BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Western countries will warn Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday that his country will pay an “exorbitant” price for the invasion of Ukraine, the occasion of three summits – of NATO, the G7 and the European Union – which will be held on Thursday in the presence of US President Joe Biden.
The day of meetings is aimed at maintaining Western unity and will begin at Atlantic Alliance headquarters in Brussels, where leaders will agree to strengthen military forces on Europe’s eastern flank.
Alarmed by the prospect of an escalation of the war between Russia and its neighbor after a month of conflict, the 30 members of NATO will also agree to send Kyiv defense equipment against biological, chemical and nuclear attacks.
Willingness to take new sanctions against Moscow will be underscored at an emergency meeting of G7 countries. A summit bringing together the 27 members of the European Union will then be held.
“We must ensure that the decision to invade a sovereign and independent country is seen as a strategic failure that will have an exorbitant cost for Putin and Russia,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the European Parliament on Wednesday. .
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has left thousands dead and more than 3.5 million people fleeing the country, according to United Nations data.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky will speak at NATO and European Union summits by videoconference.
EAST FLANK
NATO has greatly reinforced its presence on the eastern flank of the alliance, with nearly 40,000 troops deployed from the Baltic to the Black Sea.
Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that NATO leaders would discuss the deployment of four new multinational battalion-level battlegroups to Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.
“I expect leaders to agree to strengthen NATO posture in all areas, with significant increases in the eastern part of the alliance. On land, in the air and at sea,” he said. he said.
Washington has indicated that Joe Biden and European leaders will announce new sanctions against Russia as well as measures to strengthen those already in place. European diplomats, however, downplayed expectations of further major sanctions.
“I don’t expect any big announcements or decisions,” said a European diplomat. “It’s more about taking stock and looking ahead to see what the future lines of action would be.”
European leaders should agree to buy gas in common, in order to reduce their dependence on Russia and to protect themselves against supply problems.
Brussels is also seeking to strike a deal with Joe Biden to secure additional supplies of liquefied natural gas from the United States for the next two winters.
“The consequences of this war on the security architecture of Europe will be considerable,” said Wednesday the President of the European Executive, Ursula von der Leyen. “And I’m not just talking about security in military terms, but also energy security, and even food security.”
(With Philip Blenkinsop, Kate Abnett, Sabine Siebold and Jan Strupczewski; French version Camille Raynaud)
by John Chalmers