NATO Secretary General: Best guarantee of security for Ukraine is NATO membership
The condition for a new ceasefire in the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine must be security guarantees that give 100% confidence in maintaining this ceasefire line, no matter where it is, and the best such guarantee is Ukraine's membership in NATO, the Secretary General believes this organization Jens Stoltenberg.
"And therefore, I strongly believe that when the fighting stops we need to ensure that Ukraine has the capabilities to deter future aggression from Russia and they need security guarantees. And, of course, the best and strongest security guarantee will be Article Five. So therefore, I believe that a way to ensure that it stops is actually a NATO membership," he said at the NATO Public Forum on Wednesday in Washington.
Stoltenberg said how Russia has violated ceasefire agreements several times since 2014 and occupied new territories of Ukraine.
"So therefore, I believe that a way to ensure that it stops is actually a NATO membership," the secretary general said.
Answering a question about the possible formulation of the prospects for Ukraine's membership in NATO in the final declaration of the summit in Washington, Stoltenberg acknowledged its importance, as it sets the agenda and indicates the direction, but at the same time emphasized that "action speaks louder than words."
In his opinion, real steps and long-term NATO commitments to support Kyiv all help Ukraine move closer to NATO membership.
"So, to come closer to membership so we can then – when the time is right, when you have consensus and the political conditions are in place – so when an invitation then is issued, they can become members straightaway," the secretary general said.
He said the NATO framework consolidated at the summit in Washington should reduce the risk of a repeat of the situation with the delay in aid to Ukraine, which has been the case since the end of last year and which affected the ability to contain the front line.
Stoltenberg also clarified that today approximately 50% of military support for Ukraine is provided by European allies and Canada, so the idea that the United States bears the main burden is incorrect.
"If you add economic, macroeconomic support, humanitarian support, the European allies are providing much more than the United States," he said.
The point of the work, he said, is to ensure consistent burden-sharing formulas and increase transparency as well as accountability.