NATO considers Ukraine membership if Kiev gives up territory to Russia

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Aug 2023 14:29
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NATO's Chief of Staff considers that this could be a possible solution to end the war.

picture showing a NATO flag at the NATO headquarters in Brussels during a NATO foreign ministers summit on November 20, 2019 (AFP)

Kiev giving up territory to Russia in exchange for a NATO membership could be a possible solution to the ongoing war in Ukraine, said NATO's Chief of Staff Stian Jenssen according to the Norwegian newspaper VG.

Addressing Ukraine's ambitions to join the military coalition on a recent panel in the Norwegian city of Arendal, Jenssen said he believed that, eventually, "it must be up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms they want to negotiate."

When asked if this discussion took place between NATO countries, the military official suggested that talks between other members on Ukraine, regarding post-war plans, did take place.

This proposal will most probably be denied by Moscow, as the core objective of the Russian military campaign is to stop NATO's eastern expansion toward the country's borders.

But his statement did not resonate well with the leadership in Kiev.

"Trading territory for a NATO umbrella? It is ridiculous. That means deliberately choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law, and passing the war on to other generations," Mykhailo Podoliak, the top political aid to President Volodymyr Zelensky, posted on X.

Trading territory for a NATO umbrella? It is ridiculous. That means deliberately choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law, and passing the war on to other generations. After all, why should Russia…
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) August 15, 2023

A spokesperson for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry also slammed Jenssen's "unacceptable suggestion" in a Facebook post, and said that such statements represent a different position than what Kiev believes of NATO.

"We have always assumed that the alliance [NATO], like Ukraine, does not trade territories. The conscious or unconscious participation of NATO officials in shaping the narrative regarding the possibility of Ukraine's giving up its territories plays into the hands of Russia," Oleh Nikolenko wrote.

After Ukraine's counteroffensive failed to achieve its declared objectives, the administration of US President Joe Biden, Kiev's biggest sponsor, has been under growing internal public and political pressure to justify its massive spending that failed to yield promised outcomes.

Amidst waning public support in the United States, escalating pressures on Western economies— including the US— and mounting critiques from American politicians and experts, there is a resounding call for the White House to establish a coherent policy outlining its perspective on the eventual conclusion of the war.

In this intricate landscape, Washington confronts an array of potential scenarios, each of which presents challenges and uncertainties, painting a bleak overall picture.

As the impending challenges loom, the approach that US President Joe Biden will take remains uncertain, particularly in the wake of escalating tensions along the NATO-Belarus borders.