#UKRAINERUSSIAWAR. NATO tug-of-war over which membership for Kiev. Moscow reiterates: Ukraine is neutral

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Trump gave new numbers for military losses on the Ukrainian front in Kiev and Moscow. Previously, the US president said that the Russian Federation had lost “almost a million Russian soldiers” and Ukraine had lost 700 thousand. And now he said in a statement to the press that Russia lost 800 thousand soldiers and Ukraine 600-700 thousand. “And I think these are not even all the numbers, in fact they are much higher. A huge number of young soldiers are dying and this war must end,” Trump said.

On the NATO front, the discussion and tug-of-war between the member countries continues over the security guarantees to be offered to Kiev. According to Foreign Policy, NATO could offer Ukraine two types of security guarantees for a peace agreement with Russia, quoting a senior Western official: “Type One: NATO members commit to providing substantial economic and military assistance to Kiev for many years after the ceasefire agreement. Ultimately, with this guarantee, Ukraine could be allowed to join the transatlantic alliance.”

“The second type of guarantee would immediately expand NATO’s Article 5 protection over Ukraine, effectively extending the West’s nuclear umbrella over the country and obliging the rest of Europe, the United States and Canada to defend Ukraine. This would deter Russia from invading, these countries hope, but it would also force NATO into conflict with Moscow. As the publication points out, the second option is unlikely to be approved by either NATO or Russia. The first option is essentially a “continuation of the status quo.”

Ukraine continues to set its sights on victory against the Russian Federation: The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, told Euronews in an interview: “Tomorrow the war would be over if it depended on Ukraine. Victory is a fair world and there is no alternative for us.”

Finally, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Bloomberg: “The United States will have to take part in the peacekeeping forces in Ukraine in order to be able to detain anyone. Without the United States, no one will be safe, even if some European countries believe that this is possible.” Zelensky said yes to negotiations with Putin if Trump manages to ensure Ukraine’s security. First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Svyrydenko is confident of a breakthrough in Ukraine: “We expect the active phase of the war to end in 2025.”

Meanwhile, Russia has sent a message to the West about Kiev’s accession to NATO: “Russia will seek guarantees that will exclude Ukraine’s accession to NATO,” said Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Ministry. “In fact, that is why any freezing of the front line without resolving the fundamental issues that caused the start of operations is not suitable for Russia. This is simply a war postponed under worse conditions, therefore, without solving the issue of neutralization of Ukraine, stopping this war is useless,” the Minister concluded.

Graziella Giangiulio 

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