Ukraine, Lithuania Ask for Strong NATO Intervention

Lithuania’s President Dalia Grybauskaitė warmly welcomed security guarantees put forward by US President Barack Obama during their meeting on Wednesday, also asking for a more visible NATO presence in the region. 

‘The ongoing military aggression against Ukraine poses a threat not only to Ukraine's survival, but also to our security. Lithuania values U.S. leadership in ensuring the defensibility of the Baltic States. NATO must take all the necessary measures to ensure the security of the Baltic countries and stop Russian aggression in Europe,’ reads a note released ahead of the NATO summit, which began in Wales on Thursday.  

Meanwhile, European leaders are mulling new measures against Russia. 

‘Following the request of the European Council of 30 August regarding the situation in Ukraine, the European Commission has adopted today for consideration by Member States proposals for the EU to take significant further steps,’ the European Commission wrote in a statement published on Wednesday. 

Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk commented that a new wave of European sanctions agains Russia is “inevitable.” Kiev asks NATO and the European Union to find a way to force Russia to withdraw its troops.

Despite the clear messages sent by Western countries, analysts don’t see room for a strong stance against Moscow.  

“On Ukraine, the Alliance’s consensus will be that it is sufficient that they give the president of Ukraine a special meeting at the summit. NATO will also provide some more details about the trust funds for helping Ukraine that foreign ministers approved a few months ago, but no powerful political or military decisions about saving Ukraine should be expected from this summit,” Jorge Benitez, Atlantic Council’s director, said on Wednesday.