Kyiv/Rammstein: President Volodymyr Zelensky aggressively demanded that Ukraine be invited and accepted as a member country at the NATO meeting to be held in July. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg arrived on a visit to Ukraine on Thursday. During a joint press conference, Zelensky called for NATO to recognize Ukraine’s membership through the ‘fast track’ process. NATO chief Stoltenberg in response, claimed that all NATO member countries recognize Ukraine as a member country.
Ukraine has been struggling to join NATO for the past few years, and this issue has become a reason for the tension between Ukraine and Russia. Russia warned that Ukraine would not become a NATO member country under any circumstances. President Vladimir Putin openly warned that giving NATO membership to Ukraine would be a ‘red line’ for Russia. Even so, the Ukrainian government pursued NATO membership, and the Western countries supported it. It is said to be the reason behind Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
Even after last year’s attack by Russia, western countries have continued their efforts to get Ukraine included in NATO. Ukrainian leaders are invited to various NATO meetings, and steps are being taken to speed up the membership process. However, since a few European countries opposed it, the inclusion of Ukraine has been delayed. The year-long Russia-Ukraine conflict is claimed not likely to end soon and may continue for a long time.
Against the background, the NATO chief and some member countries appear to have become put in efforts again, and the process to include Ukraine as a member country seems to have begun. Some analysts say that NATO chief Stoltenberg’s visit is part of the same effort. In the Friday meeting in Ramstein, the agreement between the NATO Support and Procurement Agency ‘NSPA’ and the Government of Ukraine was approved. Ukraine responded by welcoming it as an important step in terms of NATO participation.
The US has announced the training of Ukrainian military units on Abrams tanks. According to a US Defense Department official, the training will start next week. The US will give 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine, and in the next few days, these tanks will enter Germany. After that, the training of Ukrainian units will probably begin. According to sources, about 250 jawans will be trained, and it will take two and a half months.
In the meantime, the incident of bombing by Russian fighter jets in its area has come to light. Russia’s ‘SU-34’ fighter aircraft bombed Belgorod, a city near the Ukrainian border. Russia’s Defence Ministry confirmed the incident and said it was an accident.
Click below to express your thoughts and views on this news:
 |
https://twitter.com/WW3Info |
 |
https://www.facebook.com/WW3Info |
