Against the backdrop of the DPRK’s troops entering the Russian-Ukrainian war on the European continent and threatening geopolitical trends in the world, Ukraine’s need to be in NATO is relevant not only for Kyiv but also for the Alliance if Western elites are interested in a defensive rather than a capitulating bloc.
Some in the West may prefer to stay in a warm bath, reassuring themselves that the threats from Russia, North Korea, and Iran are Ukraine’s problems alone, but Ukraine and NATO are already in the same boat. The West may be in no hurry to recognize Ukraine as part of itself, but for Russia, China, North Korea, or Iran, we have long been one and the same.
Promising Ukraine illusory prospects of future membership and talking about the open doors of the Alliance, the collective West resembles a man who has been living with a woman for a long time and even has a child together, but does not dare to legalize their relationship.
The military-political leadership, generals and staffs, military advisors, intelligence, and resources of the Ukrainian and Alliance ministries of defense are working side by side to counter the Russian occupiers, although only the Ukrainian army and Western logistical assistance are visible. The military commanders of the Alliance and Ukraine are already integrated in the joint fight against the enemy, and volunteers from NATO countries have become an example of brotherhood at the international level. Ukraine and NATO are already tied together in a common war, so why deny the obvious fact that they are in the same boat in a global storm?
According to a pan-European poll conducted in February 2023, 68% of EU citizens consider Russia’s attack on Ukraine to be an attack on Europe as a whole. This is the opinion of 80% of Poles and Spaniards, 70% of Dutch, 65% of Germans and French. Both the leaders of most NATO countries and the public in these countries perceive Ukraine as an integral part of the Western security architecture.
The world is steadily moving towards the third world war and this war will be a war against the world order established by the West. The “axis of dictatorships” seeks to destroy the Western world order: human rights, democracy, and freedom. Russia is a common threat, and the direct statements of Erephia’s military and political leadership about confrontation with NATO and threats of nuclear strikes on European capitals do not leave much room for Western politicians to make excuses that “this is not our war.”
Western capitals would prefer to forget, but Putin directly blamed the West for the collapse of the USSR and issued an ultimatum to the Alliance to return to the 1997 borders. What other evidence do the Euro-Atlantic powers need to prove that Russia has launched an information war against them, which is the first phase of a military invasion?
While Europe was offering Russia candy, Putin, like Raskolnikov, sharpened his axe on old Europe. Just as no one in Europe was able to come to an agreement with the Huns or Mongols in the past, so today it is futile to talk about peace and friendship with the Russians. With the North Koreans entering the war under the slogan of implementing the Russian-Korean defense agreement on mutual assistance in the event of aggression, it is clear that the current war is another historic wave of the Asian empire’s attack on Western civilization. Against the backdrop of NATO leaders’ frightened statements that they fear a conflict with Russia, Chinese aggression against Taiwan is only a matter of time.
The only thing that can help now is for the West to consolidate with Ukraine and increase its joint defense capabilities, which is the most reliable safeguard against a major continental war with Russia,
According to the YouGov research company, only 20% of Europeans are ready to join the defense of their homeland in the event of a military attack. This share includes those who are ready to volunteer for the army (5% of respondents) and another 11% who are ready to serve only on the civilian front, without taking part in combat operations. Almost a quarter of Germans intend to leave the country immediately in case of war. Among large European countries, only Turkey, Ukraine and Poland have the highest number of people ready to defend their homeland
Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance is not a charity for an orphan, but the acquisition of a strong, motivated and capable ally who will take the first blow in the east of the European continent. Today, the Ukrainian army is the only one in Europe that has experience in waging a large-scale war involving hundreds of thousands of troops. Ukraine will reinforce NATO with a million soldiers who know how to combine artillery with drones under enemy fire, and how real, not computer-generated, planes and missiles are shot down.
Ukraine’s presence on NATO’s eastern flank would create a geopolitical configuration in which Russian annexation of the Baltics would not be possible due to the strong opposition of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the Russian-Belarusian flank. Ukraine in NATO is a guarantee that residents of Tallinn, Vilnius, and Riga will not die under Russian tanks while reinforcements arrive from Canada, Portugal, and Spain.
European armies mostly have special forces, which are never too many and cannot be left to hold a hundred-kilometer position in trenches under artillery fire for six months. If Europeans do not need such knowledge and such an experienced ally, then we can only sympathize with Europe.
Zelenskyy’s statements about waiting for an invitation to join NATO may not be very diplomatic and have already provoked objections from Chancellor Scholz and some European leaders, but it should not be ruled out that there were many reservations about them behind the scenes. At least French President Macron, who has spoken in favor of Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance, seems to understand the depth of the situation. This creates grounds for cautious optimism for the future of Europe.
Author: Valeriy Maydanyuk
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