Thewesternbalkans
On 11-th July 2024, in Washington, D.C. the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council have issued a Statement concerning new NATO engagement including a creation of “Ukrainian pact”.
- Most important parts of the Statement include following conclusions:
– NATO will support and advise on the design and implementation of an integrated air and missile defence architecture for Ukraine, to enable the most efficient use of Ukraine’s air and missile defence capabilities and support its transition to full interoperability with NATO.
– Allies and partners continue to step up vital political, military, financial, economic, and humanitarian assistance as Ukraine exercises its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter. Allies also continue to strengthen Ukraine’s resilience by helping sustain its energy infrastructure, providing critical energy supplies, and enabling the transit of goods and grain. Allies remain as resolute as ever in supporting Ukraine for Ukraine to prevail.
– Leaders welcome the launch of the NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), which will coordinate the provision of military training and equipment for Ukraine by Allies and partners and will provide logistical support.
– Ukraine requires long-term support. Allies are determined to support Ukraine in building a force capable of defeating Russian aggression.
– Allies fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference. Ukraine’s future is in NATO.
- During the meeting, leaders also decided: “Today we announce the conclusion of the “Ukraine Pact” to coordinate and accelerate our collective efforts to meet Ukraine’s comprehensive security needs, as outlined in the NATO Summit Joint Declaration and in agreements and arrangements in the field of security that each of the signatories to the treaty has entered into with Ukraine,” the document states.
The pact includes a package of initiatives, as well as a commitment to help Ukraine until it prevails against Russian aggression, and was supported by the leaders of Britain, Germany, the United States, France, Japan and 17 other countries. This document serves as a supplement to the G7 joint declaration agreed a year ago at the previous NATO Summit in Vilnius. A total of 32 participants have already joined it, including 23 leaders of countries with which Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements. The document may subsequently be joined by other willing countries by concluding a bilateral agreement with Ukraine.
- The day after the meeting in Washington, media have informed that eight countries – Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, Slovakia, Turkey, Montenegro and Greece – have not yet signed the “Ukrainian pact” to help Kiev, which was announced within the framework of the NATO summit in Washington.
- A brief overview of the state of relations and military aid to Ukraine of the countries that have not (for now) signed the pact:
Slovakia. Cooperation in the defence sector and support for Ukraine’s European integration aspirations – Ukraine and Slovakia have agreed to continue close cooperation. This was announced by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal following a meeting with Prime Minister Robert Fico in Uzhhorod on 24 January 2024.
Denys Shmyhal announced about signing an agreement under which the Government of Slovakia would not block Ukraine’s purchase of weapons and equipment from Slovak businesses. Slovakia will support the Ukraine Facility programme, which provides for the allocation of EUR 50 billion to Ukraine by the EU.
Greece. Greece’s concern for its own security has made it a supporter of Ukraine since the full-scale Russian invasion.
Just three days after the war began, Greece announced it was sending Ukraine two C-130 planeloads of rifles, ammunition and grenades. Officially, Greece has supplied Ukraine with an additional 20,000 155mm artillery shells, Stinger missiles and 40 Soviet-era BMP-1 armoured personnel carriers. It is currently preparing to send four massive transformers that convert high-voltage DC current produced by power stations to the lower AC voltage used on local distribution grids that supply households.
Greece owns one Russian-made S-300 long-range air defence battery, which is stationed on Crete, and government sources said it has offered to send it to Ukraine if the US would replace it with a Patriot missile battery.
Greece and Ukraine are currently negotiating a 10-year assistance agreement along the lines of those signed by many other NATO members.
Albania. As Russian military actions in Ukraine commenced, Albanian President Ilir Meta, Prime Minister Edi Rama, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Olta Xhaçka, and Ambassador to the UN Ferit Hoxha made statements condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. After a NATO summit, Rama said that Albania would be ready to welcome a few thousand Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. Albania opposed Russia’s recognition of the separatist regions in Ukraine’s Donbass as independent and considered it a violation of international law, the Minsk Protocol and Ukrainian sovereignty.
In late February 2022, Albania and the US tabled a co-written resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the 15 member UN Security Council, but failed to pass as Russia vetoed it. At the UN Security Council, Albania cosponsored a resolution with the US for an emergency General Assembly session to be held regarding the invasion of Ukraine. As it was a procedural vote, Russia’s opposition did not affect the outcome and the resolution passed. In a phone call with Prime minister Rama, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Albania’s efforts and assistance to Ukraine.
The name of a Tirana street where the Russian embassy is located was changed to “Free Ukraine” by Mayor Erion Veliaj. In early March, Albania’s honorary consulate in Kharkiv was shelled and destroyed by Russian forces, there were no casualties as its staff had evacuated the building. A resolution was passed by the Albanian parliament supporting Ukraine and its borders. Albania delivered military equipment to Ukraine for its combat operations opposing Russia.
