NATO Summit Concludes: Key Stories
07/12 - International News Updates
Here are IRinFive’s main updates and takeaways following this week’s historic 75th anniversary NATO Summit that took place in Washington DC.
New Military Aid Packages:
U.S. will deploy long-range missiles to Germany in 2026
NATO allies will send dozens of air defense systems to Ukraine, including four highly sought after American Patriot Systems
F-16 fighter jets will be deployed to Ukraine for first time and after over a year of pleads from Zelenskyy
Jens Stoltenberg wraps up his ten-year term as Secretary General of NATO; receives Presidential Medal of Freedom from Joe Biden
Bloc support for Ukraine and a collective commitment to ensuring their path to alliance membership
Joint Communique outlining at least 40 billion euros in aid for Ukraine
Leaders:
UK PM Keir Starmer dismisses doubts over Biden’s cognitive capabilities and their nascent relationship is characterized by friendly remarks.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accuses Biden and the US of being complicit in Israeli war crimes in Gaza, questioning international law if a nation like the US does nothing about what he deems inexcusable in Palestine.
NATO member Turkey has denounced Israel's assault on Gaza, halted trade with it, and voiced support for Hamas. Erdogan has repeatedly criticized Western countries for backing Israel and called for Israel to be punished by international courts. Last month, he expressed his nation’s solidarity with Lebanon amidst rising tensions and the potential for a wider regional war between Israel and Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
“We are an unwavering NATO ally. However, we do not believe that this impedes our ability to establish positive relationships with nations such as China and Russia," Erdogan told Newsweek. [Reuters]
U.S. President Joe Biden gave a solo speech towards the end of the summit, where he cordially handed off the stage to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, mistakenly introducing him as “President Putin” before correcting himself.
European leaders defended him afterwards, with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz both reiterating that slips of the tongue are normal and “happen to everyone.” Ah yes, that certainly seems to be the case with good ‘ol Joe.
Following NATO's announcement of a common stance supporting a path to Ukrainian accession, Slovakian PM Robert Fico publicly expressed his dismay over the decision.
Fico emphasized his concerns by stating, “I understand Ukraine’s wishes, it is a sovereign country, but Ukraine’s membership in NATO is just a guarantee of World War III.” [Politico]
Fico has remained one of Europe’s main leaders against providing military aid to Ukraine and has downplayed the severity of the conflict.
He also voiced support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s recent attempts at acting as a rogue diplomatic peacemaker, stating that he “would have liked very much to have joined him” in his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. [Politico]
Orban’s sporadic visits to Ukraine, Russia, China, and now the United States for this week’s NATO summit have generated significant criticism from most EU leaders, many of whom claim that Orban does not diplomatically represent the bloc despite his current role as rotating President of the EU Council. In contrast, Slovakia’s leader Robert Fico is notable for his open praise of the Hungarian PM’s efforts.
China:
A draft communique from the summit took notable shots at China, labeling the country as an enabler of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine due to their ongoing trade relations and third-party undermining of Western sanctions.
The resolution called on China to cease all support for Russia’s war effort against Ukraine. The alliance’s draft communique further claims that Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to European security. [Reuters]
China’s foreign ministry responded to these accusations as mere smears and lies, claiming that the resolution was “biased and "sowing discord". [AP News]
The PRC’s spokesperson, Lin Jin, stated that these claims are belligerent provocations and NATO’s way of shifting blame rather than taking concrete action to try and end the war in Ukraine. He asserted that "China's core position on the Ukraine issue is to promote peace talks and a political settlement, which has been widely recognized and appreciated by the international community." [Reuters]
Hungary’s representatives also openly opposed these condemnations of China, with Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto emphasizing that Hungary does not want NATO to become an “anti-China bloc”.
He further highlighted that China is an important trade and investment partner for Hungary.
This contrasts with many other European member states that are trying to divest and shift economic dependence away from China. Hungary’s government has also doubled down on their opposition to the bloc’s dedication to Ukrainian NATO membership. With fears of direct confrontation and escalation with Russia, Hungary has maintained this divergent position throughout the conflict.
"Ukraine's admission wouldn't strengthen but weaken the alliance's unity, as there are completely different viewpoints on their membership," Szijjarto said. [Reuters]
NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg doubled down on his antagonization of China later in the summit when commenting on recent joint military exercises between China and Belarus.
Stoltenberg expressed concerns over China’s increasing levels of cooperation with Russia and Belarus, claiming that the East Asian power is moving closer and closer to NATO on basically every continent.
He even labeled the PRC as an authoritarian regime and openly criticized the nation’s treatment towards their neighbors and own population.
“We are speaking about authoritarian regimes. China is oppressing its own people, cracking down on democratic voices … in Hong Kong, more assertive behavior in the South China Sea, threatening neighbors, threatening Taiwan”, stated Stoltenberg. [Politico]
- P.T.