jens stoltenberg

On the eve of next week's NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told FRANCE 24 he was confident an agreement could be forged to bring Ukraine closer to NATO. In addition to providing practical support and creating a Ukraine-NATO council, he said that a text was being drafted to chart a way forward for Ukraine's future membership in the Atlantic Alliance.

Stoltenberg also stressed that despite claims to the contrary, Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield. He said Western countries were stepping up their weapons deliveries, pointing to the delivery of long-range missiles by the UK, which "is making a difference". He noted that that the training of Ukrainian pilots on F16 fighter jets had begun. While he refused to predict a Ukrainian victory in the coming months, he stated that "Ukraine has the equipment, the training, the ammunition" needed and that NATO is committed to supplying them.

The NATO chief condemned Russia's announcement that it would deploy short-range nuclear weapons to Belarus as "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric". While both the Russian and Belarusian presidents have said that the weapons had begun arriving in Belarus, he noted that NATO hadn't seen any such deployment, only preparations. He added that no change had been detected in the Russian nuclear posture and, as such, NATO had not been required to change its own nuclear posture. With regards to the Wagner mercenary group, he said he hadn't seen large units relocate to Belarus. Asked about the whereabouts of its leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, he said "we have intelligence" but that it would not be appropriate for him to share it publicly.  

As for Sweden's NATO membership bid, which is being held up by Turkey, Stoltenberg said there had been "progress" in recent talks he hosted at NATO between both sides and that he would convene a meeting of the leaders of both countries in Vilnius. However, he stressed that there was "no certainty" that this would be enough to break the deadlock. He said that Sweden had delivered on its pledge to toughen its anti-terrorism laws and that it was "time to ratify its membership".  

Turkey lifts its veto to NATO expansion, allowing Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tells CNBC that the ‘historic’ move will be globally significant. In Bavaria, G-7 leaders have pledged to maintain sanctions on Russia to curtail key revenues. French President Emmanuel Macron tells this channel that a price cap mechanism on Russian oil is still a work in progress. We also hear from ECB chief economist Philip Lane in Sintra, Portugal, who says the central bank is set to raise rates by 25bps in July and potentially by more in September. And in U.S. markets, consumer sentiment plunges, with Wall Street on track for its worst H1 performance since 1970.

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President Biden warns Russia of a strong response from NATO should it use WMDs in Ukraine. He touted the alliance’s renewed sense of unity, announcing fresh sanctions on Moscow and promising humanitarian aid to Kiev. The NATO, G-7 and EU meetings were dominated by talk of China’s tepid attitude to Russian aggression. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg tells CNBC that Beijing must join the international response in condemning the conflict. Washington has assured Europe of LNG deliveries by the end of 2022 and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tells this channel that speeding up his country’s energy mix is key to moving away from reliance on Russia. We also hear exclusively from French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, who says that the Ukraine conflict has ended the “happy, naïve” model of globalisation”.

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One month after the invasion of Ukraine, NATO leaders hold another emergency meeting in Brussels with new measures expected to be introduced. President Biden is to hold a series of summits with allies promising a serious reinforcement of the bloc’s eastern flank while NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warns of the long-term security consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that all gas supplies to “unfriendly countries” must now be paid for in rubles. And, as Western sanctions and collapsing imports begin to take effect, the IIF has predicted that the war will cost Russia 15 years of economic growth. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy has called out French companies to quit their operations in Russia. Car giant Renault subsequently pulls out of the country and downgrades it margin outlook.  

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Asian markets bounce back after multi-month lows while crude also recovers, having seen its worst week of trading for nine months. Meanwhile, U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris embarks on a five-day tour of South-East Asia to reassure allies against growing Chinese power and influence in the region. In Germany, with just five weeks before the general election, the CDU and SPD are level in the polls on 22 per cent. Support for Angela Merkel’s party has dwindled recently – its largest drop in public opinion since 2017. And as the chaos in Kabul continues, we hear from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who says the alliance is working hard to evacuate citizens and personnel from Afghanistan, but admits it was blindsided by the speed of the Taliban takeover last week.

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G-7 leaders in Cornwall claim they have reached consensus on tax, climate change, infrastructure and the vaccine rollout, but they face criticism over a lack of concrete action. Brexit was also in focus with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowing to do whatever it takes to conserve the union while Canadian PM Justin Trudeau tells CNBC that the Irish border was an integral part of his bilateral talks at the summit. We also hear from NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg who says that while China is not an enemy of the alliance, it is a cause for concern. 

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