Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said the West should not accept former Soviet republics into NATO. He gave advice on security architecture in article for The Hill newspaper.
According to him, the West should develop a new security architecture for the neutral countries of Eastern Europe and the former republics of the Soviet Union, but Russia should also be involved in the negotiations.
“Consultations should start within NATO, and then with the participation of these countries themselves, before we negotiate any agreements with Moscow. But consultations on a more philosophical and general level could begin with Russia at meetings this week, ”O’Hanlon said.
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The Brookings Institution added that the main concept for future security in Eastern Europe would be to grant permanent neutrality to Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. He stressed that these countries are not members of NATO, and they should not be in the North Atlantic Alliance. Also, according to O’Hanlon, Russia, like NATO, would pledge “to help maintain the security of Ukraine, Georgia and other states.”
After that, the sanctions imposed on Russia because of its “aggression against neighbors” will be lifted, the expert assured. At the same time, neutral countries will be able to join the European Union under certain circumstances, but will not be American allies. “We will not promise to protect them as if they were US territory, which ultimately means being part of NATO,” concluded O’Hanlon.
Earlier, retired Norwegian Lieutenant General Robert Maud called NATO a way to avoid a war with Russia. He noted that the West should provide other countries, including the Russian Federation, with the opportunity to join NATO. Otherwise, Maud predicted military conflicts in the near future.
On January 10, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, following talks with the US delegation on security guarantees, said that Russia wants to exclude the possibility of Georgia and Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Alliance. “Russia needs reinforced concrete guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia will never become NATO members,” he stressed.
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