Accelerated NATO Membership for Ukraine Is an Urgent Decision
The invitation of Ukraine to the Alliance will be on the agenda of NATO Summit in Vilnius (July 11-12, 2023). To date, there are no predictions yet. According to experts, the accelerated membership, desired by Kyiv and the countries of Eastern Europe, following the example of Sweden and Finland, is not considered yet, but still exists on the agenda. Many members of the Alliance, fearing risks and threats to their security, support the accelerated invitation.
According to analysts, if all goes well, there is a high probability that the issue of Ukraine’s membership will be on the agenda until the war ends. At the same time, in return, Kyiv is offered to increase its status and expand its influence within the framework of the existing Ukraine-NATO Council. In this case, Ukraine isconsidered to be a full member of the council. This won’t just bean invitation to discuss certain issues, but the right to convene a council at the time necessary for Ukraine and to report much more quickly on the affairs at the front. Such an expanded status, among other things, will intensify intelligence cooperation and speed up the exchange of necessary data, conduct exercises, invest in the defense industry of Ukraine, and increase the compliance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with NATO standards.
Nevertheless, Ukraine today is in dire need of security guarantees. Even the most progressive and expanded versions of cooperation will not be able to guarantee and give what exactly NATO membership provides.
As you know, skeptics who oppose the accelerated accession of Ukraine are guided by Kremlin-imposed narratives and fears. They fear the aggravation of relations with Russia and the growth of a military conflict, up to the Third World War or Nuclear War. However, over the past 9 years, Moscow has only increased its aggression, excluding any peaceful coexistence with its neighbors. Moreover, Putin used the slightest concession of the West to increase the level of confrontation.
Today, it is obvious that the European security architecture directly depends on the events in Ukraine and the outcome of the war itself. This requires not only accelerated provision of modern weapons to the front, but a bloc support and security guarantees to Kyiv.
Ukraine’s membership in NATO would mean an unambiguous goal of the West to defeat Russia and exclude the possibility of such threats in the future. Thus, in accordance with Article 5, not one country, but a powerful alliance with modern weapons will oppose Russian aggression. Since Putin is accustomed to attacking smaller states, the bloc status will ensure their security and designate the contours of the security and invulnerability of democratic countries.
Therefore, Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance will not lead to a further escalation of the military conflict, but will serve as a safeguard against the Kremlin’s revanchist campaigns. Otherwise, the members of the bloc will face catastrophic destruction and human tragedy already on their territory.
