 3 January 2022. It stressed the need to prevent nuclear war and avoid an arms race.
“We call on Russia to reaffirm – in words and deeds – its commitment to the principles enshrined in this Statement,” the document says.
Call on China to condemn the war against Ukraine
“The deepening strategic partnership between China and Russia and their mutual attempts to undermine the rules-based international order are contrary to our values and interests,” the text says.
It calls on China to:
- play a constructive role as a permanent member of the UN Security Council,
- condemn Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine,
- refrain from any support for Russia’s military efforts,
- stop strengthening Russia’s false narrative accusing Ukraine and NATO of Russia’s war against Ukraine,
- adhere to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.
- We especially call on China to act responsibly and refrain from providing any lethal assistance to Russia.
NATO-Ukraine cooperation has become more significant
This happened in the context of the war waged by Russia against Ukraine. The Alliance has demonstrated unity of purpose and shared resolve.
NATO and the EU will continue to stand by Ukraine. In this regard, we welcome the establishment of a dedicated NATO-EU Coordination Centre for Ukraine,” the communiqué says.
In addition, tangible results have been achieved in the field of strategic communications, including:
- combating disinformation;
- countering hybrid and cyber threats;
- training
- operational cooperation;
- defence capability;
- defence industry and research;
- counter-terrorism;
- defence and security capacity building.
“We continue to expand our cooperation in the areas of resilience, critical infrastructure protection, new and disruptive technologies, space, the security implications of climate change, and geostrategic competition”.
NATO Summit Communiqué
In addition, the Alliance will continue to confront the systemic challenges posed by China to Euro-Atlantic security. At the same time, the political dialogue between the Alliance and the European Union remains essential for the development of cooperation between NATO and the EU.
At the same time, the Alliance stressed the strategic importance of the Black Sea region. NATO will continue to monitor and assess developments in the area. It will also pay special attention to security threats and potential opportunities to work more closely with partners.
