2023-07-01 11:22:10
According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Kiev is fighting long-lived prejudices and misunderstandings about the consequences of his country joining NATO. NATO membership will not lead to another or major war with Russia, Kuleba said in an interview with “Bild”, “Welt” and “Politico” in Kiev on Friday evening. Rather, joining NATO is “the road to peace” – because Russia would not dare to attack Ukraine again, which is a NATO member.
Ukraine will then relieve Germany and other western NATO countries in defending the eastern flank, Kuleba promised: “We will take this burden on our shoulders.”
According to Kuleba, Ukraine does not expect to join NATO during the war. “But after the war it would be suicidal for Europe not to accept Ukraine as a NATO member.” A Ukraine outside of NATO would mean that war is still an option. The only way to close the door on Russian aggression against Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region at large is for Ukraine to join NATO, he said.
Criticized: Angela Merkel.
Michael Kappeler/dpa
With a view to the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania in around two weeks, he warned the German government not to obstruct his country’s path to the alliance. He called on Berlin not to repeat the mistake “Chancellor Merkel made in Bucharest in 2008 when she fiercely opposed any progress towards Ukraine’s NATO membership.” That decision opened the door for Putin’s invasion of Georgia and eventually the illegal annexation of Crimea.
At the 2008 summit, the NATO states promised Ukraine membership, but then backed down out of consideration for Russia. Angela Merkel and France’s then President Nicolas Sarkozy blocked calls from other NATO partners for rapid accession.
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