Ignore Russian Pressure, Ukraine Must Join NATO - Yushchenko

Ignore Russian Pressure, Ukraine Must Join NATO - Yushchenko

Neil Richard Leslie | November 19, 2008

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has said in an interview with The Times that NATO should resist Russian pressure and make an historic offer of membership to Ukraine:

Viktor Yushchenko said that Ukraine was “devoted” to winning support for a Membership Action Plan (MAP) at next month’s summit of Nato foreign ministers despite opposition in Moscow and a bitter political crisis at home that has split the pro-Western Orange coalition. He gave warning that expansion of the military alliance was vital to European security in the wake of Russia’s war with Georgia, and the only way to secure Ukraine’s independence.

“I am sure that the ball is not on the Ukrainian side of the field, Ukraine has done everything it had to do,” President Yushchenko said in an interview with The Times. “We are devoted to this pace. Everything else is an issue of political will of those allies who represent Nato.”

Russia strongly opposes Nato membership for Ukraine and former President Vladimir Putin threatened to target nuclear missiles at Ukraine if it joined. The question that must be asked is what exactly would Ukraine contribute to the NATO alliance if it did join? Their economy is in trouble; their military is second-rate, and it is evident that Russia won't budge in terms of their opposition to NATO expansion. Ukraine is also deeply divided with Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko's faction favoring greater ties with Moscow.

Is Ukraine really a suitable candidate for membership? It is a harsh truth, especially for a respected statesman such as Yushchenko, but I'm afraid NATO isn't ready for Ukraine, and Ukraine isn't ready for NATO.

Comments

Submitted by Andre Onymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 01:26.

Ukraine is not just a joke. It is a dangerous trojan horse full of unknown surprises. One might be seeing Russia rapidly loose temper and start help Iran, for instance. That's a given. Unnecessarily antagonizing the russians for no real advantage to be gain is not in the national interest. Sure, Ukraine, stands to gain all sorts of things and maybe even shed off their current beggar-state status in the process. But Ukraine will be a major liability and once in, no one can push the worms back into the jar. Let's think through this one... How about give Ukaine a to-do list first and check back in 10 years. Are we gonna guarantee their freedom? Is the US prez gonna actually say that in Kiev in front of thousands of "grateful ukrainians"? That is sure to go down in history as one foulish gesture. I say, no way, Ivan.

Submitted by Andre Onymous (not verified) on Fri, 11/21/2008 - 02:06.

To Neil Richard Leslie.
Good sir,

Let me put this gently: Yushchenko simply means nothing to us.
He's just another politician trying any which way to keep that place together. He's got 12 million russians up his arse.
If long term projections for a substantial increase of the russian GDP will actually come about, those 12 mil. could easily be played in the name of democracy.
Reality is, even if Ukraine makes it in, russians will still be able to destabilize that country.