In March 2024 in Tirana, Ukraine’s president pleaded for more ammunition to repel Russian advances as he co-hosted a summit with Albania’s government to build further support for Kyiv among southeastern European countries while signs of war fatigue grow.
Ukrainian president promotes idea of joint arms production at two-day summit of Southeast European countries.
“We are interested in co-production with you and all our partners,” Zelenskyy told delegations from Albania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and Moldova in his opening remarks at the summit.
Zelenskyy proposed organising a Ukrainian-Balkans defence forum in Kyiv or a Balkan capital to nurture arms cooperation, repeating similar initiatives conducted last year with British and US weapons companies.
Zelenskyy met Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for talks and the two leaders had signed an Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation.
“This document will contribute to the development of cooperation and strengthening of Ukraine’s position in the Balkan region,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram messenger.
Montenegro–Ukraine relations. Formal relations began on 15 June 2006 when Ukraine recognized Montenegro, less than two weeks after the Parliament of Montenegro declared the independence of Montenegro from Serbia. Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 August 2006.
Ukraine has received over EUR 10 million ($10.7 million) in military aid from Montenegro since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The first batch sent to Ukraine included 7000 MREs, 500 helmets, 300 body armor kits, and 600 armor plates. The second package of military aid was larger, with Montenegro donating 60mm and 82mm mortars, as well as Soviet-era Strela-2M MANPADS.
The third package included 216 Strela-2M MANPADS, 759 57mm anti-aircraft rounds, 8,000 76mm shells, and 2.3 million 7.62mm rounds.
North Macedonia–Ukraine relations are developed on a bilateral basis. Over the years, there have been several efforts to strengthen relations between the two countries. Both countries are full members of the BSCE and COE. North Macedonia provided military aid to Ukraine during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. North Macedonia is membership for the NATO which Ukraine applied for in 2022.
Türkiye. The burgeoning defense partnership between Ukraine and Türkiye has helped Kyiv in its fight to fend off Russia and shored up Ankara’s security while bolstering the two partners’ economies.
The benefits of that partnership have been made clearer over the past two years, with Bayraktar TB2 drones—manufactured by Turkish defense company Baykar—grabbing headlines for helping Ukraine by bolstering Kyiv’s air-strike capabilities in the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Just weeks before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the war, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan—during a visit to Kyiv—struck a deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow Ukrainian factories to produce Turkish drones. That deal is now bearing fruit, with Baykar breaking ground on a drone factory near Kyiv in February. The factory, which will take twelve months to build, is expected to create five hundred jobs and produce 120 units a year.
Türkiye and Ukraine’s strategic partnership stretches further. For example, Baykar’s Akıncı combat drone (introduced in 2021) and its Kızılelma combat drone (expected to be introduced this year) use Ukrainian-made Ivchenko-Progress engines. The Kızılelma has even been called a “Turkish bird with a Ukrainian heart.”
Kyiv and Ankara also cooperate in the maritime domain; since 2021, Turkey has been building two Ada-class anti-submarine corvettes for Ukraine’s naval forces, expected to be completed and delivered this year. The Ukrainian Armed Forces received Cobra II tactical vehicles—developed by Turkish company Otokar—and were seen deploying them last year. Also in 2023: Ukraine sent two engines to the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) for the company’s T929 ATAK-II attack helicopter; Ukraine has committed to send twelve more by 2025.
The Ukraine-Türkiye bilateral defense partnership has room to expand. On February 21, 2024, TAI announced that its KAAN fighter jet conducted its first flight. There may be a role for Ukraine in the project, as Ukrainian Ambassador to Turkey Vasyl Bodnar recently stated that not only is Ukraine looking to buy and use the KAAN jet, but “Ukrainian teams continue to work on the engine” and are “competing” to be a partner on the project.
Turkey plans to export some KAAN jets, which could offer countries an alternative to fighter aircraft manufactured and sold by Russia and China. And, once Türkiye has more KAAN jets off the ground and more F-16 upgraded in its fleet, it could support Ukraine with second-hand F-16s or by serving as a repair and upgrade hub for the F-16s that Ukraine and other Black Sea countries own.
Comments: A review of the state of bilateral relations with Ukraine of the eight non-signatories of the Ukrainian Pact shows that most of them have so far been quite active in assisting Ukraine both politically and with military equipment and weapons. This does not answer why these eight countries have refrained from aligning with the new Pact. Perhaps one of the explanations is that there is needed a special bilateral agreement between those countries and Ukraine. We have to see that in the near future. On the other hand, it is impossible to think that there is any prior agreement of positions between the eight countries, as well as any prior agreement to delay the “Ukrainian Pact” project, regardless of the fact that six of them are Balkan countries. Or precisely because six of them are Balkan countries.
