NATO Allied Land Command’s commander, Lieutenant General Roger Cloutier, held key engagements with several Ukrainian military and government leaders to build on a partnership initiative that began in 2018.
At the time, then commander U.S. Army Lieutenant General J.T. Thomson, signed a letter with Ukrainian Land Forces that established the framework for future cooperation.
NATO say that during the recent visit, Lieutenant General Cloutier, met with Colonel General Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander for Ukraine’s Land Forces and his staff at his Kyiv headquarters.
The Alliance add that Lieutenant General Cloutier’s purpose was to gain an understanding of Ukraine’s Land Forces and deepen the cooperative relationship LANDCOM has with Ukraine as a strategic land forces partner.
“I find the fact I’m concluding this land domain fact-finding mission here in the Land Forces Headquarters of a nation that is a critical partner to our NATO mission of deterrence and defense incredibly appropriate. This visit to Kyiv is the final part on a multi-nation tour to see NATO’s land forces and their leadership. I find the fact I’m concluding this land domain fact-finding mission here in the Land Forces Headquarters of a nation that is a critical partner to our NATO mission of deterrence and defense incredibly appropriate.”
“LANDCOM plays a leading role in the standardization of NATO land forces as well as partner land forces like Ukraine who participate in the Operations Capabilities Concept (OCC) program. In 2019, LANDCOM sent an OCC evaluation team to Ukraine for Exercise Rapid Trident 2019 to evaluate a Ukrainian Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) unit, an Engineer Company and a Military police platoon. LANDCOM also sent a team to Ukraine to conduct training on logistics planning that year, and in 2020 formed a collaborative relationship with the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Strategic Communication Directorate.”
Colonel General Syrskiy pointed out the significance of LANDCOM’s visit.
“The visit of the NATO Land Forces Commander indicates that NATO military and political leadership and Alliance countries governments see us as the strategic and future partner,” suggesting his country aims to become a full member of “the world’s most powerful collective security system” one day.
“It also clearly confirms consistency of NATO’s approach to support Ukraine in reforming the national security and defense sector,” he added.
In June 2020, Ukraine was designated an Enhanced Opportunity Partner, joining Australia, Finland, Georgia, Jordan and Sweden as nations who make particularly significant contributions to NATO operations and other Alliance objectives.
“As a NATO partner, Ukraine has provided troops to Allied operations, including in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as to the NATO Response Force and NATO exercises. Allies highly value these significant contributions, which demonstrate Ukraine’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic security. As an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, Ukraine will benefit from tailor-made opportunities to help sustain such contributions. This includes enhanced access to interoperability programmes and exercises, and more sharing of information, including lessons learned.
During his visit in Kyiv, Lieutenant General Cloutier also met with Ukraine’s Chief of the Armed Forces, Colonel General Ruslan Khomchak; Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Anatolii Petrenko; and Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Olha Stefanishyna. During his meeting with Deputy Defence Minister Petrenko, Lieutenant General Cloutier highlighted the unique experience of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in counteracting hybrid threats and expressed interest in a detailed study of the issue. He said had invited Colonel General Syrski and representatives of Ukraine’s Land Forces to take part in future conferences and help other NATO land domain commanders understand the threat.”
For her part, Deputy Prime Minister Stefanishyna underpinned the very reasons behind LANDCOM’s purposes for pursuing the cooperative partnership.
“First and foremost, we focus on modernising our security and defense sector in line with the Alliance’s standards and practices,” she said.
“I am convinced that the security of NATO and the security of Ukraine are interdependent, and this is the basis for the prosperity not only of Europe, but also of the entire transatlantic region.”
Of course the Ukraine wants to join NATO! I can’t believe that there is much enthusiasm for this in NATO.
Depends how you look at it. If Ukraine were in NATO now would the Russians be massing on the boarder? More peace and security for everyone?
If Russia occupies Ukraine it seriously endangers NATO borders and flanks both land and in the Black Sea, both sides know that and is what makes this a very dangerous conflict zone.
Russia sees the Ukraine as part of its near abroad. It’s not likely Russia will suddenly decide the Ukraine is not part of its near abroad policy if it becomes a member of NATO.
Its important to remember that every nation has a set of red lines, you both need to clearly set our own lines and understand others.
Pushing a power into a corner never ended well.
Perhaps they should study what the expression “independent country” means.
So in your opinion it’s Russia that’s being pushed into a corner in Ukraine?…
Everybody (every meaningful player in this context) knows that NATO doesn’t threaten Russian borders in any way. Russia knows it perfectly well too. It just uses the made-up threat of NATO as an excuse to bully it’s neighbours.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s Putin pushing and he knows exactly what he’s doing and why, that’s to play to an internal audience to cement his power. The reason he can do this is because Russian culture has a dialog of external threat and therefore sees a very clear need to control what it considers its near abroad.
