Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov: The Alliance is trying to involve as many allies as possible into cooperation
08.08.2024
Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov
Hryhoriy Mesezhnikov, the president of the Institute of Civil Affairs in Slovakia, has shared his opinion with the Newssky correspondent about what the 75th NATO anniversary summit in Washington changed globally within its final communiqué.
What new trends did you notice within the last summit?
The NATO summit in Washington, unlike previous similar events, considered the current situation in detail, not only in the sphere of its immediate activity (the North Atlantic) but also paid particular attention to the situation in the Indo-Pacific region. NATO leaders held meetings with the leaders of Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea, and discussed the list of risks in this region. They emphasized that China fully supports Russia in the war against Ukraine. They emphasized the negative game of Iran and North Korea.
Therefore, the decisions of the last summit go beyond the geographical boundaries of the North Atlantic region.
What do you think Ukraine has acquired?
In my opinion, NATO’s cooperation with Ukraine is also expected to be broader. It is not only about supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia. In particular, the creation of a special center for the training of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was approved. It is worth noting that such an action also strengthens NATO. This aspect goes beyond NATO’s regular routine.
What is NATO’s strategy towards Russia?
In my opinion, NATO is currently on the eve of a very responsible period of its existence. The point is that there was hope is that the former Soviet Union, and today it is Russia, will undergo democratic changes. Instead, these hopes did not come true at all. Only a minority of the former USSR (Baltic countries, Ukraine, Moldova) tried to democratize. Not everything is clear with Georgia. So, the named countries followed the path of civil society development and national sovereignty. At the same time, totalitarian development trends intensified in Russia. Today, Russia poses a threat to all of humanity. Therefore, NATO’s approach to solving the issue of global security seems serious and important, because the Alliance is trying to attract as many allies as possible to cooperation.
Maryna Kovalchuk, deputy editor-in-chief (Central Europe and Canada), and head of the V5 Media project, contributed.
