Stoltenberg says China is fueling conflict in Ukraine – DW – 07/12/2024

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg denounced this Thursday (07/11/2024) that China has become the “decisive facilitator” of Russia’s war against Ukraine and that it has an “unlimited partnership” and strong support for Russia’s defense industrial base.

“We agreed that China cannot continue to fuel Europe’s largest military conflict without affecting Beijing’s interests,” he said at a press conference within the framework of the summit that ends this Thursday in Washington.

Stoltenberg noted that the maneuvers the Chinese military began this week together with the Belarusians in Brest, in the southwest of the country, near the border with Poland (a NATO member), are “part of a pattern” that “confirms” how authoritarian regimes are increasingly uniting and also how China is moving closer to NATO in “Europe, Africa, the Arctic” and elsewhere.

“We need to remember what kind of regime we are talking about, tyrannical machines. China is oppressing its own people, cracking down on democratic voices in Hong Kong, behaving more aggressively in the South China Sea, threatening its neighbors and threatening Taiwan,” he condemned.

In addition, the Asian giant is carrying out “a massive military concentration without transparency” and “investing heavily in new modern missiles, nuclear weapons.”

All this, the Norwegian pointed out, makes it “even more important” for NATO to work with Indo-Pacific partners, as has happened at this summit, on new projects on topics such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and support for Ukraine.

NATO, which was born 75 years ago to provide security to the North Atlantic region in the context of the Cold War with the Soviet Union, has for years been strengthening its cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, known as the IP4 group, but the relationship has deepened and its leaders have figured prominently in the summit for the third consecutive year against the backdrop of a militarily powerful China.

Basis for Ukraine to prevail

On the other hand, Stoltenberg assured that NATO at its Washington summit “laid the foundation for Ukraine’s victory.”

“Everything we are doing, the command, the financial commitment, more military assistance, more security agreements and better interoperability, lays the foundation for Ukraine to prevail and serve as a bridge to NATO,” he said.

Allied Heads of State and Government today participated in the NATO-Ukraine Council alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a session with which the summit concluded.

“NATO allies have agreed that, as Ukraine continues the necessary reforms, we will support it on the irreversible path to membership,” Stoltenberg stressed, recalling the words with which the leaders referred to Ukraine in the summit declaration approved on Wednesday, July 10.

He stressed that allies have provided “unprecedented support” to Ukraine since Russia launched a large-scale invasion in February 2022.

He acknowledged that Ukraine experienced “a difficult winter and spring” due to delays in the provision of aid, which had consequences, but made it clear that “we cannot and will not allow this to happen again.”

At this summit, the allies have supported the alliance to assume the direction of a command center in Germany to manage the sending of international donation materials to Ukraine, as well as to coordinate the training missions of its troops on the territory of the countries in the east of the alliance.

Likewise, they have decided to provide at least 40 billion euros ($43.47 billion at current exchange rates) next year to finance military aid for Kiev.

“We will review this level at the upcoming summit to ensure our support continues to meet Ukraine’s needs,” Stoltenberg said.

This commitment, he said, will ensure that allies can better disperse their military support efforts in Ukraine, and give the country “credible support to deter and defend itself from further Russian aggression, now and in the future.”

MG (EFE, Reuters)