This is complicated by a perception of ownership and sovereignty over ethnic Russian populations in various nation states. This is a specific tension that is created after the dissolution of large multi ethnic empires, just like the USSR ( and is the same as a tension that existed in the interwar period after the collapse of the Habsburg Empire).
That also means a dialogue of the near abroad moving to NATO and a more liberal democratic model is seen as a threat. For your authoritarian leader with lots of internal discontent that’s a problem. So although NATO is a defensive organisation, the internal dialogue of the Russian people as well as national trauma from WW2 and the after effects of the collapse of the USSR means that Ukrainian membership of NATO would push a nuclear power into a corner, that’s an unfortunate truth. Sometimes nations become shall we say geopolitically irrational over specific other nations or regions, you just have to look at the relationship of the United Kingdom and Ireland ( England was literally irrational in regards to catholic Ireland for a period of around 400 years due to geopolitics utterly unrelated to the threat from Ireland itself).
But I actual think this will be sorted out and not really end that well for Putin. The Crimea was a very specific geopolitical weakness and risk to Ukrainian Sovereignty, that Putin was able to exploit, it was the the Ukrainian equivalent of Sudetenland.
But I cannot see Putin actually successfully going any further with Ukraine than the present ongoing pressure. Ukraine is a large nation with a large army that has gained a lot of experience in conflict with Russian and the West is/should be providing support such as training equipment and trade/wealth creation to strengthen Ukraine further.
Russia is not a nation with the depth of wealth and resources needed to invade/hold another nation with a population of 40 million and an army of 200,000, so I cannot see Russia being able to prosecute a full invasion of Ukrainian territory beyond small areas with a majority Russian population, without it being handed its ( to put it crudely ) balls in a bag.
I do think the west should be more robust in economic sanctions against Russia for its transgressions. Whatever the ethnic Russian excuses for its actions in Crimea the West should be fully embargoing exports and imports other than humanitarian, until Crimea is back under Ukrainian sovereignty ( there will need to be some form of political solution around the ethnic Russian population, but that should be after the Crimea is back under Ukrainian Sovereignty).
The Budapest Memorandum also means that the US and U.K. are effectively free to undertake any actions needed to ensure Ukrainian sovereignty. This creates a level of uncertainty for Putin as although the U.K. and US are not bound to act they have complete legal freedom to act. Now with President Trump I would not have considered this worth the paper, but Jo Biden is probably the most experienced player of Geopolitics of any world leader and is by no means a dove ( he drove and supported US involvements in a number of conflicts).
I maintain that after Warpac collapsed ( Gorbachev was given assurances about Nato not moving east ) Russia became paranoid about being encircled. All Putin has been doing is pushing back, Georgia was a start, then Crimea. Get the feeling Donbas will be next if my reading is proven right.
Sleepy Joe won’t do anything anyway, as for Nato? Its become a talking shop.
Russian national psychology is very complex around the near abroad and what equates to threats the to the motherland. It’s also complicated by the ethic Russian populations left in other nations after the fall of the USSR ( multi ethnic empires always. Create significant tensions after they split up into nation state politics).
in regards to Jo Biden I would not be surprised if he really starts shaking things up Geopolitically. This is a man who’s been playing high stakes on the international stage since the late 1970s , he is clearly a diplomacy first person ( which is a good thing) as it’s been his bread and butter for decades, but he’s not backed down around military intervention if he felt it was needed. He’s not going to be doing anything other that telling Putin exactly what he thinks of him.
It’s not particularly sensible to bring them into NATO, since this could trigger Russian aggression before we can reinforce them.
Russia moved on the Crimea as soon as the Ukraine postured towards the EU. They may move to secure their borders if we push harder a second time. The current borders with Ukraine and Russia were set before the USSR dissolved, so they’re rather messy and unsuitable for the Russians. This has been tolerable for the Russians while we left Ukraine as non-aligned.
Hence, I think this is more likely to cause a conflict than prevent one.
Nor Russia.
but you could guarantee they’d pay way more than 2%…so perhaps there would be enthusiasm on that basis
Both Belarus and Ukraine will soon be in Russia’s hands if nothing is done to stop it, which means NATO will have a far greater border with Russia. That said, Belarus is pretty much under Russia’s control anway.
If nothing is done if, when, Russia invades Ukraine then it shows the weakness of NATO. It will bomb small, weak countries but not take on one of the big boys.
