WASHINGTON: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will appoint a senior representative in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv “to deepen Ukraine’s institutional relationship with the alliance” and also announce a new military command in Germany for training Ukrainian troops, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said.
Speaking at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum in Washington on Tuesday, Sullivan said that the transatlantic alliance will launch four new joint projects with its Indo-Pacific partners — Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea its partners in the Indo-Pacific — relating to Ukraine, artificial intelligence, disinformation and cybersecurity.
He said that the ties between the United States, Europe, and the Indo-Pacific have “never been more important or more integrated than they are today”. “Each initiative is different, but the main goal is the same- Harness the unique strengths of highly capable democracies to address shared global challenges,” Sullivan said at the event before the start of the three-day NATO summit to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the transatlantic alliance.
The US official noted that Russia’s defence industry is on a wartime footing and with help from Iran, China, North Korea, and is “attempting to undertake the most significant defence expansion since the height of the Cold War”. “NATO can, NATO will, and NATO is rising to meet this challenge without disturbing, or distorting, our national economies the way Russia has. We are making robust investments in our defence industrial bases”, Sullivan said.
North Korea is providing ballistic missiles to Russia that are used to kill Ukrainian civilians while China’s dual-use trade with Russia, which includes microelectronics or technologies used in cruise missiles, is enabling Russia’s war machine, Sullivan stated.
The US official stated that it should not be expected that China, North Korea and Iran are lending their support to Russia for free. “We’re watching carefully to see what Russia provides these countries in return and what impact that has on the security of the Indo-Pacific and other parts of the world.”
Sullivan said that during the ongoing Summit, NATO would announce a new military command in Germany that will launch a “training, equipping and force development programme for Ukrainian troops”. The command will be set up in the German city of Wiesbaden.
“We’ll also make announcements outlining how we plan to strengthen critical Ukrainian air defence capabilities and build Ukraine’s air power through the provision of F-16s,” he said. NATO will appoint a senior representative in Ukraine’s capital Kyiv “to deepen Ukraine’s institutional relationship with the alliance”.
Other measures to be announced at the NATO summit include a pledge from all Allies to collectively provide Ukraine with at least 40 billion euros worth of security assistance this next year. Sullivan underscored the deepening of NATO’s cooperation with partners in the Indo-Pacific stating that events in Europe impacts the Indo-Pacific and vice versa.
The US official said the alliance is “committing to stand with Ukraine” in the face of Russian aggression and to send Russian President Putin a message that he “cannot divide us, he cannot outlast us, he cannot weaken us, and Ukraine — not Russia — will prevail in this war”. (ANI)