NATO Allies plan to invite Ukraine as an equal member of a new NATO-Ukraine defense council, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced during a press briefing in Brussels on June 16, 2023.
The NATO secretary general stated that the details of the council will be announced at NATO’s summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, which is scheduled to be held next month.
Stoltenberg said, “We all agree that Ukraine has already moved closer to NATO over the past decade. We agree that NATO’s door is open. That Ukraine will become a member of the Alliance. And that it is a decision for [the] Allies and Ukraine to make. Russia does not have a veto.”
The announcement came after NATO defense ministers concluded the two-day meeting in Brussels. During the meeting, the NATO ministers agreed to boost defense production and standardize munitions, and command and control interoperability among NATO nations and Ukraine.
The NATO Allies also discussed Ukraine’s urgent need for ground-based, air-defense systems, and issues related to the training of Ukrainian forces.
NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg highlighted that “Ukrainian forces have stepped up operations along the front line, and are making progress – but they face tough terrain, dug-in Russian troops, and fierce fighting”. He added that increasing support for Ukraine remains crucial for the Alliance.
According to the NATO statement, Stoltenberg welcomed new announcements from Allies, including “the initiative led by the Netherlands and Denmark to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and, together with the United Kingdom and the United States, to deliver short and medium-range air defense missiles.”
During the Defense Ministers’ meeting, the leaders discussed “new regional plans” for the collective defense of the Alliance and agreed to enhance exercise programs for troops. According to the statement, NATO partners agreed on a new rotational model for air and missile defense which will “ensure that resources are used in the most effective way” and the Allies can swiftly transition from “air policing to air defense”.
NATO Ministers also reviewed the Alliance Defence Production Action Plan. Stoltenberg said that “We have a great tool to organize multinational procurement with our Support and Procurement Agency” and NATO members require “concrete measures to aggregate demand, boost capacity, and increase interoperability and interchangeability”.
On June 15, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin convened the 13th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Brussels. Austin thanked the 50 nations that have provided Ukraine with training and equipment and urged the contact group to “continue to dig deep to provide Ukraine with the air-defense assets and munitions that it so urgently needs to protect its citizens.”
I’m enormously proud of all the progress that NATO has made since we last came together.
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) June 16, 2023
The alliance faces historic challenges. But we’re meeting those challenges with confidence—and above all, with unity. pic.twitter.com/c5sDzp3jjh
While highlighting the contributions of key NATO partners, including Canada, Germany, Poland, Italy, and Denmark, Austin said that “All these contributions underscore our unity and support for Ukraine in defending the rules-based international order that keeps us all secure. Ukraine has overcome so many obstacles, but more lie ahead. And Ukraine’s citizens do not stand alone.”
During the Ukraine Defense Contact Group Meeting, Secretary Austin emphasized that “it’s become increasingly clear that Ukraine needs a force that is interoperable with ally and partner militaries.” The participants discussed the ways to accomplish interoperability between Ukraine and NATO partners.
