NATO discusses Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific in Sweden and Paulo Rangel’s debut

NATO foreign ministers will discuss the conflict in Ukraine and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region this Wednesday and Thursday, the alliance’s 75th anniversary, at Sweden’s first ministerial meeting and Paulo Rangel’s debut as governor.

The main topic of discussion is the same as the last two years, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and for this there will be a regular meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, a structure created about a year ago with the aim of bringing the occupied country closer to the Atlantic Alliance, while official membership is impossible to come close to.

Kyiv has been aggressively requesting more ammunition and air defense systems to try to counter Moscow’s possible advances on the battlefield as the end of winter and a thaw on Ukrainian soil open the way for movement at the front.

The possibility of North American support “drying out” in the wake of Republican Donald Trump’s possible victory in the November presidential election worries Ukraine, as well as NATO countries, which see immediate reinforcement of Ukrainian military capabilities as the only way to ensure that Russia does not seize new territory and is pushed to negotiations that lead to a ceasefire.

The countries closest to the eastern flank are watching the development of the conflict with alarm. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently said the climate was “pre-war” and French President Emmanuel Macron admitted sending troops to Ukraine.

But US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith ruled out both scenarios: “There is no indication that a Russian war is imminent on NATO soil” and “The US does not support sending troops to fight Ukraine,” she said on Tuesday.

The meeting, which starts at 11:00 local time (10:00 Lisbon time), will be attended by new Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel.