As Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues, the NATO summit will be held in Spain on the 29th.
At the summit, Russia was positioned as a threat to NATO, and in addition to significantly strengthening the defense posture of member countries and long-term military support to Ukraine, strengthening cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region including Japan with China in mind. It is expected to be launched.
The NATO summit will be held in Madrid, the capital of Spain, for two days starting from the afternoon of the 29th of Japan time.
In addition to the 30 NATO member countries, the leaders of four countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Finland and Sweden applying for membership, and Prime Minister Kishida will also participate.
The leaders of each country have already arrived in the field one after another, and on the 28th, President Biden of the United States also arrived from Germany, where the G7 Summit = the summit of the seven major countries was held.
At this summit meeting, which will be held as Russia's military invasion of Ukraine continues, NATO will adopt a new "strategic concept" that summarizes the activity guidelines for the next 10 years, and positions Russia as a threat to NATO. It is a prospect.
And it is expected that they will agree on a significant strengthening of the defense posture in eastern Europe and long-term military assistance to Ukraine.
In addition, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg has made it clear that in a new "strategic concept", he will also mention China for the first time as an entity that poses challenges to NATO's security, interests and values, and at the summit meeting Japan It is also expected to strengthen cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including.
New "strategic concept" Positioning Russia as "the most serious threat"
The "strategic concept" is a compilation of NATO's activity guidelines and is revised approximately every 10 years.
NATO says that the "strategic concept" adopted at this summit is in line with the "new reality of security" and that Russia is positioned as the "most serious and direct threat". increase.
The strategic concept adopted in 2010 has stated that the North Atlantic region at that time was "peaceful" and that it "wants to build a true strategic partnership" with respect to Russia.
In an interview with NHK this month, Rasmussen, who was the Secretary-General of NATO in 2010, said, "There was really hope that we could develop a strategic partnership with Russia at that time, but in 2014. The illegal merger of Crimea has changed the security environment too much. We underestimate President Putin's ambition to regain Russia's greatness in the former Soviet region, and now it's too late and too lax. "I did," he said, recognizing that the response at that time was incorrect.
He added, "Of course Russia is and will not be a strategic partner. It is a strategic enemy. The new strategic concept will reflect this perception."
This strategic concept also mentions China for the first time, and is expected to include China as an entity that poses challenges to NATO's security, interests and values.
"Most European countries do not consider China to be the most pressing military threat, but China is economically intimidating NATO member Lithuania," Rasmussen said. China is a big challenge for us. We need the United States for security in Europe, so we should support the United States in the Indo-Pacific instead. "
U.S. President Joe Biden calling for unity with Ukraine support
US President Joe Biden is expected to call on NATO members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to continue to unite and support Ukraine in anticipation of a prolonged military invasion by Russia.
The Biden administration has been supplying Ukraine with weapons and ammunition on an unprecedented scale and speed since the invasion by Russia began in late February.
The total amount of military aid has exceeded about $ 6.1 billion, or 820 billion yen in Japanese yen, over the past four months.
In addition, the United States regularly hosts international meetings in which countries that support Ukraine, such as NATO member countries, participate, and also plays a role in waving military support in the medium to long term.
However, some American experts are concerned that the prolonged fighting will diminish the interest of the people in Ukraine and make it difficult for each country to continue to provide large-scale support in unison. I am.
It has also been pointed out that, against the backdrop of these changes in public opinion, the disagreement between countries that support Ukraine's thorough anti-war and those that should aim for an early ceasefire may become clearer.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian side called for additional powerful weapons and a large amount of ammunition, saying that the Russian army is concentrating its forces in the eastern part of Ukraine and strengthening the offensive, and more support is needed. I am.
The Biden administration did not loosen its support, saying it was "a very important time for Ukraine," and decided to provide additional military support worth about 190 billion yen in Japanese yen in the last two weeks alone.
At the summit meeting on the 28th, US National Security Adviser Joe Biden said, "We will discuss the force and military support that we will continue to provide to Ukraine for the next few days to months." As President Biden, he would like to keep pace with NATO member countries in order to continue to support Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden wants to increase deterrence to China by strengthening cooperation
Through the NATO summit, US President Joe Biden reiterates his involvement in the defense of European allies facing the threat of Russia and is poised to counter China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. I would like to proceed with the construction.
The Biden administration in the United States has been sending additional U.S. military units to NATO member countries such as eastern Europe near Ukraine since February in response to the tightening situation in Ukraine, and is now the entire European region. Approximately 100,000 soldiers are stationed in Ukraine.
President Biden, who emphasizes cooperation with allies, has repeatedly emphasized that he will "protect the territory of NATO member countries," and is continuing to coordinate with the Pentagon to further strengthen the defense posture of countries in eastern Europe.
US National Security Adviser Sullivan said at the summit on the 28th that he would "announce an additional long-term force posture" and that the United States would be involved in the defense of NATO member countries. Our policy is to renew our unwavering stance.
In addition, President Biden wants to strengthen NATO's cooperation with China, which is positioned as the largest competitor, while strengthening its involvement in Europe.
So far, the Biden administration has positioned China, which is intensifying military activities, as an urgent threat facing NATO, and has expressed the recognition that member states need to work together to respond.
Prime Minister Kishida of Japan, leaders of the Indo-Pacific region such as South Korea and Australia will participate for the first time in this summit, and a new "strategic concept" that sets out guidelines for future activities adopted by NATO will be adopted. References to China are expected to be included for the first time.
"This is in line with President Biden's strong belief that the security ties between the Indo-Pacific and the European Atlantic are only deepening, and that the relationship between the two regional allies needs to be deepened," said Sullivan's aide. Therefore, President Biden wants to build a cross-regional cooperation system and increase deterrence to China.