The summit in Vilnius cancels the Russian goal of moving NATO away from its borders: “We will respond”

The results of the NATO summit in Vilnius came down like cold coffee on Russia, powerless in the face of the Alliance’s expansion on its western border and the commitment that Ukraine would become a member of the organization after the war ended. “Regarding Ukraine’s entry into NATO, we have repeatedly stated that it creates threats to Russia’s security, that is obvious,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Russian public television on Thursday.

The Russian president pointed out that “in fact, one of the causes of the special military operation is the threat of Ukraine joining NATO.” Joining the Alliance, he assured, “will not increase the security of Ukraine itself, will make the world more vulnerable and will lead to additional tensions at the international level”, and defended that all countries have the right to security guarantees, but not to the detriment of the security of Russia itself.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry once again resorted to bullying over the prospect of Ukraine’s NATO membership. “Taking into account the identified challenges and threats to Russia’s security and interests, we will respond in a timely and adequate manner with all the means and methods at our disposal,” Russian diplomacy said. According to Moscow, NATO is using Ukraine as “disposable material” in the hybrid war it launched against Russia without giving Kyiv in Vilnius deadlines to join the Atlantic alliance.

Given this scenario, it seems clear that the Kremlin has failed in its goal of preventing the expansion of NATO, and even more of pushing the Alliance out of Eastern Europe, to its pre-1997 limits, as Russia demanded two months before launching its war in Ukraine.

Last April, Finland joined NATO, and Sweden will soon do so, after Turkey lifted its veto.

From a geopolitical point of view, the accession of Finland and Sweden practically turns the Baltic into an internal sea for the countries of the Alliance, with consequent damage to the positions of Russia.

In February, Putin highlighted the transformation of the Sea of ​​Azov into Russia’s internal sea thanks to the annexation of the territory as one of the greatest achievements of the war in Ukraine.

However, that conquest, which Russia has yet to consolidate as Ukraine struggles to regain its territories in the area, pales in comparison to the failure in the Baltic Sea.

Turkey’s move, worrying for Russia

In addition, Turkey’s new stance on Sweden’s inclusion in NATO and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s intention to revitalize his country’s accession process to the European Union could mark a move that is not good for the Kremlin.

Although Turkey is currently Russia’s most important trading partner west of its borders, and Ankara and Moscow have been on good terms until now, tensions have simmered in recent weeks.

On the 10th, Turkish company Baykar began construction of an attack drone factory in Ukraine, a project that is making waves in Russia.

Two days earlier, the Turkish president handed over to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky five commanders of the Ukrainian Azov battalion who were exchanged and are in Turkey according to an agreement brokered by Ankara.

“This is a violation of the agreement,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who recalled that the Azov commanders had to stay in Turkey until the end of the conflict.