Henrik B. L. Larsen, War On The Rocks: Why NATO Should Not Offer Ukraine and Georgia Membership Action Plans
Why did Russia deploy roughly 100,000 troops to the Ukrainian border earlier this year?
The move alarmed Western policymakers from the Baltics to the Beltway about the possibility of an all-out invasion.
While Moscow ultimately redeployed some of those troops and the crisis deescalated, the buildup highlights Ukraine’s vulnerability and the West’s powerlessness to Russian hard power in the region.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson gave a very specific reason for the country’s moves at the beginning of the military buildup — she warned that Ukraine’s bid for NATO membership could entail “irreversible consequences for the Ukrainian statehood.”
President Vladimir Putin in his subsequent address to the nation cautioned the West against crossing Russia’s red lines. In short, Russia was flexing its military muscles in no small part to prevent Ukraine’s attempt to draw closer to NATO membership.
Preventing Ukraine — along with Georgia — from joining NATO is one of Russia’s key geopolitical objectives, and it is certainly one that it is willing to use military force to achieve.
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WNU Editor: I can see Georgia becoming a member of NATO in the far future. But Ukraine is a different story. For one thing .... and the above author admits it .... a lot of Ukrainians do not want to join NATO ....
.... Moreover, while a steady and overwhelming majority of Georgians support NATO membership, a significant portion of the Ukrainian people concentrated in the country’s southern and eastern parts closer to Russia are against joining the alliance.
2 comments:
I strongly disagree with this article. If Ukrainian people doesn't want to be a partner of NATO, no problem, the people voice is first. But bowing to the Russia threat is encouraging Putin. If we put a lot of force in Georgia and/or Ukraine, Putin who is a very realistic guy will find the good words for not being bellicose.
NATO is not able to deploy the kind of forces involved in deterring Russia on its doorstep. And even if it could, Russia could invade Georgia long before the buildup even began. secondly, there is absolutely no reason for us to defend these soviet satellites states at all costs.
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