Latest news with #Cherniev
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kyiv confident NATO will not give Russia any non-expansion guarantees
Yehor Cherniev, Head of the Ukrainian Parliament's permanent delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, believes that the Alliance will not make any official decisions on non-expansion, as demanded by Russia. Source: Cherniev in a comment to Interfax-Ukraine on Friday 30 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: Chiernev said this after Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for Ukraine, said in an interview with ABC News that Washington considers Russia's concerns about NATO expansion to be justified and is ready to discuss them. "It is highly unlikely that Kellogg's statement will have any consequences or influence the peace process," Cherniev said. "After all, as far as can be understood from his remarks, the US is ready to give Russia verbal promises that will not be legally binding." According to Cherniev, the Kremlin has always emphasised that it needs written guarantees in the form of official international legally binding documents. However, he is convinced that no one will give it such guarantees. He noted that the adoption of such a decision would contradict the NATO Charter and the decisions of previous summits. "Secondly, it would mean official recognition of Russia's veto power over Alliance decisions," he added. "Thirdly, such a decision could not be taken by NATO itself due to the position of many countries that unconditionally support us on the path to accession. Therefore, no official NATO decisions on this matter will be taken." He noted that Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin may be satisfied with verbal guarantees and promises only if he desperately needs a few years' respite to gather strength for another war. Background: The Kremlin has welcomed Kellogg's statement that the United States is ready to discuss NATO non-expansion, which Russia insists on. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NATO PA meeting in US reportedly "distanced" from Russia's war against Ukraine
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Dayton has focused much less attention on Russia's war against Ukraine than in previous gatherings over the past three years and the American delegation's attitude towards their Ukrainian counterparts was cooler. Source: Yehor Cherniev, head of Ukraine's permanent delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, as reported by European Pravda Details: Cherniev said that he had a mixed impression of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session in Dayton, which is coming to an end, and that he had never encountered this before in the last three years. He noted that although there were many references to Ukraine and separate reports, overall the meeting tried to shift the focus from the Russo-Ukrainian war to events 30 years ago – the signing of the Dayton Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Cherniev also said that the meeting with the American delegation was not as warm as usual, which contrasted sharply with the absolute support from the Europeans behind the scenes. "Europeans, incidentally, were also surprised by the emphasis placed on this session of the NATO PA by the host side," said the head of the Ukrainian delegation. Nonetheless, Cherniev stated that the delegation was very satisfied with the final declaration of the NATO PA, which, in particular, rejected the Kremlin's ultimatum that Ukraine could not become a member of the Alliance. "In the end, I can still call this session very successful. The Europeans are categorically on our side, and we will work with the Americans," he concluded. Background: Earlier, it became known that because of US President Donald Trump, NATO is preparing a mini-declaration for the summit in The Hague, likely without mentioning Ukraine. It was also reported that the American side supposedly opposes inviting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the NATO summit. However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied this information. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As US vacates its leading role, Europe takes helm at Ramstein
The U.K. is set to gather the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Feb. 12, taking over the role the U.S. had assumed at the start of the all-out war. With U.S. President Donald Trump pulling his country out of established international agreements and formats, it's now up to European countries to fill in the gaps. "Now, it will be mostly the Europeans who will determine the volume and range of weapons they are willing to provide to Ukraine," lawmaker Yehor Cherniev told the Kyiv Independent. Cherniev, who chairs Ukraine's delegation at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, said that European nations would likely focus on supplying their self-produced weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. "The U.S. will continue to provide us with assistance, but the main burden will now be shifted to Europe," Cherniev said. "The U.K.'s presidency in the Ramstein format symbolizes the changes in support for Ukraine that will take place in 2025." The U.K. Joint Delegation to NATO said last week that Defense Secretary John Healey will chair the upcoming gathering of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), also known as the Ramstein meeting, in Brussels to discuss Ukraine's defense priorities. Ukraine's pressing needs include bolstering the country's air defense, its deep-strike capabilities, and securing a steady ammunition supply, Ukraine's Ambassador to NATO Natalia Galibarenko said. "We expect strong participation from our partners and look forward to hearing new pledges of military support," Galibarenko told the Kyiv Independent, saying that the three topics to be discussed at the Ramstein meeting are: "the situation on the battlefield, Ukraine's security needs, and the pledges made by our partners and allies." U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will attend the meeting in Brussels but won't be announcing new military shipments to Ukraine. Read also: What are Trump's options on Russia's war against Ukraine? London's takeover of the meeting that gathers over 50 nations to discuss Ukraine's defense needs holds "a symbolic political meaning," according to lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko, head of the parliament's committee on foreign policy. He added that the meeting was to show that Europe would continue to support Kyiv no matter what happened in the U.S. Contrary to Cherniev's assessment, Merezhko believes that the U.S.' will return to the driving seat after "a transition period" following Trump's return to power. "I hope that they will return soon to their traditional leadership role," Merezhko told the Kyiv Independent. The adjustment in the regular Ramstein meetings comes as Ukraine and Europe await Trump's next moves. Uncertainty looms over whether the Ramstein meeting would even exist under Trump. The U.S. president has claimed to have a plan to end the war in Ukraine and said he is in contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Hegseth, who'll begin his European tour with the Ramstein meeting in Brussels, will stress "Trump's commitment for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible" and Europe's boosting of security assistance to Kyiv, according to an official statement by the Pentagon. Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), agreed that it was already good news that Ramstein continues regardless of the change in the U.S. leadership and that Hegseth will still take part in it. Rather than waiting for Trump's presidency, Europe should have long taken over Washington's leadership role at Ramstein and suggested a rotation system of European chairs to lift the weight, Fix said. The Trump administration is demanding that European nations "take over the security" and assistance for Ukraine, but it should also be in Europe's interest to take the lead if it deems it as "existential" to its future, according to the expert. "I think it was very comfortable for Europeans to rely on the U.S. leadership, and then there's also the question of who would lead Europe," Fix said, adding that "it's always a competition between the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland." The downside, Fix explained, is that the U.S. is making less commitments because it won't be chairing the meeting, and the concern is how far London and Washington could push for more support for Ukraine — and whether the latter would even try pressuring other countries. With Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, saying that the president would try to create leverage for both sides to kickstart potential peace negotiations, securing more weapons and resources has become ever more important for Kyiv. The past 25 rounds of Ramstein meetings, usually taking place at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, have helped Kyiv to receive over $145 billion in military aid from NATO countries, according to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The first-ever meeting was held in April 2022 and chaired by then-U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who was instrumental in gathering dozens of countries to discuss Ukraine's needs. The "crucial platform for coordinating military aid" has enabled Kyiv to receive basic resources from artillery shells, armored vehicles and tanks to modern air defense systems and U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in its January report. The February Ramstein meeting takes place at a crucial time when Ukrainian forces lose one settlement after another in the country's eastern Donetsk Oblast amid a critical manpower shortage. "The only way a ceasefire can be achieved is through increasing leverage on Russia, and that includes continuous weapon deliveries and continuous provision of weapons to Ukraine by the Ramstein format," Fix said. Read also: Ukraine 'may be Russian someday,' Trump suggests while announcing $500 billion rare earth 'agreement' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
