Nato ‘prepared for long haul’ in support for Ukraine

Nato has pledged long-term support for Ukraine and declared Russia a “direct threat” to its members’ security at a summit dominated by the conflict between the two countries.

With Nato leaders gathered in Madrid, the organisation’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said it would continue to provide Ukraine with political, military and financial support. “Ukraine can count on us as long as it takes,” he said.

He added: “Wars are unpredictable but we have to be prepared for the long haul.”

Mr Stoltenberg also confirmed Nato’s formal invitation to Sweden and Finland to join the alliance after Turkey agreed to drop its opposition to the countries’ membership.

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Turkey had previously expressed resistance to the two Nordic countries joining the 30-member alliance, claiming they were harbouring Kurdish rebels deemed terrorists by Ankara. However, after talks between foreign ministers of all three countries in Madrid, those objections were dropped, in return for assurances from Finland and Sweden, including providing their “full support to [Turkey] against threats to its national security” and stepping up efforts to prevent the activities of terrorist groups.

Mr Stoltenberg said that “so far this is the fastest accession process ever” and he expected that trend to continue with Sweden and Finland. Individual member countries’ parliaments must now approve the two applications.

A strongly worded declaration from member states echoed the secretary general’s tone, accusing Russia of being responsible for a “humanitarian catastrophe” and “the most significant and direct threat to … peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area.”

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It added: “Russia has also intentionally exacerbated a food and energy crisis, affecting billions of people around the world, including through its military actions.”

The statement described Nato’s commitment to the principle that an attack on one member is an attack on all as “iron-clad”.

Also at the summit, US president Joe Biden said his country would expand its military presence across Europe after Russian president Vladimir Putin had “shattered peace”.

He said his country’s extra deployments of troops, aircraft, air defence equipment and naval destroyers across the continent would “send an unmistakeable message that Nato is strong and united”.

He added: “The US will enhance our force posture in Europe and respond to the changed security environment to defend every inch of allied territory.”

Earlier this week, Mr Stoltenberg said the alliance would increase the number of its troops on high alert by more than seven-fold, to 300,000, as it reviewed its strategy in light of the Ukraine invasion.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who addressed Nato leaders via videolink, said the war in his country would decide “what the future world order will be like”.

Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by his country’s state news agency RIA as saying that the expansion of Nato was “destabilising” and did not improve member states’ security.

The Spanish government refused permission for an anti-Nato demonstration to be held in central Madrid. However, an unsanctioned protest, announced on social media, was expected to take place in Madrid on Wednesday night.