Ukraine has become a de facto member of the NATO alliance, Ukraine’s defense minister says, as Western nations, once concerned that Russia’s military aid could be seen as escalating, have “changed their thinking.” Change the style.
Oleksiy Ryzenkov said he was confident Ukraine would receive long-sought weapons, including tanks and fighter jets, as both Ukraine and Russia looked set to get new weapons in the spring. Preparing for attacks.
“This concern about the next level of cooperation is, for me, a kind of protocol,” Mr. Reznikov said.
“Ukraine as a country, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has become a member of NATO. De facto, not de jure (by law). Because we have the weapon, and the understanding of how to use it.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described his invasion of Ukraine as an existential war against Western countries seeking to weaken Russia.
Russian figures have argued that they are fighting NATO in Ukraine, because the West has supplied the country with weapons in what they call a war of aggression.
Ukraine has, for years, sought to join the military alliance between the United States, Canada and 28 European countries, which President Vladimir Putin has described as a security threat to Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pushed for fast-track accession, but it is unclear whether full membership is something coalition members will seriously consider even after the war ends, despite pledges of support.
Article 5 of the NATO Treaty states that an armed attack against any member shall be considered an attack against all.
However, Mr. Raznikov denied that his comments would be considered controversial, not only by Russia but, perhaps, by NATO itself, because the alliance has taken steps not seen as a party to the conflict. go
“Why would that be controversial? It’s true. It’s a fact,” Mr Reznikov said. “I believe that in the near future, we will become a member of NATO.”
The defense minister spoke in the capital Kyiv, as Ukrainian and Russian forces continue to fight for the small town of Soledar in eastern Donetsk region, in some of the fiercest fighting of the nearly 11-month-old war.
The Russian offensive is being led by the mercenary Wagner Group, whose founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime Putin ally, has become an outspoken critic of the Russian military’s performance in Ukraine.
On Tuesday, Mr Prigozhin claimed his fighters had taken control of the town, a charge rejected by Ukraine and, notably, by the Kremlin, which was seen as a rebuke of Mr Prigozhin.
Mr Raznikov said the situation at Soledar was “very difficult”, but “under control”. He said Wagner fighters were being used in “wave after wave” of attacks, which caused large numbers of casualties, and that Mr Prigogne was trying to capture the town, home to Europe’s largest salt mine. were interested in the potential economic benefits of
“They will make blood money,” he said.
Soledar is about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the strategic city of Bakhmut, where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been engaged in a months-long war that has caused widespread destruction and heavy casualties on both sides. There, Wagner’s mercenaries are also deployed in large numbers, and Mr. Prigozhin is believed to have made the capture of Bakhmut his personal goal.
“This group needs to provide some kind of evidence to declare that they are better than the regular armed forces of the Russian Federation,” Mr Riznikov said. If Bakhmut is captured, Donetsk could pave the way for a Russian push into two Ukrainian strongholds, Kramatorsk and Slavyansk, a region that has been a key target for President Putin.
