Former NATO Secretary General proposes Ukraine exchange land for membership
(Baonghean.vn) - The Guardian newspaper quoted former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen as suggesting that the military alliance should accept Ukraine into the military alliance within new borders, not taking into account lost territories, meaning without the Crimean peninsula and the Donbass region.
“It is time to take the next step and invite Ukraine to join NATO. We need a new European security architecture, with Ukraine at the heart of NATO,” Mr. Rasmussen said.
Mr. Rasmussen stressed that the issue of Ukraine's accession cannot be postponed until next year, noting that excluding Russian-controlled territories from NATO would reduce the risk of conflict with Moscow. At the same time, Ukraine's accession to the bloc does not necessarily mean an end to hostilities.
However, thanks to Article 5 of the NATO Charter, Russia will not launch attacks deep into Ukrainian territory, which would allow Kiev to build up its forces and once again move to the front lines. “Russia needs to be sent a clear signal that any violation of NATO territory will be met with a response,” the former official explained.
The British newspaper noted that ahead of the next NATO summit, discussions are underway on attracting military experts to study issues related to Ukraine's membership in NATO. In particular, the issue of demarcation of the front line is being discussed to indicate where the territory that is part of NATO begins.
In August, NATO Secretary General Stian Jenssen’s chief of staff admitted that the conflict with Russia could be resolved if Ukraine agreed to give up territory in exchange for alliance membership. However, Jenssen later walked back his statements, noting that they were “part of a broader discussion on possible future scenarios in Ukraine.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said he had a phone call with his US counterpart Lloyd Austin to discuss the progress of the military operation and Kiev's needs. "I informed my US counterpart about the current situation on the front and Ukraine's urgent needs. We discussed concrete steps," Umerov posted on Facebook.
He also thanked Secretary Austin for providing air defense systems to Ukraine. The two sides had previously spoken by phone on November 4. The Ukrainian minister then asked Washington to provide more ammunition./.