With all due respect to Ukraine and it’s people i don’t think now is the right time to think about letting Ukraine Join NATO,if their issues in the East get resolved ( peacefully ) and the Country Unites then maybe it can be considered,but at the present time it would be like trying to put a Fire out with Petrol.
Fortunately NATO requires all border disputes to be resolved permanently before any membership applications can be considered…
Maybe Russia will help them out with that by taking the separatist areas! Job done, no more dispute.
That is probably the most likely way the situation will be resolved, sadly.
Hopefully the links between NATO and the Ukraine are close enough to deter further Russian agression and the Ukraine can join NATO after a suitable peace accord is signed. The likely cost for a future secure and stable independence for the Ukraine is the loss of the Eastern Russian speaking areas.
Whatever, the outcome there are significant risks here and few in Europe or the UK are even aware of what is going on.
Totally agree Gunbuster,
I think EU membership for Ukraine is more likely in the near/medium term…
Russia has absolutely no need to take the Two Breakaway States as they are already there, they are in effect Puppet States within the Borders of Ukraine.
NATO won’t allow Ukraine to join and they won’t give them the weapons they need to defend themselves. Putin knows this and will do what he wants with them.
Your wrong on your second point,NATO have provided Weapons and Training to Ukraine,this will continue while they have the Current Government in place.
dan you use a lot of one liner throwaway statements which are mostly unresearched personal opinions. Ukraine are already, and have been for quite some time, getting assistance from NATO and UK.
You Trumpski supporters do talk BS lol.
I guess Ukraine think a quick pass into NATO will make Putin think twice .Do think we should keep out of this one .The world got enough on with COVID 19 ,there again MR Putin couldn’t care aless he will do as he wants.
Putin is foolish to keep threatening the Ukraine. Supporting the insurgents in the east & annexing the Crimea has driven them into the arms of NATO. He’d have gotten far further had he declined both & pursued charm & freindship, but aggresion & treaty breaking was his own toxic choice.
NATO will pay lip service to Ukraine joining, but in private probably not entertain it as a serious notion. It’s not just the situation in the East, but there are potential flare ups in Transcarpathia with the Hungarian and Romanian minorities – a situation Russia has been accused of antagonizing in the past and one which puts nominal allies at odds with each other. For the time being Ukraine just has to many problems for NATO.
Sorry, but this is nuts. NATO and Russia should be separate. For everybody’s sake.
Russia is paranoid, rightly so, and NATO creeping ever eastward and US bases surrounding it only add to this.
Antagonising a bear will only worsen the situation, as well as strengthen Putin in the eyes of ordinary Russians.
Train and supply Ukraine by all means. Tgere has to be a red line both sides recognise.
Morning Daniele. Agree. Putin will push the limits and would not take kindly to such a transparent act as Ukraine joining Nato!. That would put him in a position of having to either back down or invade. Backing down would cause him to lose face which he would be loathe to accept given the personality. On the other hand if he did invade Ukraine as a Nato member then the alliance is all but forced to respond and the result could literally be the end of civilisation as we know it! The West must give support and take appropriate decisions from events..
Hate to tell you but 28deg C in Durbs and blue skies
Cheers my friend
ps Union Jack at half mast on our gate
“having to either back down or invade. Backing down would cause him to lose face”
Seems like a good way of forcing a resolution to the Putin problem.
If we can keep forcing him to choose between his career and his life we can dictate his actions.
Morning Geoff.
Blue skies here too! For a change…🙄
Totally agree with all of that. There must be a backdoor for all sides.
Respect for the flag, we have the same sense of traditionalism and pride with regards to the monarchy and GB but we rarely display flags apart from things like the Queens Jubilee and the Olympics. Too many pc stories of people being offended and don’t want bricks through our windows. A sad state of affairs. Surrey is hardly Tower Hamlets or Hackney but no matter.
Nothing wrong with antagonizing a bear… if it its done correctly and with an end goal in mind! I read a comment by someone on one of the thread that we and the US already have special forces in Ukraine. This is the way to go. Use the same tactics Poots has been using in Ukraine all along; men in unidentifiable uniforms etc.
Standing back and doing nothing would truly be nuts.
So did I. As all that is classified where did it come from? Any reliable source? Photos?
Grey zone, yes. So probably not a whole lot different to what has been happening for some time.
The answer is, of course, no idea. But, I would be very surprised if we didn’t have special forces there.
We must deny Poots at all costs. The bear isn’t what it’s made out to be.
That is up to Ukraine. The great game continues unabated and there is cyber and all the rest but apart from assistance with training and tech NATO should not get involved IMO.