Narratives in Media Coverage of Ukraine

Washington NATO Summit

• NATO leaders will gather in Washington D.C. this month.  A key issue that will be addressed during the summit will be Ukraine’s path to NATO and security guarantees (European Policy Center).
• At the summit, NATO will unveil a “bridge to membership” plan for Ukraine.  A senior U.S. official told reporters that “allies will reaffirm that Ukraine’s future is in NATO, will make significant new announcements about how we’re increasing NATO’s military, political, and financial support for Ukraine.  This is part of Ukraine’s bridge to NATO” (Reuters; see also AP News, Euractiv).
• Some foreign policy experts are calling for NATO members to exercise caution when advancing Ukrainian membership at the NATO summit, saying that promising NATO membership to Ukraine could incentivize Russia to continue fighting the war and could play into Putin’s narrative that Russia is fighting the West (Politico).
• U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that the U.S. would soon announce a $2.3 billion package in security assistance for Ukraine, which will include anti-tank weapons, interceptors, and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems (AP News).

Turmoil in the United States

• The U.S. presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump reflected two potential future paths for U.S. support for Ukraine.  Biden is a “predictable figure for Ukrainians,” while Trump “treats Russia’s war against [Ukraine] like a dispute between two kids who should settle down” (Politico).
• Europe is debating a future without the United States.  European countries are wondering whether the nuclear status quo will hold in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and former U.S. President Trump’s hostile stance towards NATO.  With the possibility of a second Trump presidency, European officials are considering how to develop a “security architecture that’s not so dependent on the United States, including for nuclear deterrence” (Politico; see also AP News).

Orbán in Moscow

• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shook hands with Russian President Putin in Moscow as part of a “peace mission.”  Orbán had visited Kyiv earlier in the week.  European officials and leaders condemned Orbán’s trip, saying that “Orbán has no authorization from the [EU’s] governments to negotiate” (Politico; see also Reuters, AP News, Euractiv, Euractiv).

Russian Strikes

• Russian strikes left over 100,000 households without power in northern Ukraine.  The strikes were part of Russia’s continual attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which have caused rolling blackouts across the country (AP News).
• Russia has accelerated attacks on Ukrainian front-line cities, using glide bombs and an expanding network of air strips (AP News).

EU and Ukraine Security Agreement

• The EU and Ukraine developed a security agreement, with the EU pledging to maintain military support and aid for Ukraine.  The agreement complements the other bilateral agreements signed between Ukraine and 17 other European countries (Euractiv).

Author: Sophie Adams-Smith, Media Analyst, Promote Ukraine