Ukraine Attempts to Join NATO Again

SadaNews - Recently, Ukraine has been granted the status of "Advanced Partner" in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), which consists of 10 countries, all members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and led by Britain, five of which share borders with Russia.

This decision is seen as a strong message to Ukraine in its confrontation with Russia, and it may also represent one of the preliminary steps towards the accession process to NATO.

A Message to Putin

Defense ministers from member countries of the Joint Expeditionary Force gathered in Norway last Wednesday and approved granting Ukraine the status of Enhanced Partner within the military alliance.

According to Agence France-Presse, the members of the Joint Force announced through this decision a stronger military cooperation with Ukraine and long-term support for it in the ongoing war with Russia. This step reinforces military ties between Kyiv and the most committed European supporters in the confrontation with Russia.

A report by Euronews titled "The Joint Expeditionary Force Launches Enhanced Partnership with Ukraine" stated that the defense ministers of the UK-led alliance met with their Ukrainian counterpart, Denys Shmyhal, in the Norwegian city of Bodø to launch an enhanced partnership with Ukraine aimed at collaborating on strengthening security in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea.

Euronews quoted British Defense Minister John Healey as saying, "This is a strong message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and any other potential aggressor, that the Joint Expeditionary Force is stronger than ever, more united than ever, more innovative than ever, and more operationally responsive than ever."

Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik also stated to the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation "NRK" that the agreement establishes a formal framework for enhanced partnerships and enables us to work quickly and effectively with Ukraine to maintain security in Europe." He added, "This is important not only for Ukraine but also for Norway, Europe, and NATO."

How Will Ukraine Benefit from the Decision?

According to Agence France-Presse, the coalition will carry out training for the Ukrainian armed forces and collaborate with them on protecting vital underwater infrastructure, utilizing drones, field medicine, and countering misinformation methods.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal stated, "Ukraine is seeking with its partners in the Joint Force to access European technologies and production capabilities based on which joint manufacturing operations can be initiated."

Shmyhal added that these weapons will not only protect Ukraine but will also ensure Europe’s security for years to come, reliably safeguarding its eastern flank from ongoing Russian aggression.

For its part, Ukraine – according to Shmyhal – will contribute its experience in countering hybrid threats, drone operations, air defense, and infrastructure protection, adding that cooperation will be enhanced in the field of long-range strike capabilities.

According to the Euronews report, the Joint European Force plans to involve the Ukrainian armed forces in joint exercises to achieve complete interoperability and readiness to work together in times of crisis.

Preparation for NATO Membership

According to a column by French writer Philippe Rosenthal published last Thursday on the "Observateur Continental" website, Kyiv has taken another step toward NATO membership by joining as an "Enhanced Partner" in the Joint European Force.

In his interview with "NRK", Norwegian Defense Minister Sandvik confirmed that the enhanced partnership is a step that may help prepare Ukraine for potential NATO membership.

For his part, Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote on his X account that "this is the first time this status has been granted to a non-member state of the alliance."

The Joint Force: A Mini NATO

The Joint European Force was established in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. It is a multinational force led by the United Kingdom.

The force consists of 10 countries from Northern and Eastern Europe, in addition to the UK: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden, all of which are current NATO members.

The force aims to track potential threats to member states, particularly threats targeting maritime infrastructure, and to monitor what is referred to as the Russian shadow fleet.

The force also conducts annual drills, the latest of which was the military exercise "TARASIS" held throughout September and October.

The leaders of the Joint Coalition Force assert that it overlaps in its goals and activities with NATO and that military developments within it are closely linked to NATO’s development.

However, European observers see this force as a framework to bypass NATO's sluggishness and bureaucracy, where many decisions are difficult to make and are often impeded by disparities in positions among its members.

The formation and development of this force have likely gained wider validity under the increasingly backturned administration of Washington toward Europe, which was recently evidenced by the withdrawal of some of its forces from the continent.

"TARASIS": Huge Exercises

The recent exercises are considered the largest military operation of the Joint Force ever, extending from Iceland to the Baltic region and across various areas.

This exercise, which occurred in Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea, involved more than 1,700 British soldiers alongside thousands of soldiers from other Joint Force member states.

According to the Joint Force’s press office, these massive drills serve as a large-scale, multinational rehearsal for emergency response options provided by the Joint Expeditionary Force, showcasing the ability of member states to work collaboratively in response to any threat to regional security.

NATO members outside the Joint Expeditionary Force participated in some activities of the maneuvers, where Canadian Royal Air Force aircraft contributed to operations in Latvia, and a German force in the Baltic coordinated maritime guarding activities.

Swedish "Gripen" and Finnish "F-18" aircraft patrolled the skies, and with support from Canada, they trained on the ability to operate from Finnish and Estonian roads to demonstrate effective use of agile combat.

Lieutenant General Thomas Bateman, the commander of the Joint Expeditionary Force, stated, "His force operates based on the principles of Article 3 of the NATO Charter, refining its collective defense capacities through a carefully designed annual program aimed at complementing NATO’s efforts."

Provocation to Russia

The French writer Philippe Rosenthal questions in his article: Why did London grant Kyiv a partnership within the Joint Expeditionary Force? He sees that London has mobilized its northern allies to fight Russia, who share similar views, and because of their membership in the Joint Coalition Force, they are now under the control of a nuclear-armed state.

The Joint Force aims to benefit from Ukraine's military experience in the confrontation with Russia; Sandvik confirmed in his interview with Norwegian Radio that they in the Joint Force "are waging a modern war against the aggressive Russia that they are preparing to face."

He added, "We are learning from the Ukrainian experience, and we will also train Ukraine to enhance its resilience on the battlefield, and in particular, we are conducting operations in Poland where we are currently training 1,200 Ukrainian soldiers."

Rosenthal highlighted that before signing an expansion of the Joint Rapid Response Force to include Ukraine, Britain supplied Ukraine with "additional Storm Shadow missiles" to bomb Russian territory, considering that encircling Russia and escalating the conflict has become a reality. This new agreement with Ukraine will be a provocation to Moscow, which categorically rejects Kyiv's accession to NATO.

The writer concluded that the Joint European Force has gathered the fiercest opponents of Russia and supporters of a hardline approach against it, which means that provocations against Russia in Northern Europe, encouraged by London, are continuously expected under the EU’s complacency towards it.

A New Tactic to Counter Russia

Amid calls for enhancing Western support for Kyiv, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen stressed the need to adopt a new strategy to support Ukraine, which faces - in his description - an "eternal war" and a gradual draining of its territories.

In an interview with the British Guardian newspaper, Rasmussen called for creating a European protection force for Ukraine, expressing regret over the transformation of what was known as the "Alliance of the Willing" into what he described as the "Alliance of the Waiting."

He explained that Europe is required to intensify pressure on Russia by deploying forces, building a missile shield, and operating drones on the territories of neighboring NATO countries to protect Ukrainian infrastructure.

He also stressed the need to provide Kyiv with air defense capable of intercepting Russian missiles and drones, noting that the change in approach has become a pressing necessity.

He warned that the absence of radical steps would keep the conflict endless, as Russian President Vladimir Putin sees no incentive to negotiate as long as he believes he can achieve military victory, which calls for - according to him - "changes in speed and thinking."

Rasmussen is currently leading a tour of several European capitals, including London, where he met with British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell to rally support for Ukraine. He also called on the United States to provide security guarantees to Kyiv, emphasizing that these guarantees will make it easier for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to convince his people of a peace deal that could entail ceding some territories.

In the context of enhancing Ukraine's military capabilities, Rasmussen called for supplying Kyiv with long-range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, urging continued pressure on Washington to deliver "Tomahawk" cruise missiles.

He criticized what he described as ambiguity in President Donald Trump’s position towards Ukraine after his retraction from supplying "Tomahawk" and his announcement of a second summit with Putin, indicating that Germany should take the initiative to supply Kyiv with "Taurus" cruise missiles.

He concluded by asserting that supplying Ukraine with these missiles will send a decisive signal that forces Putin to engage in peace negotiations.

Source: Al Jazeera