Until yesterday, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg’s Thursday program was clear, and initially not particularly spectacular: The highlight of the calendar was a meeting with the Czech Republic’s new president at NATO headquarters. That meeting was brought forward to Wednesday afternoon. Even here one could perhaps have guessed that something was brewing. Abrupt calendar changes have been linked to surprise visits in the past. There were several people who were surprised by the Secretary-General’s visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Photo: GLEB GARANICH / Reuters There were several people who were surprised by the Secretary-General’s visit to Kyiv on Thursday. Photo: GLEB GARANICH / Reuters An example was when Stoltenberg boarded the plane to Turkey at short notice to meet President Erdogan right after the earthquake in February. Most people were probably still surprised when Stoltenberg appeared in Kyiv on Thursday morning. If it was not connected with the mysterious flashes of light in the sky in Kyiv the night before, it might be correct to call the visit a kind of lightning from the blue. The fear of escalation There are two main reasons why such a visit has not taken place since the invasion last February. One is about the fear of escalation. Both of the war, but also of Vladimir Putin’s claims that the war in Ukraine is really a war between Russia and the West. In the weeks after the invasion, Stoltenberg was clear that Nato is not a party to the war. Naturally, this is still the case, and today’s visit to Kyiv does not change that. Jens Stoltenberg and President Volodymyr Zelenskyj during Thursday’s visit. Photo: STAFF / Reuters Jens Stoltenberg and President Volodymyr Zelenskyj during Thursday’s visit. Photo: STAFF / Reuters One top politician after another has been to Kyiv – not least the American president. All the visits have probably made it seem less dramatic that the Secretary General of Nato also appears. It is obvious that the Russian authorities do not appreciate such a visit. But it has, after all, been no secret that Ukraine has NATO’s full support. In the same way that there has been a dramatic development in the discussions about what kind of weapons the NATO countries should send Ukraine, the visit to Kyiv is an expression of new assessments. Ukraine into NATO The second reason why some have doubted whether such a visit is wise is about Ukraine’s expectations for the future. Does this not imply that one goes too far in the direction of promising something one cannot keep? The country’s authorities have made it clear that they want to become a member of NATO. Nato has said they are welcome – in the very long term. The visit is unlikely to change the timetable for when membership is considered possible – or useful – by the NATO countries. Talks between the NATO delegation and the Ukrainian delegation during the visit. Photo: AP The harsh reality is that the war must end first. And that Ukraine cannot lose it. The visit is nevertheless a sign that the discussion about membership is not just theoretical on NATO’s part. “It is important to normalize contact with Ukraine. We have to talk about Ukraine’s future, even if not all NATO countries agree on the way forward,” says a well-placed source in NATO to news. Those talks will continue until the summit in Vilnius this summer. Stoltenberg’s visit is a signal to Ukraine that they are taken seriously. The road to membership is still tortuous and unclear. As part of the support, it is therefore important for NATO to show that when talking about Ukraine as part of a community of values, it is not just about words. Stoltenberg’s visit is important in that way as well: “Ukraine has a rightful place in NATO”, he said at the press conference with President Zelenskyj on Thursday afternoon. It is a formulation that sounds different from a rostrum in Kyiv than in Brussels.
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The Secretary-General’s visit to Kyiv was surprising, but not unexpected – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
