At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ( NATO ) Summit held in Vilnius, Lithuania on the 11th and 12th, Ukraine’s accession to NATO emerged as a major agenda item. Concerned that “we will be the next target of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the three Baltic countries and major Eastern European countries are urging the rest of the member states to “allow entry.” On the other hand, the United States and Germany are opposed to it, fearing an extreme confrontation with Russia.
US President Joe Biden said on the 9th, “Ukraine is not yet ready (to join NATO). It is premature to ask for a membership vote,” he said, explicitly expressing his opposition. Instead, he stressed that he would spare no support for Ukraine, citing the case of Israel, which is not a member of NATO, but which the United States provides security guarantees.
President Biden said in a
CNN interview that day, “Now that the war is in full swing, unanimity within NATO is impossible over whether to accept Ukraine as a member of NATO.” He also pointed out that accepting Ukraine would force all member states to directly engage in a war against Russia. Article 5 of the NATO Charter stipulates that ‘an armed attack against a member state shall be regarded as an attack against all member states, and the use of force and assistance shall be provided if necessary먹튀검증.’Instead, President Biden said, “We will continue to provide weapons and security to Ukraine in a similar way to Israel.” The United States signed a security memorandum of understanding with Israel, which is not a member of NATO, in 1975 and has provided about 158 billion dollars (about 206 trillion won) of military aid to date. The key is that weapons and military training, sharing of classified information, and economic support are possible without signing a formal treaty such as a ‘mutual defense treaty’. This is to protect Israel, a key ally that has been plagued by security instability ever since its founding in 1948, surrounded by the Islamic State.Accordingly, the United States, Germany, etc. are pursuing a plan to provide “Israeli-style security guarantees” to Ukraine through a joint statement during the summit. If successful, Ukraine will have a basis for receiving military and economic support from NATO member countries even after Russia completely withdraws from the occupied territories.Expectations are high that such a move will act as a lever to pressure Russia to end the war and conclude a peace negotiation. The Stimson Center, a US think tank, analyzed that “providing Israel-style security guarantees would be as threatening to Russia as Ukraine’s NATO membership,” and that it could be a powerful bargaining chip.● Eastern Europe “Enrollment procedure and schedule must be finalized”Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also eased the burden on President Biden by talking about joining NATO after the war in an interview with the US
ABC on the 9th. “We will make the necessary changes to become a member state after the war,” he said. However, Ukraine’s accession was “a matter of political will” and expressed dissatisfaction with some member countries that were lukewarm about joining.Some point out that the Israeli-style security guarantee is not very effective. Unlike Israel, which is a ‘de facto nuclear power’, Ukraine voluntarily dismantled its nuclear weapons during the former Soviet Union, so there are not many cards to control Russia, a nuclear powerhouse. Accordingly, Eastern European member countries that favor Ukraine’s accession express their intention that at least the specific procedures and schedule for accession should be confirmed at this meeting.NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told the British Financial Times (
FT ) on the 9th that “Ukraine will become a member when the time comes,” soothing both Ukraine and Eastern European member countries.However, on the same day, former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating blatantly criticized Stoltenberg for acting only as an agent of the United States, calling him “the best fool on the international stage.” Former Prime Minister Keating argues that NATO’s attempt to expand into the Asia-Pacific in accordance with US interests will intensify regional conflict and that Australia should remain neutral between the US and China.