Ukraine Needs Hard Security Guarantees, NATO Membership Preferred
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Date
2022
Authors
Burkovskyi, Petro
Haran, Olexiy
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
George Washington University
Abstract
The responsibility for preventing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine lies both on the West and on Ukrainian society, which was not unified about Ukraine’s NATO membership. All of the Russian talk about the NATO "threat" was just a cover-up for the real task of destroying Ukrainians as an independent nation. In the present situation, Kyiv is carrying the bloody burden of the European war alone, though with significant Western support. To prevent Ukraine’s and Europe’s failure in what appears to be a long-term struggle with Russia, it is necessary to recognize and accept the necessity of real security guarantees (unlike the Budapest-type 1990s "security assurances"). One option may be a non-bloc variant with real security guarantees provided by the US, the UK, France, and perhaps Turkey, Poland, and others. It should include immediate military support, including troops on the ground if Russia attacks Ukraine. A second option for Kyiv would be moving toward NATO membership. In this case, very painful compromises regarding Russian war crimes and some territories lost in 2014 may have to be considered.
Description
Keywords
Ukraine, Russia, NATO, struggle with Russia, Russian war crimes, article
Citation
Burkovskyi P. Ukraine Needs Hard Security Guarantees, NATO Membership Preferred / Petro Burkovskyi, Olexiy Haran // PONARS Policy Exchange. - Washington, DC : George Washington University, 2022. - 7 p.