French President Emmanuel Macron and his Secretary General NATO, Jens Stoltenbergbet to make it in Paris this Wednesday Gestures in favor of Ukraine’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance. In a joint view of the centrist leader, we must chart a path for the possibility of Kiev joining NATO. Arriving at the Elysee, where they held an afternoon meeting, Stoltenberg said: “We will bring Ukraine closer to our alliance. It has its place.”
Macron and Stoltenberg met two weeks before the New Year’s celebrations. Next ota summitN in Vilnius. One of the topics to be discussed in the Lithuanian capital will be the gestures made by member states to “draw” a course for Ukraine’s hypothetical accession to the Atlantic Alliance. the consequences of the generalization of the conflict. Earlier last week, the NATO Secretary General assured that they would not make a formal offer to Kiev at the next summit, but that gestures could be made to strengthen this hypothesis. While Poland and the Baltic states press for this to happen, Germany and the US are more muted.
change of position of France
Interestingly, France has taken a position quite close to the countries of the East in recent weeks. Characterized by calls last year with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (without tangible results) and arguing that Russia should be given “guarantees of security”, Macron has stepped up in recent weeks in favor of Ukraine becoming part of NATO. A possibility that Moscow sees as a red line. According to the news at the beginning of June WorldThe French president presided over a security council in the Elysée, where he decided this. new position. A real change in French beliefs? Or is it just a tactic to put pressure on Russia?
Although the Ukrainian Army has succeeded for now, little progress in his counterattackthe failed riot of the weekend Evgeny Prigozhin and his group of Wagner mercenaries demonstrated Moscow’s fragility and Russian-led divisions. These developments may encourage NATO countries that want to increase diplomatic pressure on Russia by taking steps in favor of Ukraine’s accession, despite the risk of causing a new escalation in the conflict and obscuring the prospect – almost none for now. some peace talks. “This is a domestic issue (the Wagner revolt), but it is an indication of the war against Ukraine. a serious strategic mistake“Putin defended Stoltenberg.
Besides the Ukrainian war, one of the main topics of discussion in Vilnius will be the war. Sweden joins the Atlantic Alliance, currently blocked due to the reluctance of Türkiye and Hungary. Macron defended this logic, saying, “Finland’s participation was a strong message. We now have to go all the way.”