Ukraine did not receive an invitation to join NATO in Vilnius. It’s wise to limit yourself to security guarantees for the time being, comments Mike Schier.
Vilnius – There are signs of strength in Moscow: In Vilnius, a few kilometers from the border with Belarus, the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyj is standing in the midst of his NATO friends. Meanwhile, Germany, long perceived as hesitant, is putting together the next large package of weapons. And Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says: Vladimir Putin went to war because he wanted less NATO – instead he got more. After the long, unspeakable blockade by Recep Tayyip Erdogan finds next to Finland now finally Sweden’s way into the defense alliance.
Ukraine’s path to NATO: No invitation to Kiev for the time being
So NATO is on the right track – also when it comes to dealing with Ukraine in the medium term. Experienced foreign policy expert Joe Biden would do well to put the brakes on British ambitions to admit the war-torn country to NATO as soon as possible. It is not without a certain irony that the conservative Brexit party in London is now singing the praises of international alliances. In fact, it would be far too risky to take in Kiev while the conflict is still ongoing. NATO would be a quasi-automatic war party.
Of course, that doesn’t preclude the country from joining NATO at some point. In the medium-distant future. When the White House now speaks of a “reform path for Ukraine”, it is based on the correct assessment that a number of political reforms are still necessary in Kiev – and this applies all the more to EU accession, by the way. However, these reforms can hardly be managed during a military conflict. That’s why it’s wise not to make final decisions over the knee – and until then to limit yourself to clear security guarantees. (Mike Schier)
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