With the participation of US President Joe Biden, NATO, EU and G7 summits were held in Brussels, entirely devoted to the Russian-Ukrainian war. At all three summits, Ukrainian requests were voiced, presented in video messages from President Volodymyr Zelensky. Nevertheless, the powers that be did not decide to provide Ukraine with resources for an effective counteroffensive in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Russia.. But still, steps were taken that were unthinkable before the start of the war..

NATO summit.

The main issue of the extraordinary NATO summit was how to help Ukraine survive the war with Russia without turning it into a global one.. After a month of fighting, the intensity of which is not inferior to the battles of the Second World War, hardly anyone in NATO doubts that Russia is waging a conventional war at the limit of its capabilities and cannot win it.. But the countries of the Alliance are afraid that Russia's crushing defeat in such a war (and this is possible if Ukraine is provided with heavy weapons) will provoke it to escalate with the use of chemical, biological and even nuclear weapons..

Therefore, weapons that would allow Ukraine to conduct effective operations in the counteroffensive - tanks, combat aircraft, multiple rocket launchers and tactical missiles - will not be provided.. Instead, there will be even more tactical systems - primarily anti-tank weapons and military air defense systems..

NATO is prudently silent about expanding the range of tactical systems provided by NATO: Russia should learn about them on the battlefield, and not from the press. But from the comments it can be judged that the new weapon should prevent a repetition of the tragedy of Mariupol, which was practically destroyed by Russian artillery and aircraft.. Ukraine will be helped to deter Russia from using destructive conventional weapons systems, possibly from amphibious assaults.

New was the promise to Ukraine of means of chemical, biological and radiation protection. This is a stable military term, meaning the readiness of troops to act in the conditions of the use of weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological and nuclear.. The United States is confident, and NATO agrees, that the threat of Russian chemical and biological attacks against Ukraine is high. At the summit, a “red line” was even drawn: in the event of such an attack, NATO will respond proportionately. But it has not been publicly said exactly how. Uncertainty in this case is considered an additional factor holding back Russia. But, perhaps, there are simply no specific plans that could be announced yet..

Another military domain in which NATO fears escalation from Russia is cyber warfare.. The issue was discussed at the summit, but nothing was said publicly about the measures taken..

G7 Summit.

The G7 summit was held at NATO headquarters at the invitation of Germany with the participation of the Secretary General of the Alliance. Issues of the global economy were considered in the context of the beginning of Russia's isolation. The main issue, as can be judged from the comments, was the role of China in the new conditions and its position regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war..

China has promised no military assistance to Russia, but stubbornly insists on continued economic cooperation with it and calls for the lifting of sanctions against it. After the US imposes a ban on Russian gold transactions, which other members of the G7 may follow, yuan reserves remain Russia's last liquid asset. It is not known what decisions were made by the G7. But it can be predicted that economic pressure on Russia will increase as much as it is acceptable for the G7 economies..

EU summit.

The EU summit considered three key issues - Ukraine's application for membership, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, the energy embargo against Russia. On the first issue, the position for our country is disappointing: there will be no accelerated membership. The application will be considered according to the usual procedure, so as not to provoke others. As for humanitarian aid, it will be provided in high volumes. First of all, we are talking about assistance to refugees from Ukraine and diplomatic pressure on Russia in order to provide humanitarian corridors to Ukrainian cities..

The energy embargo, despite the jump in energy prices, has taken on a practical shape in the form of “dependency reduction”. Russia tried to influence the position of the EU by demanding payments for Russian gas in rubles. But it seems that this only strengthened the European resolve.

What can be said more or less confidently is that the withdrawal from Russian coal purchases can be almost immediate, the withdrawal of Russian oil will take months, if not weeks, the withdrawal of Russian gas will require " But it's still a fairly close future.. Probably, by the next heating season in Europe, purchases of Russian gas will be significantly reduced.

For Ukraine, the past summits mean that it will be necessary to close the sky, defend cities, defend against amphibious assaults and liberate temporarily occupied territories on their own, albeit with the help of increasingly sophisticated tactical weapons systems.. This will have to be done until Russia finally runs out of steam from losses on the battlefield and economic isolation..

The West has a vision: by making great economic sacrifices of its own, but without sacrificing the lives of its citizens, to help Ukraine defend its independence and territorial integrity. Seen from Ukraine, this stance seems insufficient, and the fear of Russian nuclear weapons is excessive. But from Brussels, some aspects of the Russian-Ukrainian war look different..

The key choice with respect to Russia has been made: it cannot, in its current capacity, be an influential participant in the international system. The choice with respect to Ukraine so far consists only in the fact that it depends on it what kind of international system will be after the war..

But the future of Ukraine itself in Europe and the world is decided on the battlefield by the blood and exertion of all the forces of its citizens..

Read all articles by Alexei Izhak here.