At the July summit in Washington, NATO does not plan to offer Ukraine a formal invitation to join the Alliance. The issue of accession will not be considered while the war with Russia continues, so as not to involve the Alliance in the conflict, 24 Channel reports.
The Hill notes that the prospects for Ukraine’s membership remain uncertain even after the war ends. Therefore, they propose an alternative in the form of “renewed Sweden”, which provides for close cooperation with NATO in the field of security and defense without formal membership.
Prospects for Ukraine’s accession to NATO
Inviting Ukraine to join NATO would mean drawing the Alliance into a direct conflict with Russia, which is currently unacceptable.
Doubts about Ukraine’s membership should not be surprising. NATO’s dirty secret is that since the end of the Cold War, the organization has not accepted countries that need to be protected from Russian aggression, – the newspaper writes.
They also noted that the two waves of expansion in 1999 and 2004 came at a time when NATO and Russia were establishing their relations, so all former members of the Warsaw Pact were admitted to the Alliance.
The other members of the Alliance that broke away from Russia were the Balkan states that were admitted to NATO later. Although they were vulnerable to interference in their internal affairs, they were not vulnerable to an armed attack by the Kremlin that could trigger NATO’s collective defense commitments.
It is worth noting that Finland and Sweden, which were recently admitted, are no exception.
These two Scandinavian countries have powerful armed forces and a long history of cooperation with NATO. Unlike other new members, they have actually strengthened NATO since their accession. Instead of defending them, NATO is likely to turn to them for help in defending other allies, – the article noted.
What is the alternative to Ukraine’s membership in NATO?
Instead of membership, the publication offers Ukraine a model similar to Sweden’s during the Cold War. Although it was a formally neutral country, it had a strong defense industry and worked closely with the United States and other NATO allies.
This cooperation was kept secret at the time, but the USSR undoubtedly knew about it. And this knowledge served as a powerful deterrent to military aggression, – the article emphasized.
In order for Ukraine to become a “renewed Sweden”, NATO should increase its support for the restoration of Ukraine’s defense industry and training of its armed forces, as well as cooperate in the field of security and intelligence. To do so, the Alliance must guarantee a steady stream of support for at least the next decade.
The publication emphasizes the importance of cooperation in reforming Ukraine’s economy and political system in line with European standards.
This approach aims to create a reliable deterrent to Russia outside of NATO.
