EU and NATO step up assistance to Ukraine - NATO analyst
This is stated in the article written by Alexandros Papaioannou, who is currently working in NATO’s Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, primarily dealing with relations with the European Union.
He recalls that following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the European Union and NATO worked in tandem, albeit in parallel, to promote the integration of countries of Central and Eastern Europe into the Euro-Atlantic institutions and their return to the wider European family of democratic nations. They also cooperated to contain the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. These endeavours continue to this day, as both organisations continue their efforts to foster stability, development and reform in the Western Balkans and beyond.
“More recently, the European Union and NATO, acting in parallel, have responded to threats emerging from the East. In the wake of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and destabilizing activities in Eastern Ukraine, EU sanctions were imposed on Russian individuals and entities deemed responsible, as well as on specific economic sectors. Meanwhile, the Alliance deployed, for the first time, rotational forces in the territories of the Eastern Allies – which also happen to be EU member states – strengthening deterrence and defence, as well as boosting the resilience of these states. The two organisations have also stepped up their assistance to Ukraine, each providing support in their respective areas of comparative advantage,” the article says.
The author notes that cooperation between the European Union and NATO is not just what the two organisations do together but also what they do in parallel, coordinated and complementary ways.
“This is an important lesson for the future in view of EU ambitions to develop a common European defence in the long term. This effort – which may or may not materialise – should not be seen as a substitute to NATO but rather as a mutually reinforcing endeavour, which complements both organisations' tasks,” Papaioannou stressed.
