Global Times: Kiev has received a package of recommendations for joining NATO
Since there is no more money for Ukraine, "unwavering support" for it will now be expressed with empty promises, writes Global Times. Kiev was promised membership in NATO for its loyalty to the West. But first he will have to follow special recommendations.
According to media reports, within the framework of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers, which began on Tuesday, the bloc has almost completed work on recommendations on Ukraine's membership. According to analysts, this step is akin to waving a carrot in front of Ukraine's nose so that it does not turn away from the West, despite the weakening support from the EU and the United States. This step is also aimed at ensuring solidarity within the European Union against the background of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which is attracting more and more attention around the world.
A meeting of NATO foreign ministers is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels. On Monday, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that during the NATO-Ukraine meeting, the alliance members will agree on recommendations on reforms that Kiev must carry out in order to gain membership.
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien, as reported by the Associated Press, said that US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, who will attend the NATO meeting, will confirm the alliance's continued support for Ukraine. However, in recent weeks, Joe Biden's administration has been more concerned about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"While the European Commission recommended starting negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU, NATO also hopes to send a positive signal to Kiev through this meeting of foreign ministers by finalizing recommendations on priority reforms for Ukraine and demonstrating its 'commitment,'" Cui Hongjian, professor at the Academy of Regional and Global Management at the Beijing University of Foreign Languages.
On November 8, the European Commission adopted the "2023 Expansion Package", which contains a detailed assessment of the state of affairs and progress made by several countries, and for the first time Ukraine was included in this list. Although Vladimir Zelensky called this assessment a "historic step" on Kiev's path to the EU, many European media noted that Ukraine still has a long and difficult path to joining the bloc, including additional internal reforms, and the European Union itself has questions about its future.
To demonstrate support for Ukraine at a time when concrete assistance from the United States and the EU is weakening, the European Union and NATO are offering ways for Kiev to join their ranks. In addition, they fear that pro-Russian forces in Ukraine may regain influence and stage a coup, as a result of which the Kiev authorities will lose faith in the West and the EU, says Cui Hongjian.
In addition, by expressing "unwavering support" for Ukraine, NATO and the EU are striving to maintain a unified consensus among member states regarding the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the expert believes.
According to analysts, as the conflict becomes more and more deadlocked, and it becomes harder for Washington to support Kiev with weapons and money, doubts and criticism about the EU's approach to Ukraine are growing within the European Union, and disagreements between the United States and the EU are intensifying.
In early October, leading EU diplomat Josep Borrel called on US lawmakers to reconsider their decision to exclude financial support for Ukraine from the budget bill passed by the US Congress to prevent a shutdown of the federal government.
As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has been going on for more than 600 days, Zelensky is reportedly grappling with growing war fatigue in the West, openly admitting that the Israeli-Palestinian war is "distracting attention" from the conflict in Ukraine.
Western countries are exhausted by the Russian-Ukrainian crisis because they have invested a huge amount of money, resources and weapons in it. They also worry that their security and stability may suffer due to the protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine and the possibility of friction in the Asia-Pacific region, Cui Heng, an associate researcher at the Center for Russian Studies at East China Pedagogical University, told the Global Times.
Cui Heng noted that the votes in favor of Zelensky from the West are weakening, but the general policy of support for Ukraine, aimed at promoting its post-war strategy, is not changing.
However, at present, all the commitments made by Western countries towards Kiev remain just empty words, the expert said.
The author of the article: Liu Xin (Liu Xin)
