NATO’s big hitters oppose Ukrainian membership – FP — RT World News
Washington and Berlin reportedly believe that accepting Kiev's accession to the alliance would risk a large-scale clash with Moscow.
The United States and Germany are resisting calls by NATO allies to invite Ukraine to join the bloc at a major summit later this year, fearing the move could lead to a full-scale clash with Russia, Foreign Policy reported on Tuesday.
The American magazine, citing dozens of current and former officials, wrote that Kiev and some of its ardent supporters, including Poland and the Baltic states, are pushing for Ukraine to be accepted into the US-led bloc at an important summit in Washington. DC in July.
Supporters of fast-tracking Ukraine's application to join NATO claim that only full membership for Kiev can force Russia to end the conflict, while claiming that such a move would be less costly in the long run than arms shipments in perpetuity.
However, according to the article, the United States and Germany, the two main supporting countries of Ukraine in terms of military aid, disagree. Officials in these countries believe that although Kiev should eventually join NATO, now is not the right time, adding that the West should instead focus on supplying weapons to Ukraine.
The newspaper added that Ukraine's admission into the bloc while it is locked in a conflict with Russia could lead to a large-scale conflict between NATO and Moscow, stemming from Article 5 of the alliance's treaty, which stipulates that an attack on one of the bloc's members is tantamount to an attack on another of the bloc's members. Attack on all members.
According to Foreign Policy magazine, the confrontation was exacerbated by the position of several European Union members, including Hungary and Slovakia, who opposed sending weapons to Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned that Kiev's EU membership could drag NATO into the conflict. His Slovakian counterpart, Robert Fico, said that this step could lead to World War III.
The United States reportedly urged EU members not to raise the issue at the summit, arguing that it could expose divisions behind the scenes.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against providing military aid to Ukraine, saying that would only prolong the conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin also said that Kiev's quest to join NATO, which was enshrined in its constitution as a strategic goal in 2019, was one of the main reasons for the current conflict.
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