Former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor to the US President, Henry Kissinger, 99, spoke out in an interview with The Economist in favor of Ukraine’s admission to NATO. According to him, this must be done in the interest of European security.
Kissinger explained that in the bloc, Kyiv would not be able to decide on territorial claims at the national level. In addition, Europe must plan for a rapprochement with Russia in order to create a stable eastern border.
According to the former secretary of state, the decision to leave Ukraine’s NATO membership open was wrong and destabilizing. The bloc ‘waved’ the NATO protection pledge, but did nothing about it, although they understood that it was guaranteed to ‘wrath not only Putin, but also many of his compatriots “.
Now the challenge is to end the conflict without setting the stage for the next round, Kissinger said. According to him, the reality is that whatever happens, Russia will probably keep Sevastopol. Such a settlement, in which Moscow loses some gains but retains others, could antagonize Russia and Ukraine, he said.
“What the Europeans are saying now, in my opinion, is incredibly dangerous… Because the Europeans are saying, ‘We don’t want them in NATO, because it’s too risky. And so we’re going to arm them in hell and give them the most modern weapons,” Kissinger said.
Thus, Ukraine can become the best-armed country with the least strategically experienced leadership in Europe, the politician said. Joining NATO would deprive Kiev of excessive independence in terms of triggering conflicts, Kissinger believes.
Earlier, the former US secretary of state admitted that negotiations on Ukraine could start at the end of the year with the help of Chinese mediation.
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