Military Alliance of Northern European Countries Supports Ukraine and Invites It to JEF Training
Members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), consisting of ten Northern European countries with the United Kingdom at the helm, have extended an invitation to Ukraine to participate as an observer in their upcoming military exercises. This announcement was made by the leaders of the participating countries and is now posted on the official government portal of Sweden.
Ukraine will act as an observer during the JEF training exercises set to take place in 2024 and 2025, with the goal of enhancing operational cooperation and strengthening the military capabilities of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
In addition to the invitation to participate in the military exercises, the leaders of JEF member countries (including the United Kingdom, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden) strongly condemned Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and reaffirmed their unwavering support. They stated, "We vehemently condemn Russia's aggression against Ukraine and completely reject Russia's encroachment on Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence. We condemn Russia's aggression in the Black Sea, its attacks on civilian populations, instances of war-related sexual violence, indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, and direct assaults on civilian infrastructure, which are war crimes. We affirm our determination to ensure full accountability for crimes committed in and against Ukraine."
The statement also emphasized that Ukraine's security is an integral part of the security of the Euro-Atlantic region, and the JEF member countries commit to supporting Ukraine on its path toward Euro-Atlantic integration and potential NATO membership.
"For the sake of collective security and operational compatibility, as well as to support Ukraine's defense against Russia's unlawful incursions, we also agree to facilitate the strengthening of defense-industrial cooperation in Europe and across the Atlantic, as well as to reduce barriers to defense trade and investments in the Euro-Atlantic region where appropriate," added the JEF leaders.
It is worth noting that during his address at the JEF summit on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed the view that the successful resistance against Russian aggression opens the possibility for Ukraine to regain its occupied territories and for Georgia to do the same in the future.
Furthermore, during a session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), deputies officially recognized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator and his regime as a dictatorship. PACE also made several important statements, including those related to changes in the Russian Federation's constitution, which allow Putin to remain in power until 2036. The Assembly acknowledged that the concentration of power in the hands of the Russian president and the lack of checks and balances have effectively transformed the country into a de facto dictatorship.