Petty squabbles and strategic differences threaten to undermine Nato’s united front over Ukraine

Turkey is holding out over giving Sweden membership, while any pathway for Kyiv to join the alliance is still to be mapped out, writes Borzou Daragahi. And the issue of what to do about China – another major player in the Ukraine crisis – is a long-term concern

Ukrainian servicemen shift position after firing rockets from a BM-21 ‘Grad’ multiple rocket launcher towards Russian positions, near Bakhmut in the Donetsk region (AFP via Getty)

At a meeting of Nato defence ministers in Brussels, Nato’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, said that it is a “critical time” for the war in Ukraine as Kyiv begins its counteroffensive. The same could be said of the alliance itself as it seeks eastward expansion and plots its global role.

The Western military alliance that has been strengthened by the united front put in support of Ukraine’s fight against Russian invasion – but now finds itself facing a series of challenges sparked by a war that could fray that unity.

As Nato defence ministers gather in Brussels for the meeting on Thursday and Friday, ahead of the annual alliance summit in Vilnius next month, the most immediate and high-profile obstacle is the simplest to resolve: the resistance by Turkey and Hungary in embracing Sweden as a member. Though a distraction, it underscores persistent squabbling among some Nato members over how wholeheartedly to back Ukraine and to what extent Russia – led by President Vladimir Putin – is seen as an existential threat.