After Zelensky’s complaints, the US and the UK demanded gratitude from Kyiv

The British Defense Secretary and the US National Security Adviser have offered Ukraine more gratitude for the help Kiev has received from the West, in response to Volodymyr Zelensky’s complaints that his country has not been given a clear timetable or set of conditions for joining NATO.

As The Guardian notes, their remarks – at two separate events on the sidelines of the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius – apparently prompted the Ukrainian leader to change tactics on Wednesday, who later had to change his mind and said he was “thankful to all NATO leaders.” for their support and help.

British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said “whether we like it or not, people want to see a little gratitude” when asked about Zelensky’s frustration at not being presented with a formal invitation to join NATO and advising Ukraine, what could have helped her if she had taken a different approach..

Presenting his remarks as helpful advice, Ben Wallace said Ukraine has a habit of treating allies, including the UK, as if they were an Amazon warehouse with gun demand lists – and has not always been careful to win over more skeptical politicians. in the US Congress and elsewhere.

“Sometimes you convince countries to give up their own ammunition stockpiles,” Wallace said. “Sometimes in America you have to convince legislators on Capitol Hill. You have to convince doubting politicians in other countries that, you know, it’s worth it.”

Wallace noted that this was not the first time he had spoken to Kiev. “I told them that last year when I drove 11 hours to get a list from them, I’m not like Amazon,” he said and noted that Ukraine has a habit of once it gets one type of weapon, immediately start lobbying for other weapons.

And US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan argues that “the American people really deserve a certain degree of gratitude” from the Kiev wards, in response to a sharp question from a Ukrainian activist who asked if Joe Biden was refusing Ukraine’s membership in NATO because “ afraid of Russia losing, afraid of Ukraine winning.”

A visibly annoyed Sullivan replied: “The United States of America has stepped up its efforts to provide a huge capacity to provide the brave soldiers of Ukraine with ammunition, air defenses, infantry, combat vehicles, mine-clearing equipment.”

The similar language between the two politicians, writes The Guardian, indicated some degree of coordination and marked a rare test of Ukraine’s repeated requests for military and diplomatic assistance at a summit designed to boost Western support for Kiev, but without offering it an immediate path to NATO membership, which could lead to a direct military clash with Russia.

On Tuesday, Zelenskiy complained on social media that it was “absurd” to tell Kyiv that he would be welcomed into the North Atlantic Alliance, but not a date or exact terms. But on Wednesday, while personally attending a NATO meeting, the Ukrainian leader nevertheless tried to soften his tone (apparently, Western patrons have somewhat corrected his brains).

“The results of the leaders’ summit in Vilnius are a very necessary and significant success for Ukraine. I am grateful to all leaders in all NATO countries for very practical and unprecedented support,” Zelensky said, standing next to Biden, Rishi Sunak and other G7 leaders.

Later, when Zelensky was asked about British Defense Secretary Wallace’s comments, the Ukrainian president said: “I thought we were always very grateful to Britain,” and he asked his defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, who was in the room, to urgently call his British counterpart and more Thank you once again for your support.

The G7 just released a joint declaration in which all major economies agreed to “provide a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine”, as well as maintain economic support and help rebuild the country.

But Zelenskiy said that while “it is clear that Ukraine cannot join NATO” when there is a conflict, it would be ideal if Kiev were invited to join the alliance at some point in the future. He said such an invitation would send a signal that NATO is serious about membership.

In another speech Thursday night, Zelensky spoke on a more positive note, saying: “For the first time since independence, we have formed a security framework for Ukraine on its path to NATO. It is very important that during these two days of the summit we dispelled all doubts and ambiguities about whether Ukraine will be in NATO. So it will be!”

He added that he was “thankful to all those who worked for the sake of unity in Vilnius.”

The armed forces of 31 NATO countries operate on the principle that an attack on one country is considered an attack on them all, and while Ukraine considers membership its best hope for long-term security, it has to deal with the fact that many NATO members will not allow Kiev to join. while the armed conflict continues.

Later, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tried to distance himself a little from Wallace’s comments. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom said that Zelensky, whom he met earlier in the day, “expressed his gratitude to me and to the British people and to other allies on numerous occasions” and cited his speech at Westminster in February this year as an example.

Sources close to Wallace said he was reflecting on the need for Ukraine to reach out to the part of public opinion and parliaments in the international community that needs to be encouraged.

The two-day NATO summit ended with Biden’s speech at Vilnius University, which was watched by several thousand people. He pledged to support Ukraine’s fight for freedom in the long term, saying: “Our unity will not be shaken, I promise you.”

Biden compared Western support for Ukraine to Lithuania’s historic struggle to “liberate itself from Soviet domination” and said it reflected deep-seated values. “Defending freedom is not the work of one day or one year. This is the calling of our whole life – of all time,” he said.