Today, Ukraine is paying with blood for security in Europe, including due to the Western policies of recent decades and unfulfilled promises. At the NATO Summit in Bucharest in 2008, the issues of Alliance expansion and the accession of Ukraine and Georgia to the Membership Action Plan were on the agenda. France and Germany were against Ukraine and Georgia's membership in NATO, explaining their position by not wanting to provoke Russia. In reality, such a reaction, demonstrating the West's indecisiveness, became a sign of weakness to Russia, reinforced Putin's belief in the possibility of waging wars with impunity, and became a starting point for Russian territorial expansion. Several months later, Russia started a war against Georgia, occupying its territories, and in 2014, Russian forces annexed Crimea. The NATO Summit in Vilnius is an opportunity to correct the mistakes of Bucharest.
Putin has repeatedly demonstrated that international obligations mean nothing to him. Former US President Bill Clinton claims that Putin told him in 2011 that he does not support the Budapest Memorandum, which implied Ukraine's abandonment of nuclear weapons in exchange for security guarantees. In other words, the question of attacking Ukraine, according to Clinton's words, was only a matter of time. Putin simply waited for a favorable moment. Russia has chosen global confrontation with the West. NATO member countries opposing Ukraine's membership provoke Russia to continue the war, which has every chance of spreading to European territory. Ukraine is currently paying a very high price for making the world safer, effectively acting as a barrier against Russian aggression, while some NATO member countries weigh whether it is worthy of being among them.
NATO is the only guarantee of security taken seriously in the world. Despite repeated threats from the Kremlin, Putin is currently not willing to engage in open confrontation with the Alliance. An example of this is the lack of reaction to Finland's accelerated procedure for joining NATO. The only guarantee that prevents the expansion of Russian aggression is Ukraine's accession to NATO. All other proposals for security, gray areas, and strategic uncertainty are just another Budapest Memorandum, and therefore, another "green light" for the continuation and escalation of the war. Moreover, Ukraine's membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would be more economically efficient than numerous packages of financial and military assistance provided to Ukraine.
The West must respond adequately to the challenges and threats originating from Putin's Russia. The future of Europe and beyond depends on the outcome of the war in Ukraine. Russia does not consider its losses, and the Russian defense-industrial complex, despite sanctions, continues to build up its capabilities. In Russia, the economy and industry have de facto been shifted to a war footing. The agreement between Russia and Belarus allowing for the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory will lead to extremely dangerous escalation and the expansion of the conflict. Any further attempt at escalation must be met with a decisive and coordinated response from the member countries of the Alliance.
NATO expansion is a guarantee against Russian expansionism. First and foremost, Ukraine must receive clear security guarantees. The North Atlantic Alliance must create a powerful barrier to halt Russian aggression. During the full-scale war, Ukraine has significantly risen in the rankings of the world's strongest armies and, accordingly, is capable of strengthening NATO through its membership. Only Ukraine's full membership in NATO can establish a stable peace in Europe, create a reliable system of security in the world, and prevent a third world war.
Σχόλια