Ukraine is pushing into NATO
Kuleba: Berlin must not repeat Merkel’s mistakes
07/01/2023 03:20 am
NATO is meeting in two weeks and Ukraine is making every effort to be admitted to the alliance. For Foreign Minister Kuleba, Kiev’s membership would deter Russia from new attacks. He speaks of a “Road of Peace”.
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Kiev is fighting long-lived prejudices and misunderstandings about the consequences of his country joining NATO. Kuleba told Springer newspapers in Kiev that membership in the military alliance would not lead to another or major war with Russia. Rather, joining NATO is “the road to peace” – because Russia would not dare to attack a Ukraine that is a NATO member again.
Ukraine will then relieve Germany and other western NATO countries in defending the eastern flank, he promised: “We will take this burden on our shoulders.” According to Kuleba, Ukraine does not expect to join NATO during the war. “But after the war, it would be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine as a NATO member.” A Ukraine outside the alliance would mean that war was still an option. The only way to close the door on Russian aggression against Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region at large is to let Ukraine in, he said.
With a view to the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania in around two weeks, he warned the German government not to obstruct his country’s path to the alliance. He called on Berlin not to repeat the mistake “Chancellor Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she vigorously opposed any progress towards Ukraine’s NATO membership.” That decision opened the door for Putin’s invasion of Georgia and eventually the illegal annexation of Crimea.
At the 2008 summit, the NATO countries promised Ukraine membership, but then backed down out of consideration for Russia. Angela Merkel and France’s then President Nicolas Sarkozy blocked calls from other NATO partners for rapid accession.