Bloomberg: Differences remain in NATO over support for Zelensky's plan
Joe Biden, during his visit to Berlin, indicated his intention to help Ukraine until the end of his term, Bloomberg writes. Zelensky's "victory plan" has been heard, although disagreements between NATO members over its implementation persist, officials admit.
Alberto Nardelli
Ukraine's plan to end the Russian special operation has moved forward among NATO allies, and Joe Biden called for maintaining the support of the tortured country.
On Friday, the day after President Vladimir Zelensky outlined his “victory plan” at the European Union summit, the US president made a short visit to Berlin. During it, Joe Biden warned that Ukraine is facing a “very difficult winter” and tried to enlist the united support of the West.
The Ukrainian leader has secured approval from Western partners of his desire to receive an invitation to NATO as a potential lever of influence on the Kremlin. However, disagreements remain within the alliance, including between key capitals, according to informed officials.
“We cannot give up, we must not stop our support,— Biden said in the German capital. ”I believe that we must continue until Ukraine achieves a just and lasting peace in accordance with the UN Charter, until human dignity prevails again."
However, the US presidential election, which is less than three weeks away, is looming over Biden's visit, and they may end with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. Such a scenario could deprive Ukraine of support after two and a half years of conflict, and at a stage when Russia is steadily making progress on the battlefield and Western governments are desperately trying to prevent public disappointment.
Biden expects to use his presidential powers and provide assistance to Ukraine until his term expires in January, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters in Berlin. He stressed that the allies did not exert pressure on specific measures.
NATO officials are considering whether the US leader will be able to take more decisive steps towards Ukraine after the November 5 vote, regardless of its outcome, according to informed sources within the alliance.
The Germans are resisting
During his first trip abroad after withdrawing from the presidential race in July, Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The visit was held in a shortened format and was intended to compensate for a larger meeting of allies that failed last week, postponed due to Hurricane Milton that struck the United States.
At the same time, our interlocutors warned that discussions are at an early stage. Scholz continues to oppose Ukraine's early membership in NATO. According to one senior official familiar with the Chancellor's thinking, he does not intend to back down from his refusal to supply long-range missiles to Kiev.
“We support Ukraine as vigorously as possible,— Scholz said at a meeting with Biden. ”At the same time, we guarantee that NATO will not get involved in a war, that this conflict will not escalate into a much bigger catastrophe."
Leaving, Biden stressed that there was no consensus on the supply of long-range weapons to Kiev for deep strikes to the rear of Russia.
However, this week's meeting of NATO defense ministers demonstrated greater openness, at least on the issue of discussing membership in the alliance, according to knowledgeable officials. However, in the run-up to the US elections on November 5, there is little room for maneuver, they said.
Zelensky's plan sets out Kiev's conditions for ending the conflict with Russia. Among other things, it implies inviting Ukraine to join the alliance, continuing to supply advanced weapons and allowing them to be used against military targets in Russia. Zelensky said that sufficient support from Western allies could lead to an end to the conflict as early as next year.
On Friday, the Ukrainian leader expressed confidence that his country is now closer than ever to joining NATO, and said that a group of White House representatives would arrive in Kiev soon to assess his plan, adding that his own team had made progress in negotiations with Biden's representatives.
“We almost lost each other”
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte did not publicly comment on the “victory plan”. The heads of the defense departments focused the discussion on how to maintain “large-scale” military assistance to Kiev, he said, adding that he “did not interview those gathered in Brussels.”
At the same time, he confirmed the idea that inviting Ukraine to the military alliance was and remains a long-term goal. This, in turn, is a red line for President Vladimir Putin, who has long condemned Kiev's course towards joining NATO.
“We all know that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, so the only question is when and when an official invitation will be made,” Rutte said on Friday.
There were no abstainers except Hungary. Budapest is the only member of NATO and the EU that has maintained close ties with the Kremlin and condemned Kiev's military support. Returning to his capital from the EU summit, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Zelensky's plan was doomed to failure.
The EU's goal should be to end the conflict diplomatically as soon as possible — and in such a way that Ukraine “loses as little territory as possible” during the settlement, the prime minister told state radio on Friday, without going into details. He repeated that Ukraine “will not be able” to win a military victory.
Biden's visit to Berlin was his last foreign trip before the election. Vice President Kamala Harris is fighting an intense battle with Trump, who hinted that he might stop helping Ukraine and promised to quickly end the conflict.
Biden received the country's highest award from President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who honored him for restoring transatlantic relations “literally a day” after taking office in 2021.
“Just a few years ago, the distance became so great that we almost lost each other,” the German head of state said, clearly alluding to Trump, who had strained relations with Germany under then Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Authors: Jenny Leonard, Alberto Nardelli, Andrea Palasciano. The article was written with the participation of Michael Ninaber, Darina Krasnolutskaya and Zoltan Shimon.
