Anders Fogh Rasmussenformer NATO Secretary General, proposed that Ukraine join the alliance, but that Article 5 of the Washington Treaty does not apply to the territories occupied by Russia.
Source: The Guardian, citing Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former NATO Secretary General, as reported by European Pravda.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who served as NATO secretary general from 2009 to 2014, insists that Ukraine’s partial membership plan does not symbolize a freezing of the conflict but rather signifies the determination to prevent Russia to hinder Ukraine’s entry into the Alliance. . Rasmussen said the issue of Ukraine’s NATO membership could no longer be postponed.
“The time has come to take the next step and invite Ukraine to join NATO. We need a new European security architecture in which Ukraine is at the heart of NATO,” did he declare.
Proponents of Ukraine’s NATO membership are cautious because extending Article 5 of the Alliance’s Collective Defense Treaty to the entire territory of Ukraine would force NATO member countries to actively defend a country at war. Rasmussen argues that excluding Russian-held territories from the treaty’s scope would reduce the risk of conflict between Russia and NATO.
Rasmussen denies that this measure would freeze the conflict by ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia. “The absolute credibility of Article 5 guarantees would deter Russia from increasing attacks inside Ukrainian territory within NATO and thus free Ukrainian forces to go to the front line” , did he declare.
“To make Article 5 credible, there would need to be a clear message to Russia that any violation of NATO territory would result in a response,” Rasmussen stressed. He said that, in a sense, this proposal is akin to establishing a no-fly zone for Russia, preventing it from flying over Ukrainian territory or launching missiles at Ukrainian cities.
Rasmussen pointed to a somewhat unclear precedent in history: when West Germany joined the Alliance in 1955, Article 5 only applied to its territory, not to Germany. ‘East. He listed three main reasons why Ukraine should be offered membership. First, Ukraine within NATO would act as a bulwark against the ever-aggressive Russia. Secondly, he added, we must understand that gray zones are danger zones and that neutrality in the old sense of the term no longer exists.
Finally, he claims that the Ukrainian army is currently the most battle-hardened army in Europe and could become an asset and an example for other European states.
Background:
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The former Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance believes that it is time for NATO to invite Ukraine to join, and this should happen at its next summit in Washington.
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