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What did NATO certification mean for Ukraine in June 2019?
Summary
A look back at two NATO-related reports from the days around 27 June 2019, one about a Ukrainian special forces unit and one about US criticism of Germany.
What was the alliance debate about around 27 June 2019? Two reports from the preceding days point in different directions, one about Ukraine and one about NATO's own members.
On 24 June 2019, Ukraine's 140th Special Operations Centre became the first unit from a country that is not a NATO member to be certified for inclusion in the NATO Response Force. As reported at the time, no other non-member's unit had reached that point before.
Two days later, on 26 June 2019, US President Donald Trump said Germany was "delinquent" on NATO defence. He argued that Germany was giving Russia billions of dollars while the United States was expected to protect it.
Two views of the alliance
The contrast is worth noting. A Ukrainian unit was being qualified to work with NATO's rapid-reaction structure, while the US president publicly criticised a leading European member over its defence record and its dealings with Russia.
The reports do not link the two events, and neither should be read as a response to the other. Taken together, they show that in late June 2019 NATO was discussed both as a framework in which Ukrainian forces were gaining recognised standing and as an alliance where burden-sharing among members was openly contested.
