NATO states call for no red lines on Ukraine’s use of Western weapons

Twenty-four NATO members have pledged to no longer accept restrictions on the use of Western weapons against legitimate targets on Russian territory, in a statement issued on Monday in the capital of Bulgaria, whose pro-Russian president, who opposes sending arms to Ukraine, has been absent for some days.

In Sofia, 24 of the 32 NATO members adopted a declaration pledging to provide Ukraine with everything possible “in the name of democracy”.

“The time has come to reconsider restrictions on the use of Western weapons for military purposes in Russia,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a briefing at the Council of Ministers’ meeting after meeting Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Defence Chief Admiral Emil Eftimov.

“NATO’s main goal is not to fight war. It should prevent war. NATO’s goal is peace,” he said at the opening of NATO’s parliamentary assembly in Sofia, recalling that it is not NATO’s decision but that of the member states who voted in favour of the declaration.

“It makes no sense that missiles cannot be used against Russia while Russia is firing at Kyiv”, the UK representatives stressed.

“We have to admit that Ukraine is losing this war right now. We cannot continue to tell Ukraine not to fire its missiles at Russia, which is happily firing its missiles at Kyiv.  It will be very sad if we don’t accept this amendment,” the UK representative was quoted as saying by the state Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

On the French side, delegates pointed out that Ukraine has so far complied with all weapons restrictions and international law, while this has not been the case for Russia.

NATO must play a greater role

“NATO needs to increase its role in coordinating and planning military assistance to Ukraine and commit to a multi-year financial framework to assist the country,” Stoltenberg also said.

The NATO boss also referred to the unprecedented allied military aid that has so far been sent to Ukraine, adding that it had helped the country liberate about 50% of the territory occupied by Russia at the start of the war.

At the same time, he acknowledged that delays in pledged aid have had negative consequences in the fighting actions.

Stoltenberg explained that NATO is facing an “aggressive” Russia that is using force against NATO neighbours – Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.

“We now live in a more dangerous world, and NATO has to respond to this difficult security environment,” he added.

Ukraine’s place is in NATO

“Ukraine’s place is in NATO.  At the NATO summit in Washington, we must make it clear that Ukraine’s membership is on an irreversible path,” said Michal Scherba, the president of the NATO parliamentary assembly.

“After more than 800 days since Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine, it is easy to lose the sense of urgency, to forget what is at stake,” he said, adding that Ukraine’s air defence should be a top priority.

“But our friends in Ukraine are with us to remind us.  To remind us that every day, every night, men, women and children are dying in Ukraine because Russia is waging war,” he added.

NATO and the fight against disinformation

NATO’s Parliamentary Assembly also recommended setting up a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO’s Headquarters in Brussels.  The aim would be to safeguard the Alliance’s core democratic values and combat disinformation.

“Stressing that Russia currently poses the most significant and direct threat to the security of allies and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area; terrorism in all its forms and manifestations remains the most direct asymmetric threat to the Alliance and is increasingly supported by the Russian and Iranian regimes; and the stated ambitions and coercive policies of the People’s Republic of China pose multiple and systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic interests and security and values,” the declaration writes.

NATO allies also expressed deep concern about “ongoing Russian hybrid activities on Allied territory, including sabotage, acts of violence, cyber and electronic interference, disinformation campaigns, and other hybrid operations”.

During the forum, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev confirmed that Bulgaria would continue to support Ukraine as needed, once again clarifying that “sending Bulgarian soldiers to Ukraine has never been discussed”.

(Krassen Nikolov | Euractiv.bg)